Tag Archives: proset 1989

NFL, usfl

Hébert, Bobby “The Cajun Cannon”

Cards: Fleer 1990, ProSet 1989, Stadium Club 1992, Action Packed 1992
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o Home
Sent: 10/15   Received: 11/1  (17 days)

I don’t know what it is about small town Louisiana, but it seems to be the cornucopia of NFL quarterback talent and Bobby Hébert (pronounced A-bear,) is another great example of that- born in Cut Off, LA. Nicknamed the “Cajun Cannon”, he’d be recruited to go to Northwestern State- Louisiana in Natchitoches and would be taken in the 3rd round (34th pick) of the upstart USFL’s initial draft in 1983 by the Michigan Panthers. Things were be rough there as Bobby would initially compete with 13 quarterbacks during that initial training camp.  Once things settled down however, Hébert established himself as one of the elite players of the young league throwing to future Minnesota Viking Anthony Carter. That year Bobby won the USFL Championship and he would take home the MVP honors beating the Philadelphia Stars. Along with those honors Hébert won player of the year honors and was voted the most outstanding quarterback of the league (3568 yards  and 27 touchdowns). The team again made the playoffs in 1984 but with injuries plaguing the defensive line, they’d be knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. In 1985, with the league experiencing financial issues, the Panthers found themselves merged with the Oakland Invaders, however they returned to the championship game losing in the end to the Philadelphia Stars. Bobby finished as the league’s career leading passer with over 10,000 yards.

After the USFL folded, Bobby was a man without a team- but he wouldn’t have to look long as former Stars coach Jim Mora who was stockpiling former USFL players and brought him into camp with the Saints. Hébert and Mora went head to head over the next animated 7 seasons for the team, as Bobby was always struggling to garner the respect he deserved with Dave Wilson, John Fourcade, or Steve Walsh (after an acrimonious holdout in 1990,) always looking over Bobby’s shoulder during his tenure there with the Saints. Bobby in fact would guide the Saints to their first playoff appearance and their first divisional title under his clock management sporting a 49-26 career record as starting quarterback of the Saints. After a great 1992 season, free agency dawned and Hébert signed with the rival Atlanta Falcons in 1993, where he’d see his lone ProBowl appearance. He’d play there for the next 4 seasons, with 1994 and 1995 being primarily mopup duty. In 1996 he replaced Jeff George and started the majority of the season under coach June Jones, retiring after the season ended.

Bobby since then has done a lot of sports radio commentary, conducting fireworks shows, and was the Grand Marshall for the Mardi Gras parade in 2007- apparently being quite the man of the party. Bobby played for the rival Saints when I was a big fan of the Rams in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I always respected him and felt that Jim Mora restricted Bobby because of Mora’s offensive philosophy. He didn’t force the ball or make many turnovers and was a great clock manager. I even had his Starting Lineup figure. Strangely, the pronunciation of Bobby’s last name would even be a topic of conversation on an episode of Seinfeld.

Hébert for some reason in many of his photos is always pitching the ball out or rolling back from center on his cards. While they were dynamic looking poses, I had to struggle to locate a good selection of different looks. I like to ask questions of many of the players that I try to get autographs from, and I was really excited to get a response from Bobby. He wrote that his greatest memory was “Definitely winning the USFL championship and the MVP honors!” He gleefully signed all 4 of my cards and both sides of my Action Packed 1992 card in 17 days. Below are Bobby’s NFL statistics.

G/Gs 122/100       Att 3121      Comp 1839     Yds  21683     Pct 58.9    Td 135     Int 124     Rat 78.0

NFL

Brown, Steve

Cards: Fleer 1990, ProSet 1989
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o The Kentucky Wildcats
Sent: 3/26        Received: 4/24  (28 days)

Drafted in the third round of the 1983 draft by the Houston Oilers, Steve Brown was considered an excellent fit for their primarily man to man defense. He’d get off to a good start in 1983 on special teams, averaging 25.6 yards per kick return and return one 93 yards for a touchdown.  He’d also get 1 interception and 2 fumble recoveries starting 10 games.  Steve played during some of the leaner years of the Oilers’ existence as a franchise, up and through the Jerry Glanville era. In both 1985 and 1989 Steve pulled down a career high 5 interceptions.  In 1990 the team went in another direction at cornerback, and while Steve suited up, he would start no games for the team and retired.

In 1995 Brown was hired as an assistant coach for the St. Louis Rams. He’d coach the cornerbacks in 1996-1997 and then the complete secondary from 1998-2000 where the team won the Superbowl. He is considered an apostle of the Dick Vermeil coaching tree.  Brown left the Rams, and in 2003 was hired by Kentucky University.  In 2007 he was promoted to defensive coordinator, where Steve installed an aggressive defense. The defensive unit responded well by improving and flourishing across the board.

G/Gs  119/96   Tac  N/a  Sac 5  Fum 5  Int 18  Yds  264  Td 1   Lg 44

College Football HoF, NFL, Pro Football HoF, Super Bowl MVP

Aikman, Troy

Card: Proset 1989
Acquired: Dallas Cowboys Training Camp 1991

Troy Aikman was the #1 pick of the phenomenal 1989 NFL Draft. His career started badly enough, with a 0-11 record as a starter in his first season. He’d have to wait till 1990 for his first win as a starting quarterback. (Steve Walsh would also be drafted in 1989 to compete against Aikman, and won the team’s only game against the Washington Redskins that season.) The team slowly grew under Aikman’s stead where Dallas finally reached the playoffs in 1991, which would coincide with the beginning of  6 consecutive ProBowl appearances.

He’d earn the 1992 NFL Super Bowl MVP, and in 1997 the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.  A good manager and custodian, who learned not to turn the ball over- Aikman was probably one of the last in a line of quarterbacks who were allowed time (3 seasons or more) to grow into their job. (One could wonder about David Carr, for example, if he could’ve ever turned the corner without the bright glare of the media, fantasy football or armchair Madden experts screaming on the internet about passing mechanics even though they never played themselves.)

Troy over a 12 year career only started a full season 3 times, (which in this day and age would get you labeled as ‘injury prone’) and finished with over 20 touchdowns, (23) once in his career. He’d also never throw for over 3,500 yards. Despite his 81.6 quarterback rating, Aikman was a winner, with his 90 wins being the most during the 1990s among starting quarterbacks. He also was 11-4 in the playoffs. Injuries eventually began to take their toll on him- as he had 10 career concussions. Waived after the 2000 season, and unable to find a team, he retired after brief flirtations with the Miami Dolphins.

Aikman since football has become quite a good commentator, broadcasting for FOX and is part of the network’s premier crew. In 2005 he was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, and into the Hall of Fame in 2006. He also was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2008 and in 2010 also started doing commercials for Rent-A-Center.

Troy Aikman was a difficult signature to acquire at training camp. I was only able to get him once, – the first day of the second training camp, and never got him again. (The artifact lines across the card are from the plastic sleeve and are not a representation of the condition of the card.)

Like Emmitt Smith,  Troy wasn’t a widespread signer and this didn’t really endear him to me, considering I went to training camp solid for 4 seasons. I guess it was hit or miss. I met kids who got 4 or 5 cards signed, and he was kind enough to sign quite a few for the handicapped, but I guess he thought I was a seller since I was there all the time. Nonetheless one does suffice, and this card was probably my favorite of his.

As of late it has come to my attention that Aikman is charging now for his autograph on cards and helmets with reports going anywhere from $100-200 through the mail.

Games 165  Att  4715   Comp  2898    Pct  61.5%    Yds  32942
Td 165  Int 141   Rat 81.6