Tag Archives: proset 1990

College Football HoF, NFL, usfl

Carter, Anthony “AC”

Cards: Proset 1989, Proset 1990, Pinnacle 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home.
Sent: 1/13    Received: 3/12  (42 days)
See Also: Anthony Carter (2)

An elite, hard- working speedster allowed to wear the hallowed #1 jersey while in college at Michigan, Anthony Carter is the Wolverines all-time receptions leader and was nicknamed “AC” and “the Darter”.
The Michigan Panthers of the USFL drafted Carter where he elected to play over the NFL counterpart Dolphins. With quarterback (and Autograph HoF member) Bobby Herbert at the helm, Carter had a nice rookie season with 60 receptions for 1081 yards in 1983. AC would be named to the All-USFL team as a punt returner after the season.  An injury would sideline Carter in 1984 after only 6 games, but he’d rebound in 1985 with the Oakland Invaders with 70 receptions for 1323 yards and 14 touchdowns, which would earn him All USFL team honors.

As a member of a USFL team, Carter’s rights were locked in by the Dolphins who drafted him back in 1983 (so he was not subject to the USFL CFL talent dispersal draft that the NFL later held). He would be traded away to the Minnesota Vikings who were still looking for a solid receiving force to replace Ahmad Rashad.  AC would fit right in with the Vikings, plus it kept him close to Michigan where he went to college and played the majority of his time in the USFL. He would be a great asset to the Vikings and would demoralize opposing defensive backs with his speed averaging 19.1 yards a reception his rookie season on 43 receptions. In 1987 he earned his first Pro Bowl honor with a jaw dropping 24.3 yards per catch on 38 receptions. He’d hit paydirt 7 times that season including a career long 73 yard bomb for a touchdown.  1988 would see career highs again in receptions (72) and yards (1225) for the USFL speedster. Carter would follow this up again in 1989 and 1990 going over 1000 yards both seasons. He’d also have an incredible playoff game where he burned the San Fransisco defense for 10 receptions and 227 yards.  As the 1991 season approached, Cris Carter arrived in Minnesota effectively halving AC’s production, but Anthony would continue playing for the Vikings over the next 3 seasons providing the team solid veteran leadership. Anthony would be left exposed during the free agent purge of 1993 by the Vikings and signed with the Lions, however injuries and time had caught up with the former Wolverine and he’d play only 4 games with the Lions and retire in 1995.

A college football hall of fame inductee, Carter has amassed a fair amount of accolades since retirement. Like many former USFL greats, one has to wonder how Carter’s legacy would figure into the football landscape if he had declared for the NFL draft or been paired up with Dan Marino in Miami.  He is considered one of the 50 greatest Minnesota Vikings players of all time and was named the the USFL All Time team as first team wide receiver and second team punt returner. In 2011 he was also named the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

After the stranglehold by Topps was loosened on the football card industry by Score and ProSet, the market was flooded with companies trying to cash in on the frenzy.  Carter’s Topps cards really never did him justice, but Pro Set never failed to hit its mark. Since the implosion of the former card giant, I have gained a new found respect for how it revolutionized the industry and the 89 and 90 cards of Carter are excellent examples of this. Pinnacle was late to the party, and by that point I was sporadically collecting. They were revolutionary cards with a nice design at the time with a profile and action shot on the front.

With an average team on offense, AC was about ALL the Vikin– I mean ‘Monsters’ had in the original Tecmo Bowl.  I also had Carter’s Starting Lineup action figure, which was a very plain action pose that Kenner used in that mold at the time.

USFL: 
Rec    160     Yds  3042     Avg 19.0     TD  28  
PR   45     Yds   408    Avg  9.0    Td  1

NFL:  
G/Gs  140/126    Rec: 486    Yds  7733    Avg  15.9     Td  55  Lg  73

NFL

Delpino, Robert

Cards: GameDay 1992, ProSet 1991, ProSet 1990, Score 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent:  3/20   Received: 4/5 (15 days)

Names like Robert Delpino- now that brings back memories. I had these cards sitting there when I first started, because Delpino is one of those names that blipped on the radar really brightly back in the early nineties. To boot Robert had some great looking cards and his strong and unique signature compliments these cards nicely. I am a big LA Rams fan and at one point the Rams were one of the few teams that could rival the 49ers during the evil reign of the red and gold. John Robinson was head coach of the Rams during this period and he was a master of the ground game, so after Greg Bell departed via free agency Robert Delpino stepped up in the lineup.

An exceptional blocker and receiver out of the backfield, Robert was drafted in the 5th round out of Missouri in 1988, and excelled his first three seasons on the stacked roster, playing at fullback for the team and on special teams.  He’d be named the Rams Rookie of the year in 1988 making 30 receptions for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with about 150 yards rushing.  1989 would see even more playing time for the young Ram, with 368 yards rushing and 334 yards receiving. After a fairly quiet 1990, where Delpino would make 4 receiving touchdowns, he’d take charge of the LA Rams ground game in 1991 starting 15 games.

He had another well balanced season rushing for a career high 688 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 617 yards receiving. Leading the league at some points during the season, Robert had perhaps his finest game against the Giants that season running for 116 yards on 27 carries as the team ground out a 19-13 victory in week 2. Delpino would hold down the starting position for the remainder of the season, and although he’d not rush for over 100 yards in another contest during the season as teams began to key on the Rams ground game, Robert would sneak up on them with his incredible receiving ability, finishing the season with 1305 yards from scrimmage.

Unfortunately with a changing of the guard at coach after the season Robert would find himself riding the bench again with Cleveland Gary at starting runningback in 1992. Delpino would relocate after the season to Denver playing one final season for the Broncos as their short yardage back.  He’d run for 8 touchdowns and 445 yards in 4 starts and then retire after the season.  Today he lives in relative anonymity in Daisy, Ca. I had to do a lot of internet sleuthing but I was extremely happy to net Robert as currently I am batting 1 success for 6 failures on ex-Los Angeles Rams. I’ve also rarely seen Delpino successes posted up on boards, perhaps due to his obscurity in Rams’ history.

While the Gameday and ProSet cards were exceptionally well designed during this point- Score 1992 cards completely turned me off.  The only thing that saves this card is Delpino’s heroic pose (and by 1992 most card companies were designing their cards so that players broke the picture plane for a more dynamic effect such as on Robert’s helmet). Otherwise the Score 1992 cards completely miss their mark as their execution makes them come off as flash cards for 3 year olds.  The type, color, and framing are simplistic and lack sophistication. Pro Set would follow suit into the abyss of hideous design with their Pro Set 1992 series 2 cards and with the over saturation in the market already taking place, the industry would soon collapse.

G/Gs  88/30        Rush  502        Yds  1815      Avg  3.6      Td  18    Lg  36    |
Rec  178     Yds  1769     Avg  9.9    Td 9    Lg 78  |
Kr  68       Yds 1339        Avg 19.7     Td  0      lg  49

 

NFL, Pro Football HoF

Jackson, Rickey


Cards: Action Packed 1992, ProSet 1990
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home
Sent: 3/21   Received 4/1  (11 days)

Rickey Jackson was a 2nd round by the New Orleans Saints in the 1981 draft after an All American Campaign at the University of Pittsburgh.   He’d go on to play in 195 games (13 seasons) making 123 sacks, and recover 26 fumbles- all records for the New Orleans Saints. Transitioning from Bum Phillips to Jim Mora without missing a beat, Jackson was a member of the Dome Patrol (along with Pat Swilling, Vaughn Johnson, and Sam Mills)- one of the best linebacking teams in NFL history. Over Jackson’s long career, he made 10+ sacks in a season 6 times. In 1990 he’d lead the league with 7 fumble recoveries, and in 1992 force 6 more. Rickey would be named to the ProBowl in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992 and 1993 before signing with the San Fransisco 49ers in 1994, where he was utilized as a situational pass rusher at defensive end for his final two seasons.  In 1995 Rickey would make 9.5 sacks and win his first SuperBowl title and retire.  In summation, Jackson would be named AP in 1986,1987, 1992 and 1993. His number would be retired by the Saints, and after a long wait Rickey would be named to the NFL HoF in his first year of eligibility as a senior candidate in 2010 as the only Saint in the Hall.

G/Gs  227/225    Tac 1173     Sac 128   Fum    Int 8    Yds 68   Avg 8.6     Td 0     Lg  32