Tag Archives: San Diego Chargers

Archer, David

Cards: Proset 1991, Wild Card WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o Home.
Sent: 7/30  Received: 8/27    (28 days)

David Archer was signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1984, where he’d be the back up quarterback and starter in 1985 and 1986 until Chris Miller arrived in 1987. He’d then bounce around the NFL as the backup quarterback for the Redskins in 1988 and Chargers in 1989. He’d be cut and out of football in 1990, but was be picked up by the Eagles in 1991. It was at this point that the WLAF intervened and David Archer would have his moment in the sun when he went to play for the Sacramento Surge franchise in 1992. The Surge needed a veteran presence and a makeover to turn the franchise around from its dismal 3-7 showing of 1991 and Archer fit that bill to the T. Archer virtually went on to rewrite all the Surge records, and lead the team to World Bowl II, earning MVP honors passing 22 of 36 and 286 yards with 2 TDs as the team rallied to score 15 points in the fourth quarter. David also grabbed the single season passer rating record at 107 with a whopping 9.35 yards per completion and 29 touchdowns. Archer and the Surge were the Riders‘ nemesis in 1992, and when these two teams met it was usually a torrid match. He would lead the team in a comeback victory over the Riders in the final WLAF game at Bobcat stadium in 1992 after being snubbed in Sacramento in OT by the Riders earlier in the season.

After the folding of the WLAF, Archer played with the Eagles an additional season in 1992, and then jumped ship to the CFL USA with the Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993 and 1994, and then the Texans in 1995. He’d then play a single season for the Ottawa Rough Riders, before that franchise was disbursed in 1996. (Quite possibly there is some sort of morose record there for the most number of franchises played for that folded, as Archer had the ‘touch of death’ for 4 franchises over a 5 year period.) He’d take a season off in 1997 uninterested in playing for Saskatchewan, and then play one final season in 1998 for the Edmonton Eskimos.

Archer has since gone on to become a color commentator for the Falcons, SEC football and currently ACC football. I thought at some point I had gotten his autograph but I was completely mistaken. He signed these two cards in about a month.

WLAF
Att 317   Comp 194   Pct 61.4   Yds 2964
Td 23    Int 7   Rat 107.0   Lg 80t

Harbaugh, Jim ‘Captain Comeback’

Cards: Fleer 1990, GameDay 1992
Acquired:  TTM, C/o Stanford University, 2010.
Sent: 2/3   Received: 8/13  (210 days)

Jim Harbaugh was drafted from the University of Michigan in the first round of the 1987 draft by the Chicago Bears, – 5 years after taking incredibly popular Jim McMahon. The Bears had a long history up to this point of being a vaunted ground attack with Walter Peyton and later Neal Anderson. Over the team’s history, (as of 2009) the Bears had only 1 quarterback repeat as a 3,000 yard passer.

Harbaugh rode the bench for the Bears through 1989, when McMahon was traded to the San Diego Chargers.  Jim claimed the starting role but still had to look over his shoulder with Mike Tomczak backing him up.  Jim in 1991 threw for 3121 yards (2nd in team history). In 1994, Harbaugh was traded to the Colts, after finishing second on the career yardage list for the Chicago Bears.

Jim led an improbable Colts team back from the dead, into the playoffs and one game away from the Superbowl, knocking out the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers. During the 1995 season Harbaugh would have perhaps his finest moment leading the NFL in passer rating, being named AFC player of the year, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and finished second in the NFL MVP race.  By 1997, the Colts fell back down to the Earth, and Harbaugh again would find himself traded, this time to the Baltimore Ravens.  He’d sign with the Chargers in 1999, but by 2000 he was splitting time with Ryan Leaf. Harbaugh then suited up briefly with the Lions and Panthers before retiring.

In retrospect over Jim’s playing career, he was a cannon armed quarterback who had to learn the minutia of the NFL game. He was a formidable rusher finishing with 2700 yards, a 5.0 average, and 18 touchdowns over his career. Jim was rough around the edges and was prone to force the ball, especially early in his career, but once surrounded with the right talent and placed in the right offense to hone his skills and check down targets properly, Harbaugh briefly became one of the most dangerous quarterbacks of his era.

Jim Harbaugh had been planning all along to go into coaching. From 1994-2001 while he was still in the NFL, Harbaugh was working as an offensive consultant and scout for Western Kentucky University. He then hopped over to the Raiders  for two seasons, and by 2004 was head coach of the University of San Diego.  In 2005 Harbaugh was named to the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor where he was dubbed ‘Captain Comeback’ by the Colts faithful during his playing days there. By 2007 he was head coach at Stanford University defeating rival USC in the what is considered to be the greatest upset in college football history (43 point favorite) and in 2009 hung a record 55 points on them, where the Cardinals were named to their first bowl game since 2001.  Jim also has pursued a variety of hobbies, including his foundations and a variety of children’s hospitals. He is also co-owner of Panther Racing in the Indianapolis Racing League. In 2011, he took over as head coach of the San Fransisco 49ers.

Jim Harbaugh gets the ironman award for the longest response, clicking in at 210 days. Nonetheless I was quite pleased to notch this former decorated Chicago Bear in my collection.

GS 140   Att  3918   Comp 2305  Pct 58.8
Yds 26288    Td  129     Int 117    Rat 77.6

Bennett, Fred

Card: Score 2007
Acquired: Texans blitz 2009

After Bennett was a two time SEC choice, Fred was drafted in the 4th round of the 2007 draft as a compliment to former Gamecock Dunta Robinson. (Robinson was going to mentor him up to the speed of the NFL game.) Unfortunately Fred Bennett got thrown into the fire when Robinson went down with a season ending knee injury in week 9 that season.

Bennett responded surprisingly well, making 55 tackles, 3 interceptions and 14 passes defensed.  Bennett would then start an additional 6 games for Robinson in 2008 (before Dunta returned) grabbing 2 more interceptions and 6 defenses. Questionably, Bennett from other accounts fell into the team doghouse and had to dig himself out by the end of the season, and started only 3 games in 2009, as a new secondary coach was brought in. Caught in a numbers game, Bennett was cut by the Texans in 2010 and was signed by the San Diego Chargers within days.