Tag Archives: topps 1990

NFL

Lageman, Jeff

to90 jlageman pset89 jlageman

Cards: Topps 1990, ProSet 1989, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed 1992
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Home
Sent: 6/20    Received:  7/1   (11 days)

Jeff Lageman was a force for Virginia playing both defensive end and linebacker for the Cavaliers.  He was selected by the New York Jets during the loaded 1989 draft in the first round as a defensive end, but at 6’6″, 266 Jeff was considered undersized at the pro level for the position.  Considered one of the early tweeners, Lageman played both defensive end and linebacker for New York.  He played for the Jets through the 1995 season posting a respectable 330 tackles and 34.5 sacks.

He’d sign as a free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their inaugural year. The Jags played him exclusively at defensive end, where Lageman played the final 4 years of his career, retiring after the 1998 season due to injury.

A popular figure around Jacksonville, Jeff was able to leverage his football persona and combine that for his love for the outdoors on the radio. He’s done color commentary for football games and weekly features for the Jaguars.

Jeff signed these 4 cards for me in no time flat. He’s got some spectacular early cards. Even his Topps 1990 card was one of those rare action shots.

G/GS  122/118         TAC  411         SAC  47.0          FUM11
INT 1     YDS 15       AVG  15.0         TD  0          LG  15

NFL

Lansford, Mike

to90 mlansfordCards: Topps 1990, ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Work
Sent: 11/16/15     Received: 2/1/16 (77 days)
Failure: 2014, C/o Home

With the amazing mustache, mullet, and barefoot kicking style, Mike Lansford was a great compliment for the LA Rams look. A California native, who kicked in college for Washington and Pasadena CC (CA), before being selected by the New York Giants in the 12th round of the 1980 NFL draft. Unable to make the team, he had tryouts with the Raiders and 49ers and then finally landed on the Rams roster in 1982 where he played in 9 games and went 9 of 15 on field goals.  His best season came in 1984, going 25 of 33 on field goals. He then had solid seasons in 1988 and 1989. With the Ernie Zampese offensive machine in full swing Mike led the league in 1989 with an astounding (at the time) 51 extra points made and scoring a career high 120 points.

pset89 mlansford

Lansford ran into contract issues with Rams management that year. He was being paid a pittance based on his performance and vested years in the league. Mike could’ve held out, but instead out of good faith, came in and kicked for the team anyway while they negotiated a new deal with his agent. The Rams came back with a salary that put him near to slightly above the league average, but the kicker rebuffed the team.  In October, he and the team put it all behind them as he signed a 2 year deal.  While Lansford’s 1990 was considered a down year, in short, it was still a banner year by most kicker’s standards.

pset90 mlansfordLansford has been quoted as saying that, “He wanted to kick for the Rams until his toe turned blue.”, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  He signed with the Cleveland Browns for the 1991 season, losing out to Matt Stover for the job.  Mike is the All-Time leading scorer in Los Angeles Rams history, and was an outstanding kicker when the game was on the line, never missing a game winning kick.  In at least 8 contests he put away the opposing team with ice in his veins.

I had been wanting to get the iconic kicker for sometime on a few cards, and was disappointed when I missed out on him TTM back in 2014.   He is involved in kicking camps for kids, where I finally got a response from him early in 2016. A big time LA Rams fan, Lansford attended the city rally to bring back the Rams, where he was quoted as saying that, “I bleed blue and gold, just like you guys do!”, to a cheering crowd.

G 124     XPA 325    XPM 315
FGA 217   FGM  158   PCT 72.8%    LG 52     PTS 789

 

NFL

Lockhart, Eugene (2) ‘Mean Gene the Hitting Machine’

to89 lockhart ud91 lockhart s&s92 lockhart sco90 lockhartflr90 elockhartto90 elockhart

Cards: Score 1990, Stars & Stripes 1992, Topps 1989, Upper Deck 1990, Fleer 1990, Topps 1990, GameDay 1992.
Acquired: 2012, Canton Acquisition. TTM 2015, C/o Home.
Sent: 12/28/15       Received:  1/9/16      (12 days)
See Also: Eugene Lockhart
Eugene is a solid bet TTM for fans, and since I had quite a few extra cards of his that I wanted to get signed, I thought I’d go ahead and give him a shot with the Fleer, Topps 90, and Gameday cards. The other cards were all part of the Canton Acquisition back in 2012- when a friend decided to sell his collection as he was exiting the hobby. I don’t normally buy signed cards from other collectors but I felt that as part of a package it was worth the purchase. There’s definitely a difference in the signatures, but that loopy ‘E L’ in both groups is there to trust that it is genuine enough. Each of the cards gday92 elockhartare quite unique. The Stars & Stripes were among my least favorite set- capitalizing off of American pride while just looking bad with the garish Photoshop effect on the type.  Each of the entries have very unique photos as the Topps 90, (in which most cards of the Cowboys are straight up portrait style,) has grown on me over the years.

After emerging from prison from a three year stint for being a part of a mortgage fraud scheme, Eugene has been humbled, but rededicated himself in life to the things that matter most.  He’s a family man who loves to cook. He has goals and wants to become a motivational speaker for kids and incarcerated inmates, and join the Dallas Cowboys Alumni Association so that he can meet and greet all his fans. He’s a warm story and I hope that he is able to find the validation and redemption he deserves.