Tag Archives: ttm autograph

NFL

Johnston, Daryl “Moose”

Cards: Playoff 1992, Topps 1992, Upper Deck Legends 2011
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 9/14  Received: 10/2 (21 days)
See Also: Daryl Johnston

I used to go to training camp for the Cowboys way back when they were in Austin. On one of the first days that I was there I got Daryl Johnston on his Topps 1990 rookie card.

A few years later I got the Topps 1992 and this Playoff 1992 card. I took them both to training camp with me, but never was able to get Johnston again. I don’t know whether or not he recognized me as a regular at camp, or that the Cowboys were too big for their britches and didn’t sign anymore, but he went from being a stellar in person signer to the classic ignorer, within 2 years. Part of me didn’t blame him if that was the case. The fences at training camp were a difficult to navigate with the throngs of fans who wanted autographs. Not to mention there were a lot of kids running over to the local card shop and selling all those autographs right afterwards. 

 Needless to say it’s great to see that Johnston is a pretty good signer TTM. When I uncovered this Upper Deck Legends card recently I went ahead and shot out these cards to him.  

All of these are great cards of Daryl. Once the card companies got wind of his popularity, solid play, and the Cowboys rise to prominence again, he became a regular in most of the card sets. He has a beautiful autograph, with a solid, encapsulating loop on the ‘J’.

Johnston is not a member of the NFL concussion litigation group. He instead is an advocate of proactive brain testing for players.

NFL

Paige, Stephone

pset90 paige ap90 paigeCards: Pro Set 1990, Action Packed 1990
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  11/8     Received: 1/3   (58 days)

Ahh… Stephone Paige. A reliable target in the Kansas City Chiefs offense on Tecmo Super Bowl. When playing against an opponent determined to stop the Chiefs impressive ground game, you could always rely on Paige to be open for a deep bomb. Over the years, Stephone had some impressive cards that captured some of his greatest catches. From his Score 1990, where Paige is getting his jersey ripped off, to these two,-especially the Action Packed 1990 card, Paige was an artistic virtuoso at his position who was well known for his penchant for making one handed catches. If not for a turn-style at quarterback and a ground heavy offensive approach, who knows how Paige’s career would’ve turned out? Stephone completely embodies that type of underrated player that I like to get autographs from, especially when they write even the smallest note to me.

Stephone Paige is another in a long list of wide receivers that saw prominence in the NFL during the 1980s. This list included: Stephen Baker (NYG), Henry Ellard (LAR), Gene Taylor (NE), Andre Alexander (Knights WLAF), and Dwight Pickens (Riders- WLAF).  The link, is that these kids were all coached by Jim Sweeney at Fresno State- father of prolific Bulldogs quarterback Kevin Sweeney.

Paige saw playing time at Fresno in 1981 and 1982. He really made an impact in ’82, a year that he piled up 48 receptions for 942 yards and 8 touchdowns. Going unnoticed in the 1983 NFL Draft, he joined the Chiefs as a free agent. Paige became an off the bench role player for KC early on. It wasn’t until his breakout year of 1985, when he led the NFL in yards per catch with a whopping 21.9 average on 43 receptions, that Paige finally got the credit he deserved. At that time, he also set an NFL record for most receiving yards in a game played in regulation with 309 yards against the Chargers (since surpassed by Calvin Johnson). From that season on, Paige was counted on to lead the Chiefs wide receiver corps. He’d continue to be an outside threat for the team, including a career high 11 TDs in 1986, and 65 receptions for 1,021 yards in 1990. Stephone however suffered a career ending knee injury during the 1991 season. While Paige’s final career numbers are modest, especially compared to today’s NFL pass happy offenses, he held the franchise record for most consecutive games with a catch (85), at the time of his retirement, which ranks his numbers among the best free agent wide receivers of all time.

G/GS  125/81       Rec   377          Yds  6,341       Avg 16.8        TD 48            LG   86

 

NFL

Brown, Derek

aprks92 debrowncla92 debrown B

Cards: Classic 1992, Classic 1992 Blister Pack, Action Packed Rookies 1992, GameDay 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent:  11/10   Received: 11/17  (7 days)

Derek Brown (at least through 2014) has been a very generous signer TTM. A first round pick of the New York Giants in 1992 and a member of the Notre Dame National Championship Team in 1988, Brown was an accomplished blocker with good career receiving statistics. His best year came in 1991 when he caught 22 receptions for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Golden Domers. Over his time for the Fighting Irish, Brown compiled 62 receptions for 899 yards and 8 touchdowns in 34 games.

cla92 debrownThe Giants were transitioning from the Bill Parcells era into the Ray Hadley ‘zone’. Hadley – the offensive mastermind behind the Giants Super Bowl XXV season, opted to make an upgrade at tight end. With Mark Bavaro walking after the 1991 season, the Giants were eager to upgrade at one of their most valued positions. Brown seemed like the perfect replacement for Bavaro and a no brainer at pick #17. The problem was the team was also going through a transition at quarterback as well. Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler battled it out at quarterback, with the ‘heir to the franchise’ Dave Brown even taking snaps. Unable to unseat Howard Cross at the position, Brown was relegated to 7 starts, as a second tight end and extra blocker in 1992, and none in 1993 or 1994.

gday92 debrownIn 1995 the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers joined the NFL as expansion franchises. Derek was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 47th pick. It made sense for Derek to go to the Jaguars as they were coached by Bill Parcells disciple Tom Coughlin. A near fatal hit in a preseason game sent Derek to the hospital for 10 days causing him to miss the entire season. He returned in 1996, recording a career high 17 receptions for 141 yards as the Jaguars made the AFC Championship Game. Derek returned in 1997 to the Jaguars, recording his first and only career TD reception in a game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Derek joined Oakland in 1998, starting 4 games and making 7 catches in his one season there. He’d then play for the Arizona Cardinals through the 2000 season before ending his career.  He currently lives in New York with his wife and children.

G/Gs 105/33   Rec 43   Yds 401   Avg 9.3    Td 1     Lg 27