Tag Archives: ttm autograph

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, WLAF

Marrone, Doug


Card: Pro Set WLAF 1991
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Syracuse University
Sent: 3/21   Received: 4/8   (18 days)

Doug Marrone, (6’5″, 269,) was a powerful drive blocking center for the Syracuse Orangemen who was prized for his versatility at playing any position on the line. At Syracuse he was a 3 year starter at tackle and was named co-offensive player of the Cherry Bowl in 1985.

Doug would be drafted in the 6th round of the 1986 draft by the then Los Angeles Raiders but would end up on the roster of the Miami Dolphins by 1987 playing in 4 games that season. In 1989 Doug would sign with the New Orleans Saints and play in one game that year.


In 1991 the WLAF would come calling, and the London Monarchs would draft Marrone in the 3rd round of the positional draft, where at this point he had bulked up to 302. The offense of the Monarchs would roll up huge numbers, and it would be partially because of Doug’s performance now at center, as the team only allowed 10 sacks in 10 games. At the conclusion of the inaugural season Doug would be named to the All-World League first team and also win World Bowl I.   He’d return to the WLAF for 1992 but would be unseated for WLAF All world honors (by John Vitale, SA). After the numbers of the 1992 season failed to improve enough for the owners of the NFL, the league decided to reorganize.

Doug would hop into coaching coaching a variety of positions along the line starting at tight end with Cortland State in 1992. He’d then spend a season a piece at the United States Coast Guard Academy and Northeastern coaching offensive line. In 1995 Marrone would be hired to coach at Georgia Tech where he’d stay through 1999.  This was followed by 2 more stints at Georgia (2000) and Tennessee (2001). Doug would receive valuable pro coaching experience, heading over to coach the line for the New York Jets, and then landing the offensive coordinator position in New Orleans in 2006.  In 2008, Marrone would come full circle and was named head coach of his alma mater Syracuse. After a rough start in 2009, the Orangemen would rebound under his guidance finishing with an 8-5 record in 2010, and a victory in the Pinstripe  Bowl.

It is always a pleasure to get a former WLAFer back and Doug was a real class act, sending me his autograph in 18 days, in a Syracuse envelope, returning my SASE, and thanking me for remembering him and allowing him to catch up with where many of his former London Monarch teammates were at.

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