Tag Archives: ttm autograph

WLAF

Norseth, Mike

Cards: Ultimate WLAF 1991, Wild Card WLAF 1992.
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o  home
Sent: 6/11  Received: 6/18  (7 days)

Mike Norseth played for Kansas during the mid-eighties and could flat out throw the rock, being named the MVP of the 1986 Blue Gray game. Unfortunately being drafted by the Browns in the 7th round after Bernie Kosar took the reins, meant Norseth would ride the bench. He signed with the Bengals and played in one game, rushing for 5 yards but never moved into the starting role in stops in additional cities in Houston or Green Bay.

In 1992, Mike was drafted by the Birmingham Fire and was named starter after the departure of Brent Pease to the Knights. Mike saw starting action in 10 contests but rarely had time to settle and was forced to scramble regularly.  Regardless he would still lead the Birmingham fire to their best record at 7-2-1 and the team into the playoffs for its second season.

Currently Mike resides in Sandy, Utah does announcing for KU games.  He also sits on the board of directors for the Boomer Esiason Foundation. I got Norseth’s autograph on his cards after locating his home address, in a short 7 days.

Games 10   Att 259     Comp 144   Pct 55.5      Yds 1634       Td 4      Int  12      Rat 60.5

NFL

Givins, Ernest


Cards: SkyBox 1992, Action Packed 1991, Score 1990, ProSet 1990, Action Packed 1992, GameDay 1992.
Acquired: In Person, 1991, 1994, Houston Oiler Training Camp. TTM 2010, c/o Home.
Sent: 3/26   Received:  4/29   (33 days)
See Also: Ernest Givins (2), Ernest Givins(3)

Ernest Givins was a second round choice of the Houston Oilers in 1986. At 5-9 178, Ernest was considered undersized for his position when he came out of Louisville, but was an amazing route runner and ideal for the slot position. He was also difficult to tackle and had incredible acrobatic balance accounting for shelves of highlight film including a hit where he was flipped over the back of the defender and made the catch, landing on his feet in the endzone. Ernest would play for the Oilers for the next ten seasons, (and one for Jacksonville,) notching two ProBowl nominations in 1992 and 1990- where in the latter he was also named All-Pro. He went over 900 yards 5 times in his career. Ernest was also well known for his after touchdown celebration dance entitled ‘The Electric Slide’ (shown partially in action in the Action Packed 1991 card,) which quickly endeared him to Oiler fans and became recognizable around the league.

In 1995 he was cut by the Oilers and signed with the expansion Jaguars where he played for one season. He finished first on the Houston Oilers all-time list for receptions and yards and tied for third in touchdowns. As of 2010, Givins lives in St. Petersburg, and is active in the community as a semi-pro football coach for the Bay Area Gamblers and offensive coordinator for Boca Ciega High School.

I met Ernest Givins and got his autograph at training camp on two different occasions. The first time went by with little fanfare. He signed my card and I thanked him. So by the time I got back to him in 1994, I was a bit more mouthy by then so I asked him to do his trademark touchdown dance ‘The Electric Slide’. His response coyly was, “I wouldn’t want to break tradition.” It was a good laugh. I later tracked him down through the internet, partially thanks to Wikipedia and got his autograph on a few extra cards.

Games  147      Rec 571        Yds 8215         Avg 14.4          Td 49           Lg 83T

NFL

Smith, Al

Cards: Proset 1991, Fleer 1995, Score 1991, Score 1992, Action Packed 1992
Acquired: In Person, Highland Mall 1992. Oilers Training Camp 1995. TTM, 2010 C/o home.
Sent:  6/24        Received: 7/10   (16 days)

In 1992 the Oilers were doing a media and fan blitz outside of their normal home territory and were appearing at a local mall sending in coach Jim Eddy, Jeff Alm and Al Smith. It was one of my first memorable face to face interactions with players and Al and Jeff cracked jokes with me while they set up the tables in front of the food court. Al signed my Pro Set 1991 and then jokingly told me I could have probably carried in the table for them. It was a kind and cherished moment at an emotional time of my life. I would later get his autograph at my last time at Houston Oiler training camp in 1995 on the Fleer 95 card. In 2010, when I was tracking down former Oilers I found Al’s address and sent out for his autograph.

Al Smith was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the 6th round of the 1986 draft from Utah. Smith would go on to lead the team in tackles his rookie season, as an inside linebacker for the 3-4 defense.  In 1990 he officially became the team’s starting middle linebacker and held down the starting job through 1994, garnering Pro Bowl honors twice and All-Pro once finally retiring in 1997.  Probably the Oiler’s best kept secret, Al Smith came up with big plays for the Oilers, including 2 goal line stops in a row to seal victory against the Jets in the playoffs. Smith after football would serve as a scout for the  Tennessee Titans and currently lives in Franklin, TN.

G  125      Tac  833        Sac  5.5         FF   8
Int  2        Yds 42      Avg 21.0      TD 0