Pat saw limited playing time in the Fighting Irish secondary until 1988, when he had 38 total tackles, 2 picks for 84 yards, 2 fumble recoveries and a TD.
He became the leader at Safety in 1989, posting 44 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 5 interceptions for 96 yards, a fumble recovery and a TD.
With a solid sub 4.4 40, Pat was a lock first round pick, selected by the DB needy Los Angeles Rams in 1990.
The Rams deployed Pat eventually at free safety, and he’d play for the franchise through the 1993 season.
After a season with the Jets in 1994, Pat saw a renaissance when he signed with the expansion Carolina Panthers in 95.
In 1995 and 96 he arguably had his best pair of seasons back to back posting 3 interceptions and 60+ tackles in each while playing free safety.
Needing a replacement for departed safety Eugene Robinson, the Packers signed Pat in 1998.
He’d see action in 3 contests, recording a pick, retiring after the season.
NOTES:
Pat is a very successful businessman and owns Terrell Materials Corp, which specializes in large concrete batches. I had failed on him way, way back in 2011, so I was tickled to make him my first success of 2023, especially considering he has such a low rate.
Action Packed was one of my favorite sets when I was younger. I’m now closing in on the last 15 or so of the set that need to be autographed, a mere 33 years later.
Pat played for 17 seasons in the NFL and was blessed with a large selection of cards from the 70s-90s. From this selection here there’s no shortage of great photos that really stand out, in addition to my set needs. His Pro Set 1990 is really great. I love the color and how the dust kicks up under his cleats.
Ernie Mills played WR for the Florida Gators from 1987-90.
Posted 81 receptions for 1585 yards, a whopping 19.6 yards per reception, and 15 TDs over 4 years in Gainesville.
Best year for the Gators came in his Senior year, when he had 41 receptions for 770 yards and 10 TDs.
Originally started as a DB but quickly transitioned to WR, hauling in his first career reception of 49 yards from Florida QB legend Kerwin Bell.
Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 3rd round of the 1991 NFL Draft.
Mills spent his time on special teams and started two games at WR his rookie year.
He’d finish first in special teams tackles, and scored his first TD on a punt that hit the opposing team’s blocking back. (See Eugene Lockhart)
But things never really materialized for Ernie in Pittsburgh, who had a nascent passing attack, and he was battling for a roster spot with other fresh WRs, Chris Calloway and Jeff Graham.
He had his best season in Pittsburgh in 1995, catching 39 passes for 679 yards and 8 TDs.
It was a titanic year actually for Ernie as he quietly put up 2,024 all-purpose yards, including 1,304 on kick returns.
He’d be injured during Super Bowl XXX, tearing his ACL and being lost for most of the following 1996 campaign.
In 1997, Ernie signed with the Carolina Panthers and played one season for them.
The final two years of his career were spent in Dallas, as a key roleplayer for the Dallas Cowboys under head coach Chan Gailey, whom he’d played for previously in Pittsbugh.
Mills was oft injured, but still managed to post solid numbers as a reliable #3 option behind Michael Irvin and Rocket Ismail.
After a brief hiatus from the sport, Mills was spotted at Jacksonville University coaching WRs with his former college QB Kerwin Bell, holding the position from 2007-2012.
Then he coached WRs at Florida A&M from 2013-2015.
Star Pics 1991, #66Action Packed Rookies 1991, #58
NOTES:
Well, there’s Ernie Mills, with an incredibly long orbital trajectory. I had given up on Ernie basically on two separate occasions, but after noticing a few successes, I figured the one for 2021 was in the works to return to me. After some patient waiting, it indeed finally came through, and I added the Action Packed Rookies 1991 card finally to my collection.
Ernie frustrated me as he tended to sign in spurts, sometimes responding to people immediately, while on other occasions-such as mine, languished in wait. I was pretty happy to get the entry sent out in 2021 back early in 2022, but lo and behold, some 8 months after that, the original entry I sent from 2017, also arrived, rocketing up the longest wait charts officially to #5, at a cool 1806 days.
I don’t talk about Pacific 1991 enough right? To me the set was a bold design choice, but quite laughable. For some reason, it just stood out as being… simplistic, with the gradient and the 1970s style typeface. The back was again bold, but a bit wild, as the entire canvas of information was set at a 45 degree angle! I thought that the photo on this Pacific card really nailed it, so I thought it’d make a nice card to get autographed.
With these cards, I can firmly close the door on Ernie. I love his autograph. Well worth the wait and very original. A strong ‘E’, ‘M’, and ‘S’ punctuate his unique signature with great stroke, pen pressure, and placement.
Score Supplemental 1991, #56TPro Set 1991, #802
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
196
2934
15.0
20
62
KR
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
80
1818
22.7
0
57
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
