Tag Archives: ttm football autograph

NFL, usfl

Eatman, Irv

Gameday 1992, #201
Pro Set 1989, #170
Score 1990, #76

CARDS: Pro Set 1989, Score 1990, Gameday 1992
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 5/18/22 RECEIVED: 6/2/22 (15 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Clocking in at 6’6″, 271, big OT Irv Eatman played college ball at UCLA.
  • He was moved to OT in his Senior season after playing DL most of his career at the school.
  • Selected by both the Philadelphia Stars (USFL) and the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL) in the respective drafts for each league.
  • He opted to join the USFL playing for the Birmingham Stars in 1984.
  • In 1986, after the USFL collapsed, Irv took his trench work to the Kansas City Chiefs.
  • Irv saw action at both RT and LT, before a knee injury cost him his starting job in 1990.
  • Eatman signed as a FA with the New York Jets in 1991, helping shore up their OL.
  • 1993 saw Irv return out west playing for the Rams, who needed help on the line after the retirement of Jackie Slater.
  • The next season, he’d play for the Falcons- but only saw action in 4 games.
  • I seem to remember at this point Irv was considered a bit washed up coming into his 13th season.
  • The HOUSTON Oilers signed him in 1995 and I remember not being too enthusiastic about the signing.
  • But much to my surprise I was wrong, Irv came through, and in fact started all final 16 games of his career in 1996 in H-Town.
  • Irv went into coaching starting in1999 coaching with the Packers and Steelers (’00), as an OL coach.
  • In 2001, Irv joined Dick Vermeil’s staff in KC, where he coached the OL through the 2005 season.
  • After coaching for the Raiders in 2006, Irv decided to step away from professional coaching to spend more time with family and raising his son.
  • Since then he’s done a lot of charitable work, and worked in youth sports camps.

ACCOLADES:

  • All USFL All-Star 1984-’86
  • USFL Man of the Year

NOTES:

Irv had some great cards, and with two of them being set needs, I sent these two out. As an added bonus he was also a HOUSTON Oiler.

College Football HoF, ufl, XFL

Stoops, Bob ‘Big Game Bob’

Topps XFL 2020, #5

CARD: Topps XFL 2020
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Home
SENT: 7/21/20 RECEIVED: 8/14/20 (24 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Bob Stoops played DB at Iowa from 1979-’82.
  • Over his college career he intercepted 10 passes for 80 yards.
  • Undrafted in 1983, he went into coaching.
  • Worked his way up as a graduate assistant (Iowa) all the way to defensive coordinator (Florida 1996-’98).
  • Took the reins as head coach at Oklahoma at 1999, and restored to the school as a national powerhouse.
  • Won the National Championship in 2000.
  • In all 17 seasons at the helm of Oklahoma, Bob took the Sooners to a bowl game.
  • He finished with a 191-48 college coaching record.
  • Retired from college coaching in 2017.
  • Opted to return to football for the XFL in 2020 as one of their flagship coaches leading the Dallas Renegades.
  • Returned in 2023, after the league reorganized due to COVID, coaching the now Arlington Renegades.
  • After a difficult start, Bob pulled off a trade for Luis Perez, and led the 4-6 Renegades to upsets over the Roughnecks and Defenders to win the XFL Championship Game.
  • Returned to the Renegades for the ’24 season, and while the team was competitive in every game, they ultimately finished with a disappointing 3-7 record.

ACCOLADES:

  • College Football Hall of Fame
  • AP Coach of the Year 2000
  • Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Award 2000
  • Walter Camp Coach of the Year 2000, ’03

NOTES:

Stoops is technically a member of the Hayden Fry coaching tree. Stoops himself has a growing resume of young and upcoming coaches who served under him.

I think what sticks out to me the most, other than Bob’s excellent and well practiced autograph adorning this card, was his response to my request.

Recently I’ve been sending out note cards, to ask coaches to draw me up a play. I love collecting plays and getting an idea of their ‘coaching DNA’- y’know what’s on their mind.

I asked Bob to draw me up a play, and his response was simple and succinctly written on the note card:

“NO PLAYS.”

Arena, NFL, WLAF

Carey, Richard

CARD: Wildcard WL 1992
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Work
SENT: 8/26/20 RECEIVED: 9/4/20 (8 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Richard Carey played DB at Idaho, where he recorded 111 career tackles.
  • Going undrafted he latched on with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1989 as an UDFA.
  • He’d pick off a pass, recover a fumble, and see some spot kick and punt return duties while with the Bengals.
  • This led to a one year stint with the Buffalo Bills in 1990.
  • After an off-season appearance with the Falcons in 1991, Carey joined the New York-New Jersey Knights of the World League.
  • He picked off 2 passes- returning one for 17 yards.
  • Following the World League’s reorganization, Richard decided to play for the Arena Football League.
  • With the Rockers, he played two seasons, with 1993 being his best season as a pro totaling 60.5 total tackles, 19 pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and a pick.
  • He’d also catch 8 passes for 77 yards and a TD- as back then Arena players went both ways.
  • It’s unknown what Carey was doing from 1994-’95, but he appeared again one last time on the radar of the Tampa Bay Storm in 1996.
  • He’d drop 33 tackles, and 7 pass breakups to close out his career.

NOTES:

Another deep cut here that got lost in the shuffle of the 2020 COVID push, Richard signed this card in the midst of the pandemic for me. It’s really true what they say- As you get older time tends to move faster- fly by, and unfortunately, I’ve forgotten the background behind how I got this autograph.

TACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
N/a0115505
NFL
TACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
N/a002178.5017
WL
TACSACFUMINTYDSAVGTDLG
930120000
Arena