Cards: Star Pics 1992, GameDay 1992 Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Work Sent: 7/2 Received: 9/7 (67 days)
James Patton played at the University of Texas from 1988 to 1991 playing for the school during the David McWilliams epoch. He was part of a pretty studded defensive line that included Tommy Jeter and Shane Dronett. In fact, all 3 players would be taken in the 1992 draft, with Patton going one pick after Dronett during the 2nd round, and Jeter being taken during the 3rd. Patton was selected by the Buffalo Bills after two back to back 8 sack seasons in 1990 and 1991.
James missed the entire 1992 season due to injury, and then played primarily on special teams during his career. He retired after the 1995 season and lives (as of 2019) in the Austin area.
Card: Wild Card WLAF 1992, Upper Deck 1992 Acquired: TTM 2018, C/o Work Sent: 8/28 Received: 9/12 (16 days) Failure: TTM 2010, C/o Virginia See Also: Shawn Moore
Shawn Moore eluded me a few years ago and it was really a pants down situation. I mean, I sent him a nice group of cards but never heard back. Luckily, I always have made it a habit to reload on WLAF cards I only had singles on; However, I didn’t have an extra copy of Shawn’s Star Pics 1991 that I really wanted to get signed so I ended up sending this terrible Upper Deck 1992 card of his with it. Still I should be happy to finally knock of this retry reply from my list.
My friend Deadhorse got a trial subscription to Star Tiger, which is a competitor to sportscollectors. He loaned me the login since I was curious so that I could take a look. I found the hierarchy to be terrible, and most of the sports addresses were consistent with what I had already found, but I did find Shawn’s most recent address on there and decided to give it a shot. A few weeks later, a water soaked return envelope arrived at the house with Shawn’s autographs inside. (Thankfully the cards were not damaged.)
Shawn moved on from coaching at his alma mater after 2012. He’s had a few football related positions since then including working as the Director of Community Relations for the College Football Playoff system. Currently he works in administration system of a private school in Virginia.
Don Maynard is considered the best receiver in Jets history, one of the best receivers in AFL history, and one of the best receivers in NFL history. At the time of Maynard’s retirement he held the NFL record for career receptions and yards. He was the first player to crack the 10k barrier in receiving yards. An amazing feat considering it was still during an era where the passing game had not fully developed yet. Don epitomized consistency and longevity. (Oddly enough he never led the league in catches at any time but his sheer numbers made up for it en force.)
Maynard was originally drafted by the New York Giants in 1957, but only played one lone season for them before bolting North to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. He’d return shortly thereafter to the fledgling AFL in 1960- becoming the first signee of the then New York Titans (later Jets). Over the next 10 seasons in the AFL he’d be named to the All-AFL team 4 times. In the final season before the AFL NFL merger, he’d help the Jets win Super Bowl III and notably graced the cover of the big game’s program guide as well.
Don joined the Rams in 73, but ultimately ended up on the St. Louis Cardinals for a lone season, retiring after a bout with the WFL playing for the Shreveport Steamer/ Houston Texans.
Maynard played college ball for Rice, and later Texas Western (UTEP). He was a proven runningback and defensive back, but was unpolished gold at receiver. His number has been retired by the Jets, got his gold jacket along the way, and has been a Grand Marshall for UTEP at one of their parades. He lives outside of the El Paso area, in relative anonymity.
I had been wanting Don for sometime but I thought he was out of reach. I really liked these cards of his and always wanted to get them signed so I went ahead and took a shot with a small donation. In the end I also had a Pro Set Super Bowl III card that I opted to send to Matt Snell instead (because he should’ve been MVP). Still the Topps 1970 is iconic, while the Upper Deck Legends 1997 hits all the marks for perfection.
G
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
186
633
11834
18.7
88
87t
UPDATE:
1/10/22- Don Maynard died Monday at the age of 87.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
