Tag Archives: ttm football autograph

NFL, University of Texas

Sims, Kenneth “Special K”

sco90 ksimsCards: Score 1990, Fleer 1990.
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 3/10    Received: 4/8  (29 days)

Kenneth Sims spent his ‘apprentice years’ learning the defensive tackle rotating in behind Steve McMichael and then exploded onto the national scene in his Junior season, racking up 131 tackles for the University of Texas. He was an all All-American at the university in his Senior year, winning the Lombardi Award, and finishing as a runner up (8th) for the Heisman Trophy. He’d average 12 tackles a game over his career for the Longhorns.

Ken parlayed his amazing performance at the University of Texas into being the overall #1 pick of the 1982 draft. At 6’5″, 291 Ken certainly posessed the size and athleticism to anchor the defensive line in the 3-4 alignment for the New England Patriots. The Patriots felt they could kick him outside to play left defensive end. (Ironically McMichael also had a short stint with the Patriots after being drafted by them out of UT as well, but was cut and went on to greater glory for the Chicago Bears.) Sims career unfortunately flr90 ksimswould be marred by injury, and only played 1 full 16 game slate in 1984 recording 96 tackles. During the Patriots improbable 1985 Super Bowl run (XX), Ken had perhaps his finest season, finishing with 5.5 sacks, 65 tackles, and 2 fumble recoveries in 13 games, but injuries during the 1983, 1986, and 1988 seasons, wiped out nearly 3 full seasons of play. He’d retire after the 1989 season back to the Austin area where he’s begun dabbling in sports radio. Ken is an avid Longhorn sports fan and has spent time at the University studying sports management.

G/Gs 74/64    Tac  364   Sac 17    Fum 5   Int  0   Yds  0     Avg -.-    Td 0     Lg -.-

 

NFL, usfl

Jordan, Buford

flr90 bujordanCard: Fleer 1990
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Home
Sent: 11/11  Received: 11/19  (8 days)

Buford is a legend that has never really gotten his due outside of the state of Louisiana.  After setting state rushing records at little McNeese State, Buford stayed at home with the USFL New Orleans Breakers. As star runningback Marcus Dupree limped through the season, Jordan ended up leading the team with 1,276 yards and 8 TDs in 1984. With the USFL deciding to go head to head with the NFL in the Fall, the Breakers were left in the lurch, so the franchise packed its bags and moved to Portland. Jordan still put together a respectable 817 yards and 5 TDs, averaging right at 5 yards per carry.

After the franchise- and the league folded, Buford was not selected in the Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players in 1985. He’d join the New Orleans Saints  as a free agent and crack the squad playing mainly on special teams and at fullback. Jordan saw some starting time, and was an unheralded member of the squad, being at the right place at the right time saving the day for the Saints on more than a few occasions. Buford played for the Saints through the 1990 season, and was resigned for part of the ’91 campaign. He retired after the 1992 season.

After football, Jordan has been inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2011), and numerous honors from the Southland Conference for his contributions. He’s a personal trainer in Louisiana, providing fitness camps, speed & conditioning, skills & agility, and draft preparation through his Rock Hard Performance outdoor training facility in Kenner, LA.

NFL  G/Gs 75/30  Rush 184    Yds 687   Avg 3.7   Td 8   Lg 44   |
Rec  37    Yds 355   Avg 9.6   Td 1    Lg 37

 

WLAF

Williams, Rickey

wcwlaf92 rwilliams ultwlaf92 rwilliamsCards: Ultimate WLAF 1992, Wild Card WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2014, C/o Work
Sent: 6/14     Received: 6/19    (5 days)

Linebackers were not in short supply in the WLAF and a few teams, such as the London Monarchs drafted them quite well. The team had Danny Lockett and Marlon Brown,  but also stole former Razorback Rickey Williams in the 7th round of the 1991 WLAF linebacker draft.

A two year starter during his collegiate career for Arkansas, Rickey was a 2 year semifinalist for the Butkus award both in 1986 and 1987.  One of the leaders of a stellar defense alongside Steve Atwater and Wayne Martin, Rickey was the leader in tackles on defense, but got little recognition from the national media. The SWC you see suffered from a media bias, and the Conference was not well received on the national level. Still he earned many accolades from his Alma Mater and also from the SWC as an All-Conference Selection in 1987. Rickey went undrafted in the NFL. Perhaps it was his size that worked against him at 5’11”, 227, but Rickey didn’t let that deter him from following his dreams of playing professional football. He signed with the Pueblo Crusaders of the Minor League Football System in 1990 and played one season for the team.

During his 1991 run with the Monarchs, Rickey recorded 76 total tackles (47 unassisted), 4 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles, en route to a World Bowl victory over the Barcelona Dragons 21-7.  A speedy linebacker, Rickey was an excellent cover man and frequently blanketed opposing team’s tight ends and runningbacks. One of the league’s most underrated players, Rickey’s numbers were outstanding considering the star power on the roster, but he’d be overlooked for WLAF honors. Rickey returned to the WLAF for 1992 and again started for the team, finishing with an additional sack on the season. After the season the WLAF reorganized while Rickey returned to the states and eventually his hometown of Little Rock.  Rickey was named to the Arkansas Razorbacks All-1980s team and today is still one of the college’s career leaders in tackles despite only starting 2 seasons for them. He’s coached football and realized his fire is still burning for the sport and helping others achieve their dreams of playing at a higher level. He’s put his energy and talent to a good use, forming Life Champs, a charity dedicated to providing high quality, professionally-run youth sports leagues, camps, and tournaments to kids in Central Arkansas and providing them with guidance, purpose, and mentoring.

I used the power of the internet again to track down Rickey. Note that his Wild Card WLAF 1992 issue is misspelled ‘Ricky’- This is an uncorrected error. Anyway I shot him an email and we got to talking and he agreed to sign these two cards for me. A class act, Rickey told me he was excited to have received all the extras I had sent to him.

Tac N/a      Sac 5.0      Fum 3         Int 0       Yds  0      Avg -.-      Td 0      Lg -.-