Tag Archives: ttm football autographs

CFL, NFL, WLAF

Bell, Kerwin (2)

Cards: WildCard WLAF 1992, Ultimate WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Jacksonville University
Sent: 1/10        Received:  2/17  (38 days)
Previous Post: Kerwin Bell
Failure: TTM 2010, C/o Jacksonville University

I had tried previously in 2010 to get the former Florida and WLAF Orlando Thunder signal caller on a few additional cards, but didn’t have any luck there. Recently there have been a few signings by Bell passed through SportsCollectors.net so I decided to take another chance C/o Jacksonville University again. With these two cards being signed, I can officially close the book on Kerwin Bell, unless I was to stumble upon a Jogo card or two of him in his CFL gear.

A Florida Gators quarterback from the 80’s, Bell finished his Senior season with 2687 yards and 21 TDs. After bouncing around the NFL for a few seasons, the WLAF would call his number in the first round of their positional draft in 1991. He’d be on fire the first two weeks of the season and rake in Offensive Player of the Week honors both weeks for the Orlando Thunder. Kerwin set the league season game records for most completions (29), most TDs passing (5), most attempts (43), and most attempts without an interception (44).

Inexplicably, the Thunder turned around in 1992 and picked up Scott Mitchell from the Dolphins and gave him the keys to the car. Bell would ride the bench, but would go onto greater glory after the season, playing in the CFL for the Sacramento Goldminers, Edmonton Eskimos, Argos, and Blue Bombers. He’d also have a brief stop with the Colts during this period, completing 5 of 5 passes for a TD, retiring in 2001. Unofficially it is the highest QB rating among non-qualifying quarterbacks in NFL history.

Bell was inducted into the Gator HoF as a Gator Great in 1997.

 

NFL

Mobley, Orson “Big O”

Cards: Topps 1990, Fleer 1990
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 1/25   Received: 2/2  (8 days)

Among the names I love talking to online is Orson Mobley. Not to go all Madden on people, but his name sounds like a big tight end name or somebody who could light you up with a perfectly executed block right underneath the chin. I’ve been following ‘Big O’ (as I affectionately call him), for the past few months on SotL. He’s one of the more engaging NFL alumni on the site and is quite networked on Facebook as well.

Orson was drafted in the 6th round of the 1986 draft from Salem by the Denver Broncos. A bruising TE/H-back, Mobley stood at 6-5, 256 and fit in well with the Broncos play-action passing offense. With pretty decent hands and a nice pop, Orson quickly developed a rapport with starting quarterback John Elway with 23 receptions for 332 yards and his first TD reception in the season finale against the Seattle Seahawks. He’d start 3 games his rookie season. In 1987, Mobley started 6 games and make 16 receptions and a touchdown. 1988 marked career highs in games started for Orson with 9. He’d lodge 21 receptions for 218 yards and 2 tds as a sneaky option inside the redzone. The NFL hastily in 1989 instituted a new drug policy and Orson, along with Leroy Irvin and 11 other players would be suspended 3 games.  Mobley only started 5 games that season, but still managed 17 receptions for 200 yards.

Big O had a great run with the Broncos, but it’d all come to an end as prolific rookie receiver Shannon Sharpe was moved to tight end in 1991. Pacific would make one more card of Orson in 1991, and the back photo featured him doing stretches and yawning right at the camera- which to me sort of sums him up as sort of a genial, personable guy. Mobley over his career would appear in 3 SuperBowls for the Broncos during the 1980s, recording 2 catches for 17 yards against the Giants during SuperBowl XXI in 1986.

Big O lives in the Jacksonville area. Among his more humorous moments, was how Orson won the emergency punter position. At Salem, Mobley had developed quite a reputation for booming kicks. When he arrived at the Broncos, John Elway wanted to have a punt off with him for the job, so after Mobley fired off a couple of huge punts, Elway took a football and threw it instead.

G/Gs 61/31     Rec  84      Yds 1019     Avg 12.1     Td  4    Lg 36

 

 

NFL

Anderson, Alfred


Cards: Topps 1992, ProSet 1989, ProSet 1990, Score 1991, Fleer 1991
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home
Sent: 1/25   Received: 1/30 (5 days)

I have over the past few years seen a few hits for fullback Alfred Anderson. As a Texan and a Baylor grad, he certainly earns my respect. Baylor up until the time of RGIII, had been a long suffering football program since the days of the SWC- but there was a  golden era, when guys like Mike Singeltary, Cody Carlson, Gerald McNeil, Walter Abercrombie, Ray Crockett, and big bam fullback Alfred Anderson roamed the land causing mass destruction for the Baylor Bears. A Waco, Texas resident, and the #1 ranked high school RB prospect in Texas, it seemed a no brainer for the local product to go to Baylor, where he helped the Bears make a Bluebonnet Bowl appearance in 1983. In his senior season Anderson rushed for 1046 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Minnesota Vikings made him their 3rd round pick in the 1984 draft. Alfred after the season would be named to multiple All-Rookie teams, leading the NFL among rookies with 773 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. He also notably completed 3 of 7 passes that season for 2 touchdowns. Alfred was utilized at fullback over the majority of his career, and blocked for players like Darrin Nelson and Herschel Walker, helping pave the way for 1,000 yard seasons. As a short yardage back, Anderson also had an ideal nose for the end zone, scoring 27 touchdowns over his 7 season NFL career on only 740 touches. He’d play for the Vikings through 1991 and retire.

Anderson was inducted into the Baylor athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and remains a fan favorite of Baylor fans everywhere. His son, Tony, also played for Baylor as well. I met Alfred through Sotl.com, as I love talking to members of the NFL from ‘that era’ of football from my childhood. He and I began chatting back and forth about Baylor, and as I tend to lean Longhorns on everything, (and on the advice of Josh,) I took the Horns over Baylor in 2011 in football. Thankfully there was no money on the line, as Texas came out flat and got destroyed by RGIII. Anderson was a good sport however, and I was glad that in the end RGIII won the Heisman. As of late also the Bears from those glory days of Anderson, have finally gotten some press, and had a reunion this last season during one of the Bears home games.

I had a lot of Alfred’s cards when I was a kid. It used to be every other pack I’d find a common of his ProSet 1989 card. It’s a great card really, and that and his Score 1991 are probably his most solid. On the other hand, we have the Fleer 1991 entry, which stands in my mind as some of the most poorly designed cards in history. I was a fan of Fleer after their 1990 rebirth, but their 1991 entry certainly was an: “Are you kidding me?”, type effort. It’s a shame because this is a really good action shot. I never bought a pack of Fleer again after that.

I sent off for Alfred near the end of January and was really surprised to get  5 cards signed in a break neck 5 days.  I also gave him a stack of extras to keep as well.


Below are Anderson’s NFL statistics and a video of him rumbling through BYU in 1983:

G/Gs   108/70    Rush 626   Yds 2374    Avg 3.8    Td  22   Lg 29   |    Rec 114    Yds 1042    Avg 9.5   Td  5   Lg  54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3CGKHB0O1Y