Tag Archives: ttm football autographs

NFL, NFLE

Perry, William “The Fridge”

Cards: ProSet 1990 SB, Skybox 1992, Score Supplemental 1989
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o Home*
Sent: 1/3    Received: 1/14  (11 days)
*Signing Fee $5.00 per card

The Fridge. Of all the nicknames in football, William Perry’s moniker was among the greatest. The gentle giant, with trademark gapped teeth, William Perry, was a space eating destructive force at DT and in the middle for the Clemson Tigers. Mike Ditka and the Bears would snatch him up in the first round of the 1985 draft. A fan favorite, Perry earned the nickname, “The Refrigerator” because of his frame and weight, – the latter which has continuously been an embarrassing issue in his life. He’d anchor the center of the Bears vaunted 46 defense in Super Bowl XX. The team set numerous defensive records en route to a 15-1 record and the title. During the Super Bowl against the Patriots, Perry also got to try his hand carrying the ball at fullback and also scored a touchdown. The team also was a media darling, loaded with personalities, going so far as to record a SuperBowl video before the game was even played in which the lovable Perry with his gap tooth smile would perform. I even had his GI Joe “The Fridge” mail in action figure at one point, that had a chained mace styled to look like a football. (- Yes Hasbro was struggling with ideas by then.) He even capitalized off of his fame to become a wrestler briefly, appearing in WrestleMania II.

In 1989 his ProSet card became the most valuable card in the collection after it was accidentally printed. Very few were released, and he’d be replaced in the ’89 edition by Ron Morris. Although he’d appear in later card sets and editions of ProSet, his 1989 card was rumored to have been pulled because it showed his correct weight. I liked the Score and Skybox in particular because they really compliment him well. The Score shows him roving the field like a giant Great White, while the Skybox gives him the appearance that he is about to explode off the line.

The Fridge would continue to play for the Bears through 1993, before his weight and injuries became a distraction. Perry signed with the Eagles midway through the 1993 season after being cut from the Bears, -retiring after the 1994 season. It was very odd seeing him in an Eagles uniform. While his numbers in the NFL were not eye popping, with 29.5 sacks, “The Fridge” was a ‘hat guy’ that you needed to put two bodies on to stop from moving up field or occupying space. The first problem is when you assigned 2 guys to him, it freed up somebody else on the D line to come through, like Steve McMichael or Richard Dent. The other problem was Perry would plug up the middle so badly that it made it hard to run inside on the Bears.

After playing in the NFL,  Perry was not done yet. With the re-emergence of the WLAF, retooled as the NFLE, Perry attempted a comeback playing for the London Monarchs 1996. Although a lovable poster boy for the team, Perry and the Monarchs did not fare well enough to make the playoffs and he’d re-retire after the season.  He’s kept himself busy though, despite being debilitated by both his weight and Guillain Barre Syndrome. “The Fridge” has remained an endearing 80’s icon as well appearing regularly at functions around the US and his hometown of Aiken,SC dabbling in things ranging from equity investments to hot dog eating contests. He’s participated in football events for the Lingerie League and the Continental Indoor Football League (Chicago Slaughter) and was inducted into the Pro Wrestling HoF in 2006.

I had no problem paying a small signing fee for the gentle giant. With his struggles with Guillain Barre and his weight leaving him bed ridden at some points and haven been taken care of his brother Michael Dean,  it was the least I could do. The autographs were a bit light on these cards, as he autographed them in a fading silver sharpie, but I was very happy to lodge him as my first success for 2012.

G/Gs 138/111       Tac 506       Sac 29.5        Fum  5        Int 0   Yds 0   Avg  -.-    Td 0     Lg -.-

Arena, NFL, WLAF

Simmons, Stacey (2)

 Cards: Pacific 1991, Wild Card WLAF 1992
Acquired: TTM 2010, C/o Stacey Simmons Sports Training
Sent: 6/11/10   Received: 1/11/12  (579 days)
See Also: Simmons, Stacey

A track man, Stacey was part of a team at Florida that set the nation’s fastest time in the 4×200 relay with 1:26:31.  The first pick of the Colts in the 4th round of 1990 that played both receiver and punt returner, Stacey saw playing time also with the Buccaneers, before heading over to the Orlando Thunder in 1992.  After a short off-season with the 49ers, Stacey found a home for 8 seasons in the Arena Football League playing for the Tampa Bay Storm, winning two AFL Championships.

I have to give credit to Sotl for this find, as I had given up on this one some time ago. Seeing his name on the website, I easily recognized him as a member of the Orlando Thunder and nudged him a bit for those autographs and amazingly they arrived a bit over a year and a half later setting a new record at a fat 579 days.
He also included a nice note for it taking so long and welcomed me to check out his site at www.staceysimmons.com. It’s amazing looking at these autographs from the two posts gotten some 20 years apart, and realizing that the autograph is authentic, because the signature is still the same.

NFL

Cox, Bryan

Cards: Score Supplemental 1991
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o The Miami Dolphins
Sent:  9/2/11  Received: 1/11/12  (131 days)*
*Forwarded from old address.

Powerful. Intimidating. Ahead of his time. That’s the best way I can describe the fearsome caveman, Bryan Cox who played linebacker for the Miami Dolphins. He was a guy who used the word HATE to describe how he felt about other teams and had no problem expressing his lack of respect thereof for his opponent to the media. An unrelenting force in the final years of Don Shula, Bryan Cox’s mouth and presence on the field was contrary to the no nonsense workmanlike attitude of Dolphins teams of the past, and he really foreshadowed a few years there that aggression and smack talking became more and more prominent in the league.

An All-America 1st team recipient in 1990, Cox was drafted in the 5th round of the 1990 draft by the Dolphins. With aggressive tackling, blitzing and special teams play, he blocked 5 kicks in his final season at Western Illinois for the Leathernecks.  A fearsome hitter, he quickly asserted himself, starting 13 contests at right outside linebacker for the Dolphins recording 61 tackles and  2 sacks that rookie season. In 1991 Bryan recorded a career high 14 sacks, 127 tackles and his first career interception earning AP Honors for his efforts.  In 1993, the team moved him to right linebacker, and while the name was only a subtle change, Bryan was utilized differently in coverage. He’d make 122 tackles and 5 sacks and force 4 fumbles. Bryan returned to his ProBowl form in 1994 after he moved to middle linebacker.  He’d again see a return to the ProBowl in 1995, earning 7.5 sacks that season. He’d would depart via free agency to Chicago for 1995.

Two uneventful years playing for the Bears passed and Cox returned to terrorize the AFC East- this time for the Jets, playing both RILB and LILB for them over 3 seasons, recording his first career pick for a touchdown, 3 FR and 12 sacks.  He’d again move in 2001 to play for the Patriots, winning the SuperBowl at the end of the season. Cox then played one final season for the Saints in 2002 retiring at season’s end.

After doing a bit of commentary, Bryan has gone into coaching since his playing days. He has spent his time working for the Jets, Browns, and now the Dolphins as their pass rush specialist, where I got his autograph on a card in a bit over 4 months. I was a tad disappointed in this one since he signed 1 of 3 cards, but you can not look a gift horse in the mouth, and I was more than happy to add this fearsome linebacker to my collection.

G/Gs 165/145     Tac 764     Sac  51.5       Fum  22     Int  4   Yds  65   Avg  16.3     Td 1   Lg 27