Tag Archives: upper deck 2009

NFL

Dunn, Warrick

ud09 wdunn

Card: Upper Deck 2009
Acquired: TTM 2015, C/o Home*
Sent:  1/3/15      Received: 12/7/15   (339 days)
Signing Fee: $10.00

Florida State Seminole Warrick Dunn had an impressive career, rushing for 1,000+ yards in 3 seasons for the school. He also set school records for yards rushing with 3,959, and in a single year with 1,242. Dunn was the first runningback taken off the board in 1997, going with the 12th pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  A very deep draft, that was punctuated by notable free agents, other big name backs that came off the board in the first round were Tiki Barber and Corey Dillon.  (This is also notable as it was the first draft that I didn’t watch in 10 years as the Oilers had departed for Tennessee.)

Dunn was a stud in the backfield for the notoriously anemic Buccaneer ground game as outside of a few blips on the radar in the mid-90s from Errict Rhett, the team had failed to field a 1,000 yard rusher or a consistent ground game. At 5-9 there was some concern that Dunn could sustain the number of hits needed for a feature back in the NFL for a 16 game slate.   He combined with fullback Mike Alstott to become a potent 1-2 back combo. Starting 10 games in 1997, Warrick finished with 974 yards rushing, 4 touchdowns, and 462 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. He’d be named to the Pro Bowl and the Offensive Rookie of the Year at the conclusion of the season. While Warrick churned up the yards from scrimmage over the next two years for the Bucs, he wouldn’t be named back to the Pro Bowl until 2000. In that year he had 1,555 yards from scrimmage and 9 total touchdowns.  After a down season in 2001, Dunn was viewed as a ‘situational player’ by Bucs brass, and was allowed to sign with the Atlanta Falcons.

Opening the 3rd chapter of his football life, Warrick played for the Falcons for 6 seasons. Atlanta promised Dunn at least 20 carries a game, and they delivered on that promise.  Warrick ended up starting 83 games, and  rushing for 5,981 yards and 30 TDs. In addition he caught 204 targets for 1,635 yards, and set a career marks with a 90 yard TD run, and an 86 yard TD reception.  He remained with the franchise through 2008 and was released at his request after the franchise signed free agent Michael Turner. Dunn returned to the Buccaneers that week, and started 6 games that season before calling it a career. Another member of the vaunted 10,000 yard club, his 15,306 yards at the time of his retirement were the most for a player not inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Warrick is extremely active in charitable activities. He has been heavily accoladed for his work from the league earning the Walter Peyton Award (2004), the Home Depot Good Neighbor Award (2006), the Whizzer White Award (2007), and the Bart Starr Award (2008). I donated $10.00 to his foundation for his autograph on this card.

Warrick was who I thought would be my first success of 2015. Instead he returns to me as the 46th. Not that I am complaining. Such is the nature of the hobby. One of my friends later recalled receiving an autograph from Dunn for free, and lamented that he could’ve at least signed his autograph better on mine.  While the check was cashed a clear 2 months before the cards were back in my hands, I nonetheless was happy to get this back.

G/GS  181/154    RUSH 2669    YDS 10,967    AVG 4.1    TD 49   LG 90
REC  510     YDS 4,339      AVG 8.5     TD 15     LG 86

NFL

Marks, Sen’Derrick

Card: Upper Deck 2009 (#039/199)
Acquired: 2012, Target Authentic Autograph Memorabilia

A heavily accoladed defensive line prospect from Auburn, Sen’Derrick Marks was taken in the second round of the 2009 draft by the Tennessee Titans. At 6’2″, 296, he was considered an enigma by many draft pundits. A talented one gap lineman, with an inconsistent motor, Sen’Derrick can play so low sometimes, he loses track of the ball.  He played sparingly for the Titans, but has made 66 tackles, 3 sacks, and forced 3 fumbles.

Marks was allowed to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013 and played in his first of two consecutive 16 game slates as a starter. He had his best season as a pro in 2014 with 34 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and 8.5 sacks – but tore his ACL late in the year.

Sen’Derrick returned for 2015, but tore his triceps ending his season after only 4 games. With his contract near an end, Marks has rounded out as a useful defensive end for needy 3-4 teams, however his injury history may scare some teams away from the bargaining table.

 

NFL, University of Texas

Young, Vince (2) “VY”

dor&s10 young patchCdor&s10 young altCard: Donruss Rookies & Stars 2010 Gold, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2010 Foil, Donruss Rookies & Stars 2010 Patch, Photo Memorabilia, Poster.
Acquired: IP 4/16/2015, Sam’s Wholesale Lakeline Grand Opening
See Also: Vince Young

dor&s10 young Goldmem vyoung pho2Well Vince was the apple of my eye for the Sam’s Grand Opening Event. I had planned weeks in advance to nab the increasingly elusive quarterback on as many cards as I could. To help my cause, I created this poster of Vince. It took roughly 15 hours to complete and the additional costs included printing the poster and mounting a copy for him.  While I had hoped Young would sign everything in my possession after seeing the poster, I was ultimately disappointed in his response.  I don’t think me asking for a stack of autographs was going to be greedy. The time and effort required to complete what I had done would have been equitable.

vy posterFor a time there I was worried Vince wasn’t going to show up for the event, in which he was paired up with his former lineman Kasey Studdard.  The line was rampant with discontent from the other attendees, including an incorrigible woman I recognized from a previous signing with Earl Campbell. Things eventually worked out though. The gatekeeper was pretty intimidating, and blocked me from being able to gather a larger number of autographs. Instead when I proposed a trade with Vince – Young seemed confused, and deferred to his gatekeeper to answer the question.  Still- three cards, a photo and a signed copy of my own poster wasn’t too bad.  I had been wanting to get these Donruss cards signed even if the encounter wasn’t memorable anyway. Vince now works for the University of Texas and can be frequently spotted at his steakhouse.