Tag Archives: upper deck college legends 2011

AFL, College Football HoF, NFL, Pro Football HoF

Little, Floyd ‘The Franchise’ (1942-2021)

Action Packed Whizzer White 1991, #8

CARDS: Upper Deck Legends 1997, Upper Deck College Legends 2011, Panini HoF 2010, Action Packed Whizzer White Award 1991
ACQUIRED: TTM 2020, C/o Home
SENT: 6/6/20 RECEIVED: 6/18/20 (12 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Floyd Little played at Syracuse where from 1964 to 1966, he ran for 2,704 yards and 46 TDs.
  • He’d be the 6th overall pick in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft of the Denver Broncos.
  • In his first two years in the AFL, Floyd led the league in All-Purpose Yards, with 1626 in 1967 and 1,825 in 1968.
  • He led the league in yards per game in both 1969 (81.0) and 1971 (80.9).
  • His best season arguably came in 1971 when Floyd had a career high and league leading 284 carries, 310 touches, 1,133 yards, and 1,388 yards from scrimmage.
  • Little’s 1,113 rushing yards were the first time a member of the team had broken the 1k rushing barrier.
  • Floyd led the NFL in TDs in 1973 with 12 TDs.
  • After starting 105 games, Floyd hung up his cleats in 1976.
  • A Syracuse great, he returned to the school in 2011 as a special assistant to the athletic director- a position he held until 2016 when he retired to Las Vegas.
Upper Deck Legends 1997, #44
Upper Deck College Legends 2011, #34

ACCOLADES:

  • Pro Football Hall of Fame 2010
  • College Football Hall of Fame
  • Broncos Ring of Fame 1984
  • Hall of Very Good 2005
  • All Pro 1969
  • Pro Bowl 1968-’71, ’73
  • Denver Broncos #44 retired
  • Syracuse Orange #44 retired
Panini Hall of Fame 2010, #5

NOTES:

Here’s a great example of how trading cards educate us about football history. I wouldn’t have really stumbled onto Floyd if I hadn’t collected the Action Packed Whizzer White set. So I chased a rabbit down the hole learning all I could about him, and then decided to go ahead donate some money to his cancer treatments and ask for his autograph on a few cards. He signed the three I included lightning fast, and included the HoF Panini card as a thank-you.

Floyd is nicknamed ‘The Franchise’ because he was instrumental in the Broncos staying in Denver. The team struggled badly in its initial years and Little helped put the team on the map by signing with them. He also helped champion the building of Mile High Stadium through his Herculaneum efforts every week for the team.

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EPITAPH:

1/2/2021- Floyd Little’s family announced that he had passed away from cancer after a years’ long battle with the disease, at his home in Las Vegas with them by his side. He was 78.

NFL

Alstott, Mike

CARDS: Press Pass 1995, Upper Deck College Legends 2011
ACQUIRED: TTM 2021, C/o The Mike Alstott Foundation*
SENT: 1/11/21 RECEIVED: 2/8/21 (28 days)
* Donation Enclosed

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Mike Alstott played fullback at Purdue from 1992-’95.
  • Well lauded, at the end of his time with the Boilermakers, Alstott held virtually all the school’s rushing records.
  • He ran for 3,635 yards on 644 carries and 39 TDs over 4 years.
  • Mike was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft.
  • In his rookie campaign he only ran for 377 yards, but caught a career high 65 passes for 557 yards.
  • The Bucs decided ultimately to utilize Alstott as a powerback- where he’d compliment RB Warrick Dunn, whom Tampa drafted the following season.
  • Although classified as a fullback, Mike’s numbers slowly grew over his career, culminating in 1999 when he ran for a career high 949 yards on 242 carries.
  • 2001, saw him rush for a career high 10 TDs.
  • During that season he passed former Bucs great James Wilder on the franchise career rushing TDs list.
  • But by 2002, Mike’s physical style of play began to really take its toll.
  • As injuries mounted, Mike was relegated to more of a traditional fullback role.
  • In 2007, he spent the entire season on IR after suffering a neck injury.
  • He’d retire after playing his entire career with the Buccaneers before the 2008 season.

ACCOLADES:

  • All Pro 1997-’99
  • Second Team All Pro 1996
  • Pro Bowl 1997-’02
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor
  • Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame
  • Indiana Football Hall of Fame

NOTES:

Mike was a powerful downhill runner that reminded me of powerbacks of lore like Earl Campbell. He had a take no prisoners style about him that was very popular with the Bucs faithful.

He’s been nominated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but at this time hasn’t been inducted because MIke’s statistics aren’t sexy enough, and because he was classified as a fullback. He is considered one of the greatest fullbacks in NFL history.

I had sent to Mike after seeing a success on him in 2021. Back then I was lightning fast at sending TTMs out, so I got lucky on Alstott. He doesn’t really sign TTM anymore, or he’s so far out of the budget of the everyday man, it’s just not worth anyone’s time anymore.

I really liked his Press Pass card, so this one was a treat to get. The Upper Deck College Legends was something I’ve flirted with set chasing, but this one was a bit disappointing as Mike’s just standing there with his hands on hips.

For some reason since 2021, I’d just kept kicking the can down the road on publishing this success. With apologies- I don’t know why.

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College Football HoF, NFL

Pruitt, Greg (2)

CARDS: Upper Deck 2011 College Football Legends, Upper Deck 2011 College Football Legends Decade’s Best, Upper Deck 2011 College Football Legends Bowl Game Heroes, Upper Deck 2011 College Football Legends NCAA All-Americans
ACQUIRED: TTM 2023, C/o Home
SENT: 6/12 RECEIVED: 6/26 (14 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

NOTES:

Greg had some fantastic Upper Deck College Football Legends cards I wanted to get signed. The Decade’s Best and Bowl Game Heroes are some great inserts. Too bad he signed on the back of the Bowl Game Hero card…