Tag Archives: ut ud 2011

University of Texas

Mangum, Dusty ‘Magnum’

Card: University of Texas Upper Deck 2011
Acquired: TTM 2016, C/o Work
Sent: 4/7/16    Received: 4/15/16     (8 days)

With a name like Dusty Mangum, it’s easy to see why by in name alone he’s considered a Longhorn Legend.  With ice in his veins, fans ‘Magnum’ became endeared to Texas fans for his penchant to make critical kicks in the waning moments of games.  No contest was more critical to the Longhorns than the 91st Rose Bowl- a pivotal matchup against the Michigan Wolverines in 2005. The Burnt Orange had returned to prominence, but there were still doubters out there of the Longhorns abilities.  Texas battled Michigan to the final bell where as time expired Dusty kicked a 37 yard winning field goal to give the Longhorns the win 38 to 37. The kick was notable due to the fact that it was Mangum’s final kick and catapulted him into becoming a mini-state celebrity darling.  Dusty’s story is all the more amazing in that he was originally a walk on who worked his way up to become the 3rd leading scorer in school history with 358 points.

Texas has a storied history of kickers.  Phil Dawson and Justin Tucker are current names, but then there was kickers in their own right like Bobby Liljedahl, Happy Feller, and Russell Erxleben. Then there was Dusty. Who knows why Dusty never pursued a pro career. He certainly had the resume and leg strength to go for it. Maybe he realized that this was his best chance to go out on top?

Since his glory days at Texas, the Longhorn Legend has lived in the North Texas area where I got his autograph on this card in a very short period of time.

NFL, University of Texas

Neil, Dan

Card: University of Texas Upper Deck 2011
Acquired: 2014, Spoodog Box Break

A well decorated lineman at the time of his graduation from the University of Texas in 1996, Dan Neil was an All-American in his final season for the Longhorns. Over his time with the burnt orange, Dan started 49 straight contests at either guard or center.  He’d be selected in the 3rd round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Broncos, and be a surprising contributor to Denver’s Super Bowl runs, blocking up front for John Elway. A durable and reliable presence he’d start 104 games playing primarily at right guard. As of 2017, he lives in the Austin area and does radio work. He was inducted as a Longhorn Legend into the Football Hall of Honor in 2008.

NFL, University of Texas

Johnson, BJ

utud11 bjjohnson icons

Cards: UT Upper Deck Icons 2011, UT Upper Deck All Time Alumni 2011, UT Upper Deck 2011
Acquired: Spoodog Box Break 2015, IP 2015, MVP Bottle Signing Spec’s Liquor

utud11 bjjohnson ATAConsidered one of the University of Texas’ best receivers in school history, BJ Johnson played alongside the much hyped Roy Williams and Sloan Thomas, and formed the greatest trio that the Longhorns have seen at receiver from 2000-2003.  He became the first Freshman to start at wide receiver since 1992 for the Longhorns, and finished 2nd in receptions and receiving yards among all Freshman wide receivers nationally. He broke the school single game Freshman receiving record with 9 catches for 168 yards against Baylor that year.  Later on,  BJ set the school record for the longest TD reception, a 92 yard bomb against the Houston Cougars and averaged a walloping 44 yards per TD reception. Johnson finished in the Top 10 All-Time for the Longhorns in receptions (152,
ranked 6th), touchdowns (16, ranked 5th), and yards receiving (2,359, ranked 5th) as quarterback Major Applewhite‘s favorite target. He considers his first TD grab as a Freshman in a losing effort to Stanford as his favorite play.

utud11 bjjohnsonJohnson played unknowingly on a broken tibia in 2003, causing him to tumble off draft boards, after he strained an oblique during the Senior Bowl. He’d be signed by the Denver Broncos to a UDFA after the draft. He rehabbed and made the team, but injuries kept mounting for BJ. He’d break his ankle and then the following year tore his hamstring. BJ signed with Tampa in 2005, but messed up his shoulder, deciding to hang up his cleats.

In 2015, Johnson launched a line of Vodka called MVP with Roy Williams, that he’s been marketing around Texas. Appearing alongside other former Longhorn greats as well at bottle signings, I decided to give it a shot with Shawn and Nate when I saw that it was a nice cast of Johnson, Williams, and VY. Johnson was more than happy to sign a few cards for a Longhorn fan, and discussed with us the almost medieval sounding hoops that his company had to jump through with the different alcohol sellers- since it is still dominated by mom and pop stores.

I have 3 or 4 more cards of BJ that I hope to get signed in at a future MVP event near Austin, but it appears that their advertised meet and greet events are on hiatus around town for the time being.