Tag Archives: Washington Redskins

CFL, NFL

Johnson, Billy “White Shoes”

 

udlg97 ws johnson udlg97 ws johnson BCard: Upper Deck Legends 1997
Acquired: 11/23/2012, Fiterman Autograph Event
Failure: 2010, C/o Home

Billy Johnson, played for tiny Widener college in Pennsylvania. Going unnoticed- despite his white shoes and penchant for big plays, numbers, and great speed, the Oilers said, “Why not?”, and drafted White Shoes in the 15th round of the 1974 draft. There the fan favorite Johnson lit the NFL on fire with his breathtaking speed at returner and his entertaining end zone celebration called ‘The Funky Chicken’. (Johnson’s dance, is still celebrated today as one of the first, and was the Granddaddy to such dances as: Ernest Givins‘ “Electric Slide”, Ickey Woods‘ “Ickey Shuffle”, and Jamaal Anderson’s “Dirty Bird”.)  White Shoes played during the heyday of the Luv’ Ya Blu era in Houston, alongside Dan Pastorini, Ken Burrough, and Earl Campbell. He set an NFL record in 1975 by returning 3 punts for touchdowns in a single season. Not to be outdone that year, he also had a kick return as well, earning him AP honors and the Pro Bowl MVP after the season. White Shoes continued to set the standard for electrifying play throughout the 70s and the crowd always held their breath with excitement when he took the field. He again won AP honors topping his 15.3 YPR average from ’75 with a 15.4 YPR average in 77, with 539 yards and 2 touchdowns. As a kick returner he was also equally amazing, scoring another touchdown there as well.  A catastrophic knee injury wrecked his 1978 and 79 seasons. After a final season in Houston in 1980, White Shoes travelled north to the CFL for a year doing everything for the Montreal Alouettes.

The Falcons gave him a shot in 1983, and Johnson not only made the roster of the team, he had also matured as a receiver. Although he only started one game that season, Billy had 709 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns, (both career highs,) and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year. In ’83 he scored another touchdown on a punt return, and was named AP and back to the Pro Bowl again for a 3rd time. He posted career highs again in 1984 in receiving with 830 yards and 5 touchdowns. Playing one final season in Atlanta, White Shoes went on to Washington and retired after the 1987 season. He’s been named to the NFL 75th Anniversary team and also the All-Decade Team of the 1980s.

It took me some time to get my autographs back from the Fiterman event but I finally did get my cards back some 3 weeks after the event. The company did apologize and adjusted their time-frame for delivery expectations for TTM on their website. I like to have my cards autographed on the front, but based on the report from Fiterman, White Shoes apparently refused to do so because he was not wearing white shoes on the front of this card. Still I am happy to knock out an elusive signer, after a previous attempt and failure.

G  143       PR 282         Yds 3317            Avg  11.8           Td 6         Lg 87t
Kr 123       Yds 2941          Avg 23.9         Td 2          Lg 81t
Rec  337       Yds 4211     Avg 12.5          Td 25       Lg  71t
Rush 56        Yds 316       Avg 5.6             Td 2         Lg 61

Highlight reel of Johnson and.. the Funky Chicken:

College Football HoF, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL, Super Bowl MVP

Howard, Desmond

Card: Classic 1992
Acquired: TTM 2012, C/o ESPN*
Sent: 8/7    Received: 9/8  (32 days)
*postmarked from FL

I originally had Desmond Howard penciled in for the start of the year in my initial January send out, but for some reason kept kicking that can further down the road. I’m really glad I finally got him, as I’m sure the acclaimed athlete will soon be overwhelmed with requests. Going to Michigan in 1989, Howard switched from tailback to wide receiver for the Wolverines. From there he’d go on to rewrite the record books for much of the school when it came to receiving records (12) and NCAA records (5). After a breakout 1990, with 63 receptions,1025 yards, and 11 TDs receiving, Desmond ran away with the Heisman in 1991 posting 19 touchdowns receiving on 62 catches.  Howard could not be stopped as a receiver or returner, and  he was so confident that he’d win the award, that after burning rival Ohio State in a game, he struck a Heisman pose. (Desmond at this time still holds the record for the largest margin of victory in Heisman voting, nabbing about 85% of the vote in 1991 for the award.)

Before the 1992 draft, Desmond was being touted as the next Rocket Ismail with electric speed that amazed and wowed fans. The Redskins after they won the 1991 SuperBowl traded up and picked Howard with the 4th overall pick. With a fleet set of receivers already that were seeing a bit of wear and tear (Monk, Clark, and Sanders,) the Redskins wanted Howard to be the lead receiver of the next generation of Skins receivers- but instead he was stuck on return duties. Desmond in 1994 recorded career highs in receptions (40), yards (727), and TDs (5), however with the emergence of Brian Mitchell, Howard had generally seen his playing time shrink as a return man. Usually this is a good thing for a receiver, but in Desmond’s case he found himself dangled out by the Redskins as part of the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft.

Taken with the 55th pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Howard was sparsely used by the Jaguars on offense and special teams. Essentially fans thought he was washed up, but just as everybody gave up Howard, Desmond obviously had something left in him. Nobody really even blinked an eye when Desmond was signed via free agency by the Packers, who were looking for an extra spark in the return game. Howard displayed his signature abilities at returning, and destroyed special teams’ units single-handedly setting the NFL record for most punt return yards in a season with 875, and recorded 3 touchdowns.  At the conclusion of the season, Desmond won the Super Bowl XXXI MVP honors, with a 99 yard touchdown return, and 244 total yards from scrimmage against the New England Patriots.  Howard got snapped up by the Raiders after the season, and had a solid outing as a returner for the team leading the league with 1381 yards on 61 return in 1997.  He also had a stellar 541 yards and 2 TDs punt returning in 1998 but he snubbed on Pro Bowl voting.  Desmond was content to return to the Packers for a second stint in 1999, but found himself surprisingly traded to the Lions midway through 2000. It turned out to be a blessing as Howard reached the ProBowl for the first time in his career, after recording a 14.7 average on PR and 24.6 on KR. With injuries and age finally catching up with him in 2002, Howard decided to hang up his cleats after the season after establishing himself as one of the most explosive punt return men in league history.

Desmond has gone into broadcasting where he has garnered quite a positive reputation as a public speaker and college football analyst,  currently appearing on ESPN. In 2011 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and has appeared on the cover of NCAA Football 06 in his signature Heisman pose.

G/Gs   156/29       Rec 123        Yds  1597     Avg   13.0       Td  7       Lg 81t
Kr  359           Yds  7959      Avg  22.2    Td 0        Lg  91
Pr  244           Yds  2895      Avg  11.8     Td  8       Lg  95t

 

NFL

Quinn, Richard “Big Rich”

Card: Playoff 2008
Acquired: 2012, Target Authentic Memorabilia Autograph Edition

At 6’4″, 260, Richard Quinn was a 2nd round pick by the Broncos out of North Carolina. A solid in-line blocker, the Broncos passed up some intriguing TE’s to reach for a prospect with only 12 career catches for 124 yards and 2 TDs, during the 2009 draft. Essentially the Broncos thought that he’d make a nice fit in Josh McDaniels’ offensive system as basically an extra tackle who could quietly release off the line of scrimmage and pull down a few receptions in Jumbo sets. “Big Rich” made his first career reception in 2010, with 1 reception for 9 yards, but after a knee injury, he’d be cut with an injury settlement in 2011 from the Broncos. The Redskins signed Quinn later that season and he’d see the turk in the final cutdowns of the 2012 season. He quickly found a home with the Cincinnati Bengals and has been off and on their roster a few times since.