Jan. 10 Report: Former Dolphins and Colts DB Lyle Blackwood

A quick turnaround from the first new request I made in 2011. Former Miami Dolphions and Baltimore Colts defensive back Lyle Blackwood signed and returned all three cards I sent him. I offered him to keep the duplicate but he graciously sent all back signed and inscribed with different Bible verses.

Most of us know John 3:16, but the other two passages cited were 1 Peter 3:18:

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

and Ephesians 2: 8-9:

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

I'm probably one of a very few who take the time to look up the citings, but I think they tell you a lot about the person.

250: the number of different autographs I've gotten since starting this blog in January 2010

Jan. 5, 2011 Report: Olympic gold medalist Tracy Caulkins

So I start the year by adding a three-time Olympic gold medalist to my collection.

That, unto itself, is pretty cool.

Made even cooler by the fact that Tracy Caulkins is also a former University of Florida swimmer, so I add another Gator to that collection as well.

As I write this I also realize this is the first swimming autograph I have in my collection. So it's cool on a lot of levels.

Tracy spends a lot of her time in Australia these days, so it took almost a year for her to sign the photos I sent her here in the States and return them to me. Definitely worth the wait though.

249: the number of different autographs I've gotten since starting this blog in January 2010.

Nov. 6 Report: 2003 Masters Tournament Winner Mike Weir

Few things, in terms of autographs, make me as happy as adding a new major championship winner to my collection.

So this late in the year as the autographs seem to trickle in every 10 days or longer I was happy to get an envelope that I instantly recognized as one containing a major championship trophy photo I had sent out months ago.

When I cracked it open and pulled out the photo I was disappointed to see it unsigned. Bummed. But I had momentarily forgotten I had also sent a Masters ticket from 2003 when I was at the event along with the photo.

Sure I was disappointed the photo wasn't signed since I have a nice collection of them hanging on the wall in frames, I was also quite happy to have the ticket signed from the event Mike Weir won his first major championship.

I will look forward to adding this to the shadow box alongside the other tournament tickets and badges I've had signed this year.

Day of the Year: 306
Number of Autographs This Year: 245

October 25 Report: Former No. 1 NFL Pick Jeff George

Well sadly it has been a month since I've been able to post a success in this autograph space. Sad, but not unexpected, however as some setbacks have kept me from being able to buy postage at the same rate I was earlier in the year.

We'll see if November allows me to make a late-season push.

In the meantime I received a nice 1990 Fleer card signed by former No. 1 pick Jeff George. George took the time to sign it and inscribe it exactly as I asked, which was terrific.

The down side is he also personalized it. Not that I mind personalized autographs at all, I just wish I knew who Rick was. It's definitely not me!!


Day of the Year: 294
Number of Autographs This Year: 243

May 13 Report: Former Denver Broncos QB Craig Morton and Former 49ers LB Keena Turner

Two more great successes today from football, so it seems some of those requests that have been out there for a while are starting to find their ways back to me.

Short on time tonight, but here are the images of the signed cards from Craig Morton and Keena Turner, a pair of former NFL stars.

Day of the Year: 133
Number of Autographs This Year: 181

May 11 Report: Former New York Jets Kicker Pat Leahy

Hard to believe more than a month and a half has passed since I reported my last football success here on this blog.

Shouldn't be that much of a surprise since I've been focusing on golf so much lately. Guess like many aspects of this hobby, trends come and go. I never would have thought when I started this project I would have ever sent out more golf requests than I have football.

Well today I get back to my first love -- football autographs.

Pat Leahy kicked for the New York Jets for entire NFL career (1974-1991). Amazingly in his 18-year career he never had a kick blocked. He scored 1,470 points.

Day of the Year: 131
Number of Autographs This Year: 179

May 4 Report: Toronto Blue Jays Catcher Ernie Whitt

Another baseball success to report, which puts me above the 50 percent return mark for baseball autograph requests this year. It's taken a while, but now every sport is above 50 percent. Most other sports, however, are around the 80 percent or higher success rate.

Perhaps it just takes former baseball players longer to sign as maybe they get more requests.

Regardless, today I received a pair of signed cards back from Ernie Whitt.

Day of the Year: 124
Number of Autographs This Year: 173

April 30 Report: Former Miami Dolphins QB and Football Hall of Famer Bob Griese and Ryder Cup Player Ken Still

Always happy to report a success from a Hall of Famer, and today is one of those days.

Pro Football Hall of Fame member Bob Griese checked in today by signing a 1970s Topps card.

Growing up in Florida I can tell you Griese was a household name every Sunday. Despite the fact that I was the only Dallas Cowboy fan in the house in the 1970s, I still had great respect for what Griese accomplished.

Griese was the fourth pick in the 1967 NFL draft out of Purdue. In his 14 seasons with the Dolphins Griese passed for more than 25,000 yards 192 TDs. He helped the Dolphins in two Super Bowls, was named to six Pro Bowls and won a trophy case full of other awards.

Today's second success comes from the golf course. Ken Still was a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, including two events in 1969.

Still made the Ryder Cup that year and was in the middle of some nasty events that turned into one of the most celebrated moments of sportsmanship the game has ever seen.

"Britain's non-playing captain Eric Brown set the tone by instructing his players not to look for the opposition ball if it ended up in the rough. According to the British press, Ken Still, in the first-day foursomes, had been guilty of childish gamesmanship at the expense of Briton Maurice Bembridge when he regularly stood too close as his opponent was putting. Later, Still responded to what he felt was recurring gamesmanship by Bernard Gallacher by knocking aside his ball marker and shouting, "You can have the hole – and the goddamn Cup!" This nearly led to a fistfight between the two men. Still's playing partner, Dave Hill, also had harsh words for Gallacher, and threatened to wrap a 1-iron around his head. Ultimately all of this led to one of the most famous gestures of sportmanship in the history of sport: in the final singles encounter Jack Nicklaus had Tony Jacklin pick-up a missable putt so the match would end in a 16-16 tie."

Day of the Year: 120
Number of Autographs This Year: 171

April 21 Report: Former Houston Oilers RB Allen Pinkett

Breaking up the golf successes lately with a football one today.

Allen Pinkett was an exceptional player at Notre Dame, where he became the first player in school history to ever rush for 1,000-plus yards in three consecutive seasons (1983-85).

He was a third-round selection in the 1986 NFL Draft, and played for six seasons with the Houston Oilers. He rushed for 2,324 yards and 21 touchdowns.

As of this writing Pinkett works as the color commentator for Notre Dame games on ISP Sports.

Day of the Year: 111
Number of Autographs This Year: 158

April 19 Report: British Open Winner Lee Trevino and PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel

Another pair of major championship winners to add to the trophy collection today. One commemorates World Golf Hall of Fame member Lee Trevino's wins at the British Open and the other PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel.

Hall of Famers first, so here's the skinny on Trevino.

Trevino was a two-time winner of golf's oldest major, The Open as it is simply known. Trevino won in back-to-back years in 1971-72 and he inscribed it as such in addition to adding his autograph to the photo.

A very nice success from a Hall of Famer.

Next up is a photo of the Wanamaker Trophy, given for winning the PGA Championship. One of the finest shots hit in major championship history -- under pressure and by a player in search of his first major victory -- came from Shaun Micheel.

Micheel's 7-iron approach stopped 2 inches from the hole on the 72nd hole to give him victory. Simply a brilliant shot, which I told Shaun was one of the finest I've ever witnessed.

He responded by signing the photo, writing the year he won the PGA on it and -- GET THIS -- also inscribed it with this: "7-iron -- 2 inches".

An awesome inscription and one that will be the centerpiece in my next major championship frame collage.

Day of the Year: 109
Number of Autographs This Year: 157

April 15 Report: PGA Championship winner John Mahaffey and Frank Dully

Happy to report the continuing success of the signed major championship trophy project. To date winners of the PGA Championship have been quickest to respond, easily outpacing winners of the British Open.

Today's signed Wanamaker Trophy photo comes from John Mahaffey. Mahaffey set a record for best comeback in a PGA by making up a seven-shot deficit over the last 14 holes to tie Hall of Famer Tom Watson and Jerry Pate.

Mahaffey won the playoff with a birdie on the second extra hole.

He also continued the trend of inscribing the trophy with his victory year.

Not sure exactly what to say about this next success. It comes from Frank Dully, an accomplished club pro who has played on the South African Tour. He's never won a tournament on a significant world tour, but for some reason Upper Deck included him in its card set.

I needed Dully's signature as I'm trying to compile as complete a set of this series of UD cards as possible. I am grateful Dully agreed to sign two of these cards for my set.

Day of the Year: 105
Number of Autographs This Year: 151

April 9 Report: Dave Stockton and David Graham

As I've mentioned previously I've undertaken a project to get as many major championship winners as I can to autograph photos I've taken of each trophy.

While I realize it is going to be impossible to get every major winner on a photo of that respective trophy (majors were first played in 1860 so many are deceased) I'm still going after all the living ones I can. I think it will make for a really neat framed photo collage.

Both successes I received today were former winners of the season's final major championship -- the PGA Championship.

Dave Stockton was a two-time winner of the event, and in an awesome move he signed the photo and inscribed it with "1970-76 PGA Champion". I'm really loving this new project!

In addition to the two majors Stockton won, he also claimed eight other PGA Tour events and plated on a pair of Ryder Cup teams. Stockton also signed a Ryder Cup trophy for me as well.

The other winner of the Wanamaker Trophy who autographed a picture of the spoils was David Graham. (Just noticed both of today's successes are named David and won the same event!).

Graham, an Australian, won nearly 40 times around the world including the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. Unfortunately I have not yet had a chance to photograph the U.S. Open trophy so I wasn't able to send that to him to sign as well.

Something else to look forward to doing one day I suppose. That's one of the many great parts about autograph collecting.

Day of the Year: 99
Number of Autographs This Year: 144

April 3 Report: Jack Fleck, Tim Herron, Karen Allen and Jeff Reardon

Today was a busy day preparing and mailing out requests. The last five days really have been geared toward adding the signatures of prominent golfers over the years to my collection.

Essentially the focus has been sending out prints of photographs I've taken over the years of significant trophies in golf. The four I've been sending out lately are to LPGA players who have played on Solheim Cup teams, plus PGA Tour players who have either played on the Ryder Cup or have won The Open or PGA Championship.

Hopefully in a week or so I'll have some of those successes to post here. I did officially send my 200th request of the year today. For the record that was a a 5x7 print of the Claret Jug to Stewart Cink.

Now on to the successes from today, while still keeping with the theme of major championship golf.

Fifty-five years ago this year, one of the greatest upsets in golf history occured. Playing the role of upsetter was unheralded Iowan Jack Fleck, who battled the legendary Ben Hogan to a tie in the 1955 U.S. Open.

Fleck, who had served in the U.S. Navy and was a part of the Invasion of Normandy, would outduel Hogan, his childhood hero, to earn his first professional victory.

Fleck, who was 88 years old when he signed this ball, would win three times on the PGA during his career. He later won a senior major at the 1979 Senior PGA Championship.

Today's other golf success comes from a modern-day star, Tim Herron. Herron had a respectable amateur career at the University of New Mexico, where he played on the 1993 U.S. Walker Cup team.

Herron played for a spell on the Nationwide Tour before joining the PGA Tour in 1996, when he won his first Tour title at the Honda Classic.

To date Herron has four Tour titles, the most recent coming at the 2006 Bank of America Colonial.

Herron also has a unique claim to fame as he defeated a 15-year-old Tiger Woods in second round of 1992 U.S. Amateur. The loss was one of only two defeats Woods suffered in 23 U.S. Amateur matches.

Today's last success comes from the acting world.

One of my favorite movies growing up was the Raiders of the Lost Ark series. One of the main characters was Marion Ravenswood (Indiana Jones' love interest), who was played by Karen Allen.

Allen has appeared in a number of other movies, though she has often taken long breaks away from the bigscreen to apply her considerable talents to broadway and stage acting.

Lastly I report my second failure of the year. Bernie Kosar was the first as he was asking for $$$ to sign a card. This time it's Jeff Reardon. Although Reardon did not ask for money, he simply sent the card back unsigned -- no note, no message, just the unsigned card.

Day of the Year: 93
Number of Autographs This Year: 133

April 2 Report: Retief Goosen and Tony Franklin

I've slowly been adding autographs to the tournament logo balls I've collected over the years at tournaments around the country -- and a few overseas.

Today's signed golf ball comes courtesy of two-time U.S. Open champ Retief Goosen.

Goosen, a South African, is among the most successful players competing in the game today.

At the time of this writing Goosen is the 15-ranked player in the world. He presently counts 30 different official worldwide victories on his resume. Most notable among those are his two U.S. Open wins -- in 2001 at Southern Hills and in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills.

Goosen is likely on a path to be elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in the next few years, so I'm thrilled to add this autograph to my golf collection.

The second autograph today comes from former Philadelphia Eagles kicker Tony Franklin. Franklin was a standout at Texas A&M, where he once owned the NCAA record for longest field goal made (65 yards). Franklin also kicked a 64-yard field goal in the same game and remains the only college player to kick two 60-plus yarders in one game.

Franklin's college career ended with him holding 18 records, including most career field goals (56) and most field goals of 50 yards or longer.

Franklin, a barefoot kicker, was drafted by the Eagles in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft and played for them from 1979-83. He also played for the Patriots (1984-87) and the Miami Dolphins (1988). He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1985.

Day of the Year: 92
Number of Autographs This Year: 130

April 1 Report: Virgil Livers, Herman Weaver and Roger Carr

Thankfully the mailman wasn't in an April Fool's mood today and he delivered me some nice 1970s NFL successes.

First up is former Chicago Bears cornerback Virgil Livers. Livers played college football at small Western Kentucky, yet he impressed enough scouts to be drafted in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL Draft.

Livers had 12 interceptions in his five-year career with the Bears, returning a pair of them for touchdowns.

Herman Weaver earned his nickname "Thunderfoot" from Howard Cosell during a Monday Night game when the Lions were playing.

This is the second time I have gotten Weaver to sign cards for me, the first being about 15 years ago. Back then he signed and also added his nickname to the card.

Today's version comes with a Bible verse in place, which I completely respect too.

In all Weaver punted for 11 years in the NFL -- 1970-76 with Detroit and 1977-80 with Seattle. The Sporting News, in 1988, named him one of the top 20 punters of all-time.

Today's third and final success comes from Roger Carr.

Carr played most notably for the Baltimore Colts (1974-1981), though he also spent time with Seattle Seahawks (1982) and San Diego Chargers (1983). He was drafted in the first round after his college career at Louisiana Tech.

His career numbers are 271 receptions, 5,071 yards and 31 touchdowns.

His best year was in 1976, whe he caught 43 passes for 1,112 yards -- almost 26 yards per catch.

He made his lone Pro Bowl that season as well.

Day of the Year: 91
Number of Autographs This Year: 128

March 31 Report: Anthony Carter

Anthony Carter enjoyed a brilliant college career at Michigan (1979-1982) under Bo Schembechler despite his offense being so run-oriented. Carter was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

Carter started his professional career in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers and later the Oakland Invaders.

Following that Carter played 11 seasons in the NFL, where he would catch 486 passes for 7,733 yards and 55 TDs.

While he played second fiddle to Cris Carter in Minnesota, he was a very effective offensive complement at the receiver position.

Day of the Year: 90
Number of Autographs This Year: 125