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

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

March 25 Report: Billy Casper, A.J. Duhe and Marion Butts

A trio of successes today, which may officially mark the return of some regular success stories in this quest for 365 different autographs this year.

First up is another Masters logo golf ball signed by World Golf Hall of Fame member Billy Casper. Casper is right up there with Jack, Arnie and Gary in terms of his success in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Had he had Mark McCormack as an agent too, Casper would have been on Wheaties boxes!!

With the Masters right around the corner this ball only adds to my excitement for the year's first major championship. Maybe I'll even get Jack Burke Jr. to return the Masters ball I sent him before tournament week.

Next up today is AJ Duhe. Duhe was the 13th overall pick out of Louisiana State Universoty in the 1977 NFL Draft. He was the defensive Rookie of the Year in 1977 for the Miami Dolphins and played eight years for the 'Fish'. His most memorable game was the 1982 AFC Championship Game when he picked off the Jets' Richard Todd three times, including one for a TD, which helped Miami to the Super Bowl.

Last up today is two-time Pro-Bowl running back Marion Butts. Butts played seven seasons in the NFL for the Chargers, Patriots and Oilers, and his best one was in 1990 when he carried for 1,225 yards.

Butts' career NFL numbers are 5,184 rushing yards and 43 career TDs. His average yards per carry is just shy of 4.0.


Day of the Year: 84
Number of Autographs This Year: 119

January 14 Report: Louis Oliver, Jim Hart, Deron Cherry, Kevin Butler and Mike Rozier

It's early in the year, but I set a new personal record for the number of successes in a single day. Five former NFL players returned signed cards today so I've made up some ground in case I need it in the coming days/weeks/months as I steam toward adding 365 autographs to my collection in 2010.

First up is former University of Florida standout and first-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins, Louis Oliver. I watched many games at Florida Field while Oliver was a Gator and I'm thrilled to add this to my growing Gator Collection.

Next up is Jim Hart, who had an excellent career in the NFL from 1966-1984. Especially considering was not drafted out of Southern Illinois and ended up passing for nearly 35,000 yards and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

A great link back to my earliest days watching football and the most defining period in my young football life. Judging from my collection this was the first significant year of card collecting and I'm happy ot add this 1979 Topps card to my collection.

I was a big Chiefs fan from 1989 on, primarily because my favorite college player, Derrick Thomas, was drafted by them and I was in need of a new team as the new ownership in Dallas unceremoniously got rid of my childhood icon, Tom Landry. So this add from former Chief great Deron Cherry is most welcome. The Chiefs had some great defenses and this free safety was an anchor all his career. 50 interceptions and six Pro Bowls are a few of his achievements.

Thanks Deron!!

The day's fourth success came from former University of Georgia and Chicago Bears kicker Kevin Butler. Funny thing looking at this card is he was erroneously listed as a Punter on the front of the card.

He played with the Bears from 1985-1995 and finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals. He retired as the Bears' all-time leading scorer with 1,116 points.



Lastly I've added Mike Rozier's autograph to my collection. Rozier, of course, was the Heisman Trophy winner in 1983. He played in the NFL and the USFL and he was gracious enough to sign this 3x5 index card I can add to my Heisman collection.




Day of the Year: 14
Number of Autographs This Year: 19