Jimmy Orr, Gary Glick, Wayne Hawkins, John Settle

My first return was from Jimmy Orr.  He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Colts.  One of the things that made me want to write to him was that he has two out of the top ten all time yards per reception average.  The thing that I thought was cool was that he did it 10 years apart.  He definitely kept his speed/skills throughout his career.  Mr. Orr said that there were too many memories to pick a favorite.  He said that Night Train Lane was an awesome defensive back.  He says that he misses playing  but that he watches a lot of college and pro games and that he doesn't miss many.  He also answered my character question- he said honesty.

Gary Glick was an interesting player.  He was the first pick in the NFL draft out of Colorado A & M (now Colorado State).  It was a surprise to a lot of people.  He said he was surprised with going number 1 with all the great prospects that year.  He had a good career as a defensive and had 14 interceptions combined from the Steelers, Colts, Redskins, and Chargers (AFL champs).  He said his favorite memory is playing in the NFL - there were 12 teams with a 32 man roster and he played both ways (also a kicker for a couple of years).  He loved all the teams that he played on but he said the Baltimore Colts was the classiest.  He said that the people that had the biggest impact on him were Bob Davis (coach at Colorado A&M), Walt Ewbank (Colts), and Sid Gilliam (Chargers).  He answered my character question as well - treat others as you want them to treat you, respect their thoughts even if they might differ from yours.  Really love that final part.  Mr. Glick sent along two extra cards and two extra photos.  It was awesome!!!  (side note:  when I get a really cool return I will sometimes look to see if there are other items from that player that I can add to my collection.  So I looked up Gary Glick and was really disappointed to see that someone was selling three of the extras that he had sent to me.  That really makes me mad.  A player sends you free items and you put them on EBAY.  Look up Virgil Trucks and see how many of the free items that he sends are on EBAY.  Then collectors wonder why players start charging or stop signing. Sorry, off my soap box now.)

My next return was from Wayne Hawkins, a former Raider.  He was close friends and teammates with Tom Flores.  He was an original Raider.  He was part of the 1963 team that went from 1 win to 10 wins in Al Davis's first season as coach.  He went to 5 straight Pro Bowls and was named to the All AFL team.  He played in Super Bowl II.  He said his favorite memory was playing in the Super Bowl.  He said the toughest person to block was Ernie Ladd.  He said it is a great feeling to know that he was part of the building blocks to help make the Raiders the Raiders.  He answered my character question as well - honesty.

My final return was from John Settle.  He was a running back with the Atlanta Falcons and became the first undrafted free agent to rush for 1,000 yards. He said that was his favorite memory.  He made the Pro Bowl that season and said that it was a great honor to be rewarded and recognized by his peers.  He had an incredible college career at Appalachian State where they retired his number.  I was surprised that he would go undrafted after rushing for over 1,600 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns as a senior.  I don't care what conference you are in, those are great numbers.  He has had great success as a coach and I asked what he felt was the key to his success.  He said that it is hard work and honesty.  He tells the players what they need to hear and not what they want to hear.  The person that has helped him the most was his college coach Sparky Woods who wouldn't let him quit when he tought he wanted to.  He also answered my character question- honesty, always tell the truth and you will never have to defend your answers.