I really was happy to get the return from William "Bar None" Floyd. I became a big fan of his while he was at Florida State. He looked like a monster in his Seminoles uniform. I was lucky enough to get to watch him play a lot (on tv) while he was with the 49ers, living in the Bay Area. He was a great fullback and I still remember a card that I had that was his jersey on one side and Moose Johnston's on the other to depict the top two fullbacks. He had excellent hands out of the backfield. I wish he could have stayed with the 49ers but he did well with the Panthers. He signed a 49ers photo helmet for me.
I was lucky to get back a return from Dallas Clark, a great tight end that is extremely kind to collectors. I remember watching him when he was playing at the University of Iowa. He had a great career there and man did he do well with Peyton Manning and the Colts. He had an amazing 2009 season where he caught 100 passes. He went to Tampa Bay this season and it has started to look up for him and the Bucs.
I had a very cool/coincidental thing happen to me this past week. I grew up in the Bay Area and watched a lot of 49ers games. I decided to write to both Keith and Jim Fahnhorst. They played together on the 49ers and I thought it would be cool to get their autographs. The coincidental thing is that I got their returns on the same exact day. Keith was a fixture on the offensive line from 1977 to 1986. He won two Super Bowls. His favorite memory was "The Catch". He said it was great fun to play with his brother on the 49ers. The toughest player for him to block was Jack Youngblood. His favorite part of the game was "kill the clock". It meant that they were won. He answered my character question-honesty. Jim was a backup linebacker for the 49ers and won 3 Super Bowls. He had his best season in 1986 when he was given the opportunity to start and had 4 interceptions. He was surprised to hear that the USA Today had named him as one of the Top 55 players since 1953 at the University of Minnesota. I am sending a copy of the page to him. His favorite memory was Dec 11, 1988 where he played great against the Saints to lock up the division. He said that it was great just having my brother in the same locker room. His favorite non football memory is watching his children grow up.
Gene Mingo was the first African American placekicker. He twice led the league in scoring. With the Denver Broncos he ran the ball, caught passes, and kicked. He also played for the Oakland Raiders which is the helmet photo that I had him sign. He has written a book that is available on Amazon.
Kirk Cousins is an excellent young quaterback that is in a tough position (in my opinion). I really enjoyed watching him play at Michigan State. I thought he was a very good quarterback and I was looking forward to seeing who would draft him. I was SHOCKED that the Redskins drafted him in the fourth round. I feel bad for him that he is basically going to be stuck on the bench and used as trade bait in a year or two. That is a tough situation. I hope it works out for him like it did for Matt Schaub. I will be rooting for him. He said his favorite Michigan State memory was the Hail Mary game against Wisconsin. His goals for the NFL is to become a starter and win. The person that has helped him the most is his dad. He answered my character question with integrity.
The next return was from Ron Powlus. I think he is a guy that was put into a tough position and handled it very well. He was proclaimed to be a multiple Heisman trophy winner by Beano Cook before he ever played a game at Notre Dame. That is tough. He got better every year at Notre Dame. I was hoping that he would get a chance in the NFL but it never happened. He has become a very good coach. He is a coach at the University of Kansas. He thanked me for my letter which always makes me feel good. His favorite memory is beating undefeated #5 ranked USC at home in 1995. He said it was a great day for the Irish. Hopefully tomorrow will be another great day for the Irish! I asked if he had any regrets about attending Notre Dame and he said no. The best part of coaching for him is helping young people develop into better people on and off the field. The person that had the biggest impact on him was Rocky Balboa :) Love that response! He answered my character question with character, confidence, and conviction. I like it.
The final return was from one of the greatest Patriot players of all time---Gino Cappelletti. He was an amazing player. He played wide receiver and kicker for the Pats. He is on every All-time Patriots team that ever existed. He was a five time Pro Bowler and AFL MVP. He led the AFL in scoring 5 times and one season ranks as the 11th most points in NFL history. Outside of a bias against AFL and kickers I have to wonder why he hasn't earned a place in the Hall of Fame. He signed a Patriots helmet photo for me.
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