David Arnold 2004 TK Legacy auto
Arnold is the first new football PC member from the lot, but that's no surprise since the majority of these guys are in the same boat. I couldn't find much about him, but he was a DB at Michigan from 1985-1988 and was a fifth-rounder for the Steelers in 1989, his only pro season.
Chris Calloway 2004 TK Legacy auto
Calloway is also making his PC debut, but he appeared on lots of NFL cards thanks to his 11-year career. The former WR and KR ('87-'89) was a fourth-rounder, also of the Steelers, in 1990, and lasted in the pros until 2000. He suited up for the Giants, Falcons, and Pats, and I'm hoping to pick up his '99 SP Signature auto depicting him with New York.
Leo Koceski 2003 TK Legacy auto
Koceski is back for more after I landed a card of him in last year's huge TK Legacy purchase, this one from the Hail to the Victors National Champs subset. You can can more about the "Canonsburg Comet" in that original post. This is another fine example of his excellent signature, and a great photo!
Bill Kolesar 2004 TK Legacy auto
Kolesar is also no stranger to this blog as I picked up another card of him in part one of that large purchase, in this case a Michigan Mates dual auto with son John. Again, you can read more about the former OL (and his son) in that post. Because the other card featured an inscription of his nickname, "Koly," this is my first "full" signature of the Michigan great.
Doug Mallory 2004 TK Legacy auto
Mallory is new to the PC today, but his family certainly isn't! He was a DB in Ann Arbor from 1984-87, the middle brother of Mike and Curt, who also suited up for the Maize and Blue. As for Doug, he's been coaching at various colleges in 1988, though he won't be returning to his most recent stop, Indiana (where his dad was a coaching legend) this year. Maybe some time he could join his brother Curt, currently Michigan's secondary coach!
Chuck Ortmann 2002 TK Legacy auto
Ortmann is the fourth new PC addition today, and he was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, appearing as a RB/S/P/returner that also threw passes sometimes, from 1948-50. That means he was part of the '48 undefeated champs, and also that he appeared in the now-famous Snow Bowl, a 1950 matchup with Ohio State that lived up to its name. He set a school record with 723 punting yards over 24 kicks, one of which backed up OSU deep in its territory and led to the only TD of the game. The Steelers (surprise!) drafted him in the second round the following year, but he was finished thanks to injuries in 1952. A Michigan Man through and through, he chose the Wolverines over nearby Wisconsin and Marquette.
Don Peterson 2003 TK Legacy auto
Don Peterson is ANOTHER guy I already had in my PC thanks to another Michigan Mates dual auto (featuring older brother Tom) I showed off in part one of last year's huge TK haul. He was a contemporary of Ortmann, having played from '49-'51.
Joe Ponsetto 2003 TK Legacy auto
Surprisingly only the second "Joe" in my football PC, Ponsetto was a QB/PK from '43-'45. He started those last two years and went 15-5 overall while also being named a captain in '45. He remained in the state as a dentist and passed away in 2004.
Bill Putich 2002 TK Legacy auto
Putich is newbie #6, and came from roughly the same era as Ortmann and Peterson, appearing as a QB/HB in '49-'51. He threw a game-winning TD against Michigan State in a rare 1949 appearance (13 minutes overall), then started the following two seasons, including the aforementioned Snow Bowl win and a Rose Bowl victory over Cal the following year.
Monte Robbins 2003 TK Legacy auto
I was excited to land this card since, not only is Robbins new to the PC, but it's also one of the most colorful issues I've seen in the entire set thanks to his uniform and the fans in the background. Monte, whose first name is apparently "Dammond," is one of the school's best ever punters ('84-'87). While a couple of his records have since been broken, he still owns school marks for career yards-per-punt (42.6), single-season YPP (45, 1987), and longest punt (82 yards). Tampa Bay took him in the fourth round in 1988, then cut him later in the year; he bounced around a few practice squads but never played in the league.
Aaron Shea 2002 TK Legacy auto
Now at three hits overall (I also have a pair of jersey relics, one of which also hails from TK Legacy), Shea is a familiar face here, though this is now my first autograph of the former TE/FB (1996-99). He appeared in 43 games with the Wolverines, including the '97-'98 Rose Bowl that saw Michigan win their most recent title. The Browns took him in the fourth round in 2000, and he stayed there in 2005, joined the Chargers the following year, then called it a career.
Jim Smith 2004 TK Legacy auto
The creatively-named Smith was a star WR for the Wolverines from 1973-76, a get-the-ball-in-his-hands type who piled up yards rushing, receiving, and kick/punt returning. After being named a first-time All American in 1976, the Steelers(!) took him in 1977's third round, and he went on to score 25 NFL TDs with Pittsburgh and the L.A. Raiders, bookending a stop with the USFL's Birmingham Stallions in '83-'85. He was part of the Steelers' back-to-back Super Bowl-winners in 1978-79 (XIII and XIV).
David Underwood 2005 TK Legacy auto
If Underwood looks a bit sad in this photo, it's understandable. A RB from 2001-2004, he was behind B.J. Askew and Chris Perry until his senior season, 2004, when he was going to get his chance to be "the guy." Instead, a true freshman named Mike Hart burst onto the scene, and the rest is history. Underwood was still a solid backup, averaging 4.1 YPC and scoring six TDs over 27 games in his four years in Ann Arbor.
These 13 new cards not only give me a new football PC total of 828--including an amazing 147 different players--they also allow me to make some nice headway on the M Go Blue autographs project, which now includes 78 subjects!
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