2014 eBay purchases: Go Blue or go home, part 2

Previously:  part 1

Just a week until Michigan football!  Will I have these all posted before then?  HAHAHAHAHA!

Here's the next group of nine from my 45-card lot of TK Legacy M Go Blue autographs:

Dick Kempthorn 2003 TK Legacy auto

Kempthorn, a Canton, Ohio native, played FB and LB for the '47-'49 Michigan squads, the first two of which were undefeated champs.  He was a merchant marine that attended Miami of Ohio for one year before transferring to Ann Arbor--and at just the right time, apparently!  Though he was drafted by a couple pro teams, Dick turned down the NFL.  Like many others in this set, he's a member of the UM Athletic Hall of Honor.  This is my first (and likely only) hit of the leather helmet-wearing bruiser.

Paul Seymour 2003 TK Legacy auto

Seymour is a Detroiter who played tackle in Ann Arbor from 1970-72.  The Bills took him 7th overall in the '73 draft, one that produced surprisingly few HOFers (including new member Ray Guy!) and converted him to a TE.  Remember when linemen were small enough that that was possible?  His NFL career spanned '73-'77, and he appeared in 69 games, catching 62 passes and three TDs.  This is my first hit of his (and maybe only possible one) but I may chase some of his vintage issues.

Julius Franks 2003 TK Legacy auto

Franks was a Macon, Georgia native who grew up in Hamtramck, a small, Polish-heavy suburb of Detroit.  He played for the 1941 and 1942 squads as a guard and likely would have starred further, but unfortunately he lost his senior season to tuberculosis.  Not letting that beat him, he decided to forgo a pro career and instead graduated from Michigan's School of Dentistry, after which he practiced for 40-plus years, while also being involved with many other pursuits.  He passed away in 2008 but is also remembered in the Hall of Honor.  As with almost everyone today, he's new to the collection.

John Wangler 2003 TK Legacy auto

Wangler is one of Michigan's more notable modern QBs thanks to being half of a legendary QB-WR combo with former #1 Anthony Carter.  John played at Michigan from 1977-80, and during the '79 homecoming matchup against the Hoosiers hooked up with his favorite receiver for one of the most famous game-winning scores in program history:

Bob Ufer's call is one of many special moments in football history.  Speaking of special, the name "Wangler" can be added to the who's who of Michigan Football families as his son Jack, a WR, walked on last year!  Wangler is new to the PC but does have other autos in this set, and I may chase those.

Russell Davis 2003 TK Legacy auto

Davis, a FB out of Georgia, compiled 19 TDs over his four-year Michigan career spanning 1975-78--pretty good for that position, I'd argue.  Selected in the fourth round by the Steelers in '79, he appeared in 42 career games between 1980-83, scoring twice as a RB while also sometimes returning kicks.  A guy you didn't want to mess with (if you couldn't tell from his photo), he helped the Wolverines to Big Ten Conference titles in three of his four campaigns.  I happily welcome Davis and his interesting signature to the collection.

Jack Lousma 2003 TK Legacy auto

Here's one card I've been looking forward to posting.  Lousma was a QB for Michigan from 1954-57, but he's more notable for what he did after earning his B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University.  In 1966 he joined a little-known group called NASA and hung around in outer space for a good while, walking around outside a couple times because he felt like it.  Yep, being a Michigan Football player is pretty special, but this guy was a freakin' ASTRONAUT!  It's a blast (sorry, pun seriously not intended) to add such a special and significant autograph to my PC.

Tony Pape 2004 TK Legacy auto

This is just my second hit of Pape, a former lineman who wore #77 like future alum Jake Long, who also starred at the position.  My other is from that year's Press Pass set, the base version which has four variations.  All of those comprise Pape's entire PC as far as Beckett's checklist indicates.

Terry Barr 2004 TK Legacy auto

A Wolverines RB/WR from 1954-56, Barr went to the Lions in the third round of the '57 draft (which included previously-mentioned Ron Kramer in the first round), started as a rookie, and helped the Lions win their most recent championship that year (yep, it's been 57 years).  In nine seasons spanning 1957-65, Barr scored 38 TDs and made two Pro Bowls.  He passed away in 2009 but is remembered in Michigan's Hall of Honor.  He is, of course, new to the collection (and had fantastic penmanship!).

John Navarre 2004 TK Legacy auto

Considering this is Navarre's 12th card in my football collection, I don't think I have to write up anything about him, so instead I'll note that in this great shot he's wearing a patch commemorating the 100th game in the program's rivalry with Ohio State, which was a 35-21 Wolverines victory that earned Michigan another Big Ten title.

These new additions bump my collection of this set up to a very healthy 97 cards!  Have another gander at the checklist here if you'd like to follow along.  I'll see if I can't get the last three posts done before next Saturday!