They were my main target this time but I did manage to track down a few cards of other guys as well. Check 'em out:
I didn't feel like sorting these chronologically this time so we're going straight alphabetical, starting with a couple 2017 Donruss cards starring DL Taco Charlton and WR Amara Darboh. I'm not sure why Darboh got a Rated Rookie appearance and not Charlton, but that's not all bad since I get to see two different designs.
The other player in this scan is RB Justin Fargas. The son of Antonio "Huggy Bear" Fargas (Starsky and Hutch), Justin came to Ann Arbor in 1998 with the Wolverines coming off their national title, and he was a prized recruit for sure, but unfortunately broke his leg late in his freshman season, forcing him into an injury redshirt the following year. His choice to flip to defense didn't help him regain much playing time so he headed to USC and had a pretty nice 2002 season with them, then got drafted by the Raiders in the third round in '03. He lasted seven seasons--his entire career--in Oakland, which is pretty good given the meat grinder nature of the position.
I came up with 22 of his rookies on my checklist and you can see the first six of those above: Bowman, Topps, Topps Pristine, Topps Total, Upper Deck MVP, and Fleer Tradition (another of their cool three-player cards).
Next we return to a more familiar face: Devin Funchess, on his 2015 Topps Field Access RC. I don't know why that one was such a thorn in my side, but after passing on lots of people selling it for a buck or more I finally got a nice deal, leaving me four short of his rookie run.
The second of five transfer players today is TE Damon Jones. He's not a guy I remember but then again he played in 12 games in 1993 and that was it for his Division I career. Apparently multiple arrests led to him transferring to Southern Illinois. The Jags took him in the fifth round in 1997, and he carved out a five year career in Jacksonville. You can see a pair of his three rookies above: Collector's Choice and Skybox Premium issues from the year he was drafted.
Bennie Joppru is a tight end that's much more familiar here, I think. In picking up his 2003 Gridiron Kings rookie I got within nine cards of landing his 32 first-years, thanks to a fantastic looking card.
He's joined by another guy on that side of the ball, WR Marcus Knight. At times it feels like every one of his 15 rookies I'm chasing is serial-numbered, and that's because nine of them are, including these two from 2000: Leaf Limited (#1474/1500) and UD Ionix (#1399/2000). Bonus points to the latter for its Michigan uni, though I've always hated that crappy digital numbering that a number of manufacturers used. Four of Knights cards remain and, yes, all of them are numbered!
Here's the rest of the guys who left, an all-transfer scan. Ryan Mallett's 2011 Score is the second of his rookies I've acquired but that's because I've long owned Topps' set from the same year. Many around here remember his cannon arm and ten cent brain, though his transfer to Arkansas--apparently suggested by retiring coach Lloyd Carr--worked out pretty well for him in the end. Luckily for me he appears on just 10 rookies that meet my criteria, plus he's long since lost any hype he had out of the draft.
The other two guys, though, weren't known to me that I could remember. The first is DL Trevor Pryce, a guy who looks to have been at Michigan at some point in the mid-90s and then transferred to Clemson. He was good enough to get picked by Denver #28 overall in '97 and therefore was part of title-winning teams his first two seasons. Pryce had a great 14-year career that included 91.0 sacks and four Pro Bowl nods in addition to those two rings. Above you can see his '97 Collector's Choice and Upper Deck RCs, leaving me short just his SP Authentic.
Last up today is another RB-type who transferred out west and then was drafted by the Raiders. Jon Ritchie was a Wolverine for the '93 and '94 seasons before sitting out a year to spend his final two years at Stanford. Oakland grabbed him in the third round in '98 and he lasted five seasons with them, plus another two in Philly, listed as a FB/RB/TE. I came up with 12 of his rookies to chase and here you can see the first four I found: Bowman, Collector's Edge First Place, UD Choice, and Upper Deck Encore.
That should do it for rookies this time but I'll have a few more for you when it's time to get to my COMC loot. Next up you'll get to see either another position group or a single player.
I'll have to check your lists for players who transferred in and out of Michigan, since the cards don't always indicate that. Taco is easy to remember, and so is Fargas. There's a Simpsons episode where they present an award to "the son of the guy who played Huggy Bear" ..I dont think they knew who Justin was at the time.
ReplyDeleteThat's too funny since you'd think I'd remember that Simpsons moment but I don't. Thanks for being willing to put in that kind of effort but don't worry about it too much. Maybe I'll put together a list on TCDB so that's easier for everyone.
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