2016 COMC/Sportlots purchases: Rookie New-out and Through-out

I'm back today with more COMC pickups, and this time I'm mixing in some Sportlots purchases as well since I made even more progress on my football RC collection thanks to both sites.  I'm going to split them up into a couple posts since they combine for more than 100 cards, but this post will show off a smaller number as I'll be going into them in a bit more depth.  While an upcoming post will feature a bunch of cards of players whose first-year collections I've already started, this one includes three other groups:

1.  Rookie new-out:  my first RCs of a player in the collection

 

Jeff Backus 2001 NFL Showdown First and Goal

Larry Foote 2002 Bowman

Backus, the long-time Lions LT, is reasonably well-known around these parts since I've picked up a couple signatures of his, including one from SCAMB.  This is my first of his five 2001 RCs and the oddball-iest as it comes from MLB Showdown's football version.

Foote is a LB whose career I followed closely as he was with the Wolverines in the early part of last decade and then in the NFL at a time I was getting more into it.  The Detroit native went to the Steelers in the fourth round of 2002 and won a pair of Super Bowls with them in addition to spending a season each with Detroit and Arizona.  Now that his 13-year career has ended he's a linebackers coach for the Cardinals.  I just need one more RC of his (Titanium Postseason) to finish up his collection.

2.  Rookie Through-out, part 1:  the below cards finish off the rookie card collections of their respective players

Ronald Bellamy 2003 Upper Deck Pros and Prospects (with Amani Toomer) (#0857/1800):  Bellamy's eighth and final card pairs him with one of Michigan's great WRs
Prescott Burgess 2007 Topps Chrome:  It's kind of hard to believe the last Burgess I needed, his eighth, was this simple Chrome card!
Ty Law 1995 Bowman and Bowman's Best:  It took me a bit to find reasonable prices on both of Ty's Bowman entries from '95 but Sportlots, as it often does, did the trick, to get me to 10/10.
Jonas Mouton 2011 Absolute Memorabilia Retail (#390/399):  Numbered retail-specific versions of somewhat obscure guys sure are fun to track down so it's nice to have all nine Moutons.
Shantee Orr 2006 Select:  Here's the Select version of Shantee's '06 Score RC to put me at 100%.
Ernest Shazor 2005 Upper Deck Rookie Debut:  Rookie Debut was a pretty nice looking set that yet, though I'm surprised the undrafted Shazor was included for one of his three RC appearances.
Terrance Taylor 2009 SP Threads:  Taylor was a big enough dude to fit on three 2009 RCs, including this lovely college uni issue.
Jerame Tuman 1999 Revolution and Skybox Dominion (with Amos Zereoue):  Two many Tumans!  I love the variety here:  a very typical eye-melting Pacific card plus a much simpler (and kind of boring, actually) dual RC with former Mountaineer Amos Zereoue, to give me all eight of the TEs first-years.
Tyrone Wheatley 1995 Crown Royale:  I can "Ty" a bow on Wheatley's collection!  (Sorry, I'll see myself out).  This excellent Pacific die-cut was the 25th card I needed of the Wolverines' RB coach.

Rookie Through-out part 2:  these guys' rookie collections are done as well since they each appeared on only one RC!

Mike Bass 1973 Topps:  Bass, from nearby Ypsilanti, is completely new to my PC.  A DB for Michigan in the mid-60s, he was selected by Green Bay in the 12th round back in '67, was sold to the Lions before the season started, then signed with the Skins, with whom he spent the remaining seven seasons of his career.  Bass piled up 31 INTs and four TDs (including a fumble recovery in Super Bowl VII.  As you can see here, Bass had to wait until halfway through his career to appear on a RC.
Hayden Epstein 2002 Fleer Platinum:  Epstein's not completely unfamiliar around here as I have a pair of his signatures from TK Legacy, including this one from the M Go Blue set.  Jacksonville drafted the kicker in the seventh round in '02, and he split his season between the Jags and Vikings, with whom he's pictured, going 5/9 on FGs and making all 13 PATs.  That would be his only pro season, but at least he got the honor of appearing on a rookie card as a kicker, which is rare!
Jay Feely 2001 Leaf Rookies and Stars:  Wow, two kickers?  Feely, who's about to turn 40 on Monday, was a Wolverine from 1995-98, so he got a bit of run with the '97 champs before a full campaign the following year to show off for NFL scouts.  His path to the pros went through the Arena Football League, and in 2001 Atlanta signed him.  Over 14 seasons he also kicked for the Giants, Dolphins, Jets, Cardinals, and Bears, and finished up with 332/402 FGM (with a long of 61) and 449/452 extra points.  Jay parlayed that career into a new one covering college football on CBS.
Len Ford 1955 Bowman:  Ford, who was primarily a DE, is quite possibly the best player in today's post.  A D.C. native, he transferred to Michigan in time to play for the 1945-47 teams including the legendary 1947 champs.  He somehow went undrafted and played his first two pro seasons in the All-America Football Conference before joining the Browns for most of his career.  He enjoyed a great run with that team, going to seven title games and winning three of them while also earning Pro Bowl honors four times.  His outstanding career, which finished in Green Bay in 1958, earned him enshrinement into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1976.  I love the image on his '55 Bowman RC, a classic design that includes a hilariously cut out Browns logo pasted on.
Chris Howard 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars:  Howard was a '97 champ but went in the fifth round in '98 and never garnered enough interest for companies to have him appear on RCs besides this Leaf Rookies and Stars issue.  Though his rookie card run was one and done, I do have a TK Legacy auto of him.
Jon Jansen 2007 Topps Total (with Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas):  Jansen was another OT that came out of Michigan's offensive lineman factory, and a very good one at that over his nine seasons with Washington (and a bit role with Detroit), but despite being a rookie in 1999 he didn't appear on non-Press Pass/SAGE cardboard until his inclusion in 2007 Topps Total.  This was a judgment call on my part but I felt that Jansen deserved a rookie card so here he is.  You'll see I made a similar call with another player in a second.
Alain Kashama 2004 Sweet Spot (#0694/1299):  Kashama is definitely one of the more unlikely guys you'll see appear on a football card at all, let alone a rookie.  The DE was born in the Congo before his family moved to Canada, ultimately ending up in Montreal.  Michigan took a flier on him--hey, Tim Biakabutuka is his cousin!--and Kashama had a pretty reasonable career over 40 games.  The NFL wasn't interested enough to draft him, though he did go in the first round (to Montreal) in the CFL version.  The Bears gave him a shot as an UDFA, and he would appear in three games with them in 2004, then one with Seattle in 2005.  Apparently his fate rested with the CFL after all, and Alain would join Montreal, Hamilton, and Calgary.  Amazingly, Upper Deck included him in the high-end Sweet Spot set back in 2004.
Ron Kramer 1958 Topps:  Kramer didn't quite have the same pro success as Ford, but among Michigan greats he has few equals.  I know I've spoken about him before a few times, especially when I introduced his TK Legacy auto to my collection.  I absolutely love his '58 Topps RC featuring Kramer in his old-style winged helmet somewhere on campus (I'm not 100% sure which building that is).
Reggie McKenzie 1974 Topps:  Man, talk about a bunch of Wolverines legends today.  I've shown off a couple McKenzie signatures recently so I'm thinking at least a few of you should remember who he is.  Another College Hall-of-Famer, Reggie looks pretty imposing on his '74 Topps RC, a card that came out a couple years after the Bills grabbed him in the second round.
William Peterson 2003 Topps Total (with Will Allen):  Peterson, who apparently goes by "William James" now, was a DB for Michigan in the mid-to-late-90s, including the '97 team, before transferring.  The Giants took him in 2001's third round, and he went on to play for Philly, Jacksonville, Detroit, and San Fran between then and 2010.  Like Jansen above I threw him a bone on this multiplayer Topps Total card that came out a few years after he debuted.
Josh Williams 2001 NFL Showdown 1st Edition:  Williams was a DT at Michigan in the late 90s, so again, he was part of that '97 title team.  He joined the Colts in 2000 as a fourth-rounder and played all six of his NFL seasons with them.  That's actually a pretty successful career when you consider how many guys wash out so early.  Anyway, he was interesting enough to make it into the same NFL Showdown set as Backus above, which is pretty cool in my book.
Maurice Williams 2001 Pacific (#0861/2500):  Our final player today is another Williams (and another '97 champ!), and in this case I already had something of his, a Press Pass autograph from the same year.  The OT was good enough to make it into Pacific's '01 base set, which was anything but basic since rookies were serial-numbered.  Williams appears with a nice shot from what I'm guessing is the Senior Bowl, so I'll happily check this one off as a Michigan uni card!

If you were scoring at home you'll know I added 14 new names to the rookie collection and finished up 21 players.  Taking a gander at my checklist I can see that I've completed 117 of 173 different players, not including pending rookies from this year's draft.  I'm also nearing the 1,000 card mark, and as I mentioned you'll get to see a bunch more rookies of guys that have already appeared in this series in a future post.

4-2-16 card show report: draft day dreamin'

Well, the 2016 NFL draft is in the books, and what better way to celebrate than with some cards I picked up at a show almost four weeks ago?  But before I get to those, let's have a quick look at the Wolverines that were selected this year:

Graham Glasgow, C:  Detroit Lions, Round 3, Pick 33 (95th overall)

The former walk-on (from a family of excellent walk-ons!) gets to stay home.  Hopefully his drinking issues are behind him, because he might get a shot on the Lions' O-Line very soon.

Willie Henry, DL:  Baltimore Ravens, Round 4, Pick 34 (132nd overall)

The beastly DT left a year early, and somewhat unfortunately for him he didn't get picked very high, but it's got to be very exciting for him to be leaving on Harbaugh only to be coached by another!

Jake Rudock, QB:  Detroit Lions, Round 6, Pick 16 (191st overall)

The Iowa transfer was a wonderful story to watch this year as new coach Jim Harbaugh got every ounce of production possible out of a guy who was an entirely different QB by the end of a very successful 2016.  The Lions drafted two Wolverines this year and are clearly trying to make me stop hating them.  Hey, dump Stafford and we'll talk!

Blake Countess, DB:  Philadelphia Eagles, Round 6, Pick 21 (196th overall)

A former top recruit, Countess played for Michigan from 2011-2014, then transferred to Auburn last year.  Since most of his playing time was with the Wolverines, of course I'm counting him here!

A few other players went undrafted but are possible-to-likely UDFA signings just waiting to happen.  Those players include Joe Bolden (LB), Sione Houma (FB), Desmond Morgan (LB), and Mario Ojemudia (LB).

Good luck to all the new Wolverines in the NFL!  Hopefully many of them will appear on some cards soon--don't let me down, Panini!

Ok, on to my show haul from a few weeks ago.  I had another trip where I didn't buy much, and besides searching for a bit of trade bait, I spent most of my time flipping through boxes with my favorite vintage dealer (who's a Buckeye fan, but is still an OK guy).  For something like $10 I grabbed three very vintage-y football cards:

Roger Zatkoff 1955 Bowman RC

Zatkoff is yet another native of the state to stay local as he hails from Michigan's Polish mecca, Hamtramck.  He was a Wolverine from 1949-52, playing LB for legendary coach Bennie Oosterbaan, and during his first varsity season, 1950, Michigan won the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl.

Green Bay took him in the fifth round of 1953, and Roger would spend his first four seasons with the Pack, making the Pro Bowl three straight seasons after his rookie campaign.  When Green Bay tried to trade him in 1957 he was able to convince the franchise to send him to Detroit, and he played his final two seasons as a Lion, including as a member of the 1957 NFL champs (a.k.a. the last time the Lions won anything worth a damn).  Zatkoff's success inspired Michigan to name its yearly award for best LB after him.

Here he is on a fantastic Bowman design from way back in 1955.  I'll have another player from this set to show off soon!

Tom Keating 1965 Topps RC

Keating was a DT out of Chicago who played for Bump Elliott's 1961-63 squads, which unfortunately went 11-14-2.  In 1964 he was chosen in both drafts, by the Vikings (NFL, round 4) and Bills (AFL, round 5).  He went on to appear in both leagues, with the Bills, Raiders (AFL and NFL versions), Steelers (NFL) and Chiefs (NFL) between 1964 and 1975, and made the Pro Bowl in '66 and '67.  He also had a brother, Bill, that joined him in the college and pros.

Tom's rookie card comes out of 1965 Topps, a.k.a. the "Tall Boys set", with its nickname owing to the unorthodox dimensions.  He's the only Wolverine with a rookie in this set, but I'll have to see if any other Michigan guys are included.

Ron Kramer 1967 Philadelphia

I couldn't remember if I had this cool vintage Kramer card, so I picked it up, essentially as a throw-in in the deal.  As it turns out I already did have one thanks to Doug (who else?), so now I have two, including this slightly upgraded version.

So for a mere $10, there's three fun additions for my football rookies and vintage collections!  And now I can maybe finally get back to putting up trade posts that are long overdue.

2015 trade package #23 and 24: two-part, two-part trade with SCFtDS

If you headed this way from TMV this evening you already saw lots of goodies from not one but TWO trade packages from Doug at Sports Cards From the Dollar Store.  I'm happy to reveal that, if you thought that stuff was nice, you ain't seen nothin' yet!  Here's the Wolverines portion of those two envelopes:

The basketball section kicks off with two basketball greats--a second year Trey Burke plus Glen Rice on Donruss/Panini's signature Crusade insert.  Burke has a birthday coming up on the 12th this month, incidentally!

Trey Burke 2013-14 Panini Spectra Rookie Jumbo Jerseys jersey (#67/75)

Speaking of one of the program's best players in recent memory, how about a huge relic for my first hit of the Utah PG?  Panini did a nice job with this one, especially thanks to the oversized swatch. 

Moving on to football, it was the Tom Brady show to start off with, much like the 2015 NFL season.  He's joined by a trio of RCs for my ongoing project to track those down, and those cover 2013, 2014, and 2015, with Shoelace, Taylor Lewan, and Devin Funchess represented.

Ron Kramer 1967 Philadelphia

Now here's the Buckstorecards difference--Doug included this awesome vintage issue of Wolverines TE great Ron Kramer from way back in '67.  Kramer is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, went #4 overall to Green Bay in '57, and won two rings with the Packers.  So, yeah, you could say he was pretty good at both levels.  Just a brilliant addition to this package.

Devin Funchess 2015 Topps Rookie Patch patch

The final card from the football portion is one he let me know to expect, but still made my day.  This is my first hit of Funchess, the most recent Wolverine to wear #1.  I've seen some of the patches that come out of this set so I'm very excited about how nice Doug's pull was--three clear colors and lots of stitching!  Funch is the 195th player in my football collection, and I hope he makes an impact on tomorrow's Monday Night Football game against Indy.

As usual there was lots of hockey to enjoy.  From this scan I'll pick out two highlights.  Fox is new to my collection, and was a defenseman for Michigan in the mid-70s before playing for three NHL teams:  the Atlanta Flames(!), Blackhawks (pictured), and Penguins.  Hooray for the hockey history lesson!  Helminen's serial-numbered acetate card is also a fun addition, partly because he's one of the guys I got to see a lot of during my season tickets years.

Warren Luhning's Score Artist's Proof insert is also a highlight, first because he's another collection newbie (mid-90s Michigan forward), and also because of the back of his card,

which gives Michigan Hockey draftees a nice spotlight.  Manery, like Fox above, was also a mid-70s Wolverine who played for a few teams, so I was clearly feeling the vintage love here.

Steve Halko 1999-00 BAP Millennium auto

David Harlock 2000-01 BAP Signature Series auto

Closing out the first envelope is this pair of BAP autographs.  I'll say it til I'm blue in the face but I love me some Be-a-Player autos since they tend to incorporate a ton of guys I collect but wouldn't find on hits otherwise.  Harlock is yet another collection n00b, an early 90s Michigan defenseman who saw NHL action with four teams.  The 00-01 set did a very nice job giving players a clear area for signing and Harlock took advantage of that with a flawless signature that includes his jersey number.  He becomes the 39th different player in my hockey collection.

As I said before, envelope #2 was a PWE, but didn't lack for outstanding collection additions:

Alan Branch and--

ALAN BRANCH KILLS QBs!

Yes, yes he does!  Anyway, Branch, Knight, and Brady represent three new inserts.  The Brady UD card is great, and of course I love that it highlights that Tom Terrific was a Wolverines, I'm just disappointed that they made the all-too-common mistake of making a word plural with an apostrophe.  C'mon, Upper Deck, it's "Pros," not "Pro's!"  This might be my biggest grammar pet peeve because it makes no sense and I can't figure out where people think they learned that.  Remember,

(Side note:  I don't think those of you who do this are idiots, but it does bug the crap out of me when I see folks making this mistake).  Anyway, Knight's RC parallel is numbered /999 (you can barely make it out between his ankles), and I love that all three cards feature Michigan uniforms.

To go with second-year cards of Braylon and Chris Perry, Doug dug deep and found a 1984 Topps RC of former Michigan kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh, a guy whose autograph I own thanks to TK Legacy.  Just goes to show that he pulls out all the stops in identifying guys I collect, and that's what makes him one of my all-time favorite traders!

We close out the second envelope and today's post with a pair of base cards from 2015-16 Artifacts.  Cammalleri just potted a shootout winner for the Devils while Trouba has a pair of assists on the young season.

As usual, Doug went way above and beyond to hit pretty much every facet of my collection.  Thanks again, my friendly Canadian neighbor!

2014 eBay purchases: Go Blue or go home, part 1

Can you guys believe it?  Just two weeks until MICHIGAN FOOTBALL!

As promised, here's the start of a series of posts covering my much-teased big-time super-duper exciting eBay purchase from early July.  It's significant not just because it set me back more than $200 (my usual monthly quota) and comprised about 84% of my spending last month, but also because of how much of a boon it will be to my collection.

Over the course of this blog I've made small and large purchases (and trades) in slowly piecing together the 185 (or so) autographs in the TK Legacy M Go Blue set.  I won't rehash those for you, but today I'm here to tell you that I added another 45(!) of those for $5 apiece, or $225, which is math even I can do!  Many of the guys in the lot will be new to the football PC, which is very exciting, and better yet, this huge chunk of cards takes me a quantum leap forward in building the set.  And better BETTER yet, some of these guys are legit stars.

I'm planning on five posts each showing off nine cars.  Eschewing my usual true alphabetical sorting (by last name), I'm displaying these in order by their card numbers, which generally correspond chronologically to when each series was released (with a few exceptions).  I hope this series interests some of you whether you're fellow Wolverine fans, set-builders, autograph fiends, or simply history buffs--one of the best side-effects of collecting this set is learning about players from way, way back!

With all that said, here's today's nine:

Reggie McKenzie 2002 TK Legacy auto

Reggie was a standout G from 1969-71 and was a first-team All-American during his senior season.  The Bills took him with the first pick of the second round the following year, and he played with them for 10 seasons plus another two with the Seahawks before hanging 'em up.  McKenzie was a teammate of pre-murder trial (and Naked Weapon) O.J. Simpson and apparently did a very nice job blocking for him considering the results!  He didn't make it to Canton but can be found in College Football's Hall of Fame.  This is my first hit of his, though he does have others I'm hoping to add eventually.

Don Lund 2002 TK Legacy auto

Lund was one of those multi-sport athletes that were more common in days past.  The Wolverine RB was a first-round pick (7th overall, two selections after teammate Crazylegs Hirsch) of the Bears in '45, but he chose the diamond over the gridiron and signed with Brooklyn instead.  Over seven Major League seasons Lund also played part of one year with the St. Louis Browns before finishing his career with the Tigers.  After his playing career ended he went on to coach his alma mater's baseball team to the 1962 NCAA title, the team's second and most recent championship in the sport.  Don does have a 2003 Heritage auto I may chase, but this is my first hit of him otherwise.

Rob Lytle 2002 TK Legacy auto

Lytle was a star RB for Michigan from 1973-76.  He's among the school's all-time leading rushers with 3330 yards, 1469 of which he piled up during his senior season to go with 14 TDs as the third-place finisher in Heisman voting.  Denver took him in the second round in '77 and the Broncos were his only NFL team until he retired after '83.  During Super Bowl XII, a loss to Dallas, Rob scored the Broncs' only TD, becoming the first player to achieve that feat to go with a score in a Rose Bowl as well.  Sadly he died of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 56.  Still, he's remember among Michigan's legends at his position.  This is my first pickup of Lytle.

Jim Mandich 2002 TK Legacy auto

Mandich was a Michigan TE from 1967-69, meaning he was part of legendary coach Bo Schembechler's first team.  A first-team All-American in '69, the Dolphins made him the third pick of the second round the following year, and he went on to play for them through the '77 campaign, winning rings with the '72 and '73 teams.  His final NFL season came with the '78 Steelers, with whom he won a third ring thanks to Super Bowl XIII.  His playing career over, he was a radio personality for his original team for several years.  Cancer claimed his life too soon in 2011, but the College Hall of Famer was well-loved by college and professional fans alike.  As with just about everyone else here, this is my first hit of him.

Don Dufek 2002 TK Legacy auto

One of several Michigan football Dufeks, Don Jr. played safety for the Wolverines from 1973-75.  His brother Bill played in Ann Arbor from '74-'78 while his dad Don Sr. was a star in the early '50s.  Don Jr. was a fifth-round pick by Seattle in 1976 and did well enough to play his entire career with that team until his career ended in '84.  Oh yeah, he was a pretty good hockey player too, lettering all four years despite playing shortened seasons due to, you know, being on the football team too.  The Wings took him in the NHL draft, and he was also selected in the WHA version, but opted for football due to wanting to hit the pros immediately.  Michigan football family guys are always welcome to the collection!

Ron Kramer 2002 TK Legacy auto

Kramer is one of Michigan's most well-known players from the 1950s, starring at "end" (or TE) (plus basketball and track!) from 1954-56.  His #87 jersey was retired, then recently opened back up as part of the Wolverines' Legends Jersey series (not-a-TE Devin Funchess has it right now).  He backed up his college honors by being selected 4th overall in 1957 by the Packers in a loaded first round, ahead of HOFers Len Dawson and Jim Brown, among others.  After being part of Green Bay's 1961 and '62 championship squads, Kramer closed out his career with the Lions, and was honored by multiple halls of fame, including those belonging to the Packers and College Football.  He passed away in 2010, but his Legends Jersey and legendary performances assure he'll be remembered in the future.  Welcome to the collection, Ron!

Bump Elliott (Player) 2002 TK Legacy auto

Good ol' Bump!  Chalmers (Super Nintendo Chalmers?) Elliott was both a player and coach for the Maize and Blue, and he's appeared on this blog once already since I picked up a '47 National Champs auto of him, again as a player.  I'll track down the coach version of his signature as well eventually.

Alvin Wistert 2002 TK Legacy auto

Alvin Wistert is not to be confused with brother Francis (a.k.a. "Whitey"), and especially not to be confused with other brother Albert (a.k.a. "Ox), who's seen in this post.  Alvin was an OT first for Boston U. at the age of 30(!) before heading to Ann Arbor for the eventful 1947-49 seasons, which included a pair of titles.  All three of the Wistert brothers wore #11 during their careers, and the number was retired before becoming another Legends Jersey, like Kramer's.  Another College Football Hall-of-Famer, Wistert never went pro, but was in insurance for many years.  He passed away at the ripe old age of 89 in 2005, but his connection with his Wolverine brothers and two championship teams earned him a special place in Michigan lore.

Tai Streets 2002 TK Legacy auto

I know just about anybody that follows along with this blog knows former WR Streets, the guy who caught a pair of TDs in Michigan's title-winning Rose Bowl victory during the '97-'98 season.  He should also be familiar to you guys because this is my fifth hit of Tai.

That's all for today's history lesson, but it was a very productive one featuring a bunch of newbies and nine more cards towards the M Go Blue set--88 cards and growing!  Don't forget to follow along as I add to the checklist here and show off new cards in the album devoted to the set.  Watch for the next post in this series soon!