2016 COMC purchases: footballin' into February

It's the end of the first month of 2017 so let's finally finish up my COMC purchases from 2016.  On display today:  the rest of my football hits.  10 cards, nine players...let's go!

Adrian Arrington 2008 SP Rookie Threads 'R' patch auto RC (#04/28)

Starting us off is a card from one of my all-time favorite products, 2008 SP Rookie Threads.  These are my favorite versions of the letter patch cards out of Upper Deck (or elsewhere, for that matter) because they look like they were cut right from a college jersey.  This Arrington is my third from his nameplate, joining an "N" and a "T" (plus an "I" from the much rarer nameplate), and my 48th hit of him overall.

Steve Breaston 2007 Playoff National Treasures auto RC (#089/243)

A few early Breaston cards bear signatures that include his whole name, but for the most part, "SB" is par for the course.  That's too bad, but at least this signature appears on one of Panini's higher-end products, National Treasures, and it even doubles as a rookie card.  Breaston moves on up to 24 cards in my hits collection.

Braylon Edwards 2005 Leaf Certified Materials Mirror Red Materials jersey-ball (#054/150)

No, I didn't arrange things so today's post would be nothing but receivers; in fact, Braylon's our final wideout today.  I've already got a ton of his hits and he's not really one of my favorites, but I still grab his stuff if it's cheap enough, like this Mirror Red jersey/ball parallel from the excellent Leaf Certified Materials product.  It marks my 50th relic-type card of Bray-Bray, and 69th hit overall, maintaining his third-place status.

Devin Gardner 2015 Leaf Trinity Pure Autographs Charcoal auto

One of the coolest cards I have to show off is this glass-like autograph of former QB Devin Gardner from the very interesting Leaf Trinity set.  As they combine college photos, on-card signatures, and a fun transparent design, I'd love to find others of my favorite players in the future, and I hope my fellow college collectors do as well.  Matching his jersey number above (which eventually changed to 98) this is my 7th hit of Devin.

Elroy Hirsch 1997 Upper Deck Legends Autographs auto

Oh boy is this a card I've been looking forward to showing off since I picked it up last year.  Hirsch, probably better known by his nickname "Crazylegs", initially starred for Wisconsin in the early 40s but was sent to Michigan in '43 because he joined the Marines.  In Ann Arbor he continued his extremely successful multi-sport career, then eventually made his way to the NFL's Rams after his discharge from the USMC.  With LA he enjoyed even more statistical success over his nine seasons, enough that he was enshrined in Canton, not to mention college's Hall of Fame as well.

As I set out to add some new players to my football collection (you'll see three more in this post), I considered landing something this nice of Hirsch a pipe dream.  These on-card autos on a beautiful UD design are iconic and I didn't expect to find the deal on COMC that I did, but a reasonable price soon made it mine.  Welcome to the collection, Crazylegs!

Tony McGee 2001 Pacific Impressions Triple Threads triple jersey (with Steve Bush and Brad St. Louis)

Tight end Tony McGee isn't remotely new to this blog as I've shared a number of his rookies and inserts with you, but this is my first hit of his, which is no surprise since he has just two, with the other being an autograph out of 1995 Pro Line.  Since I can't exactly be choosy I don't mind too much that he shares this card with two other TEs (though St. Louis was apparently mainly a long snapper in the NFL).  Now to chase down that autograph....

Denard Robinson 2013 Absolute Rookie Premiere Materials AFC-NFC triple jersey (#73/99)

Denard Robinson 2013 Topps Mini Autographs auto

I'm sure everybody that's reading this here post knows Denard is another guy familiar to my collection.  He's got plenty of cards to choose from and I can often find very good prices for them on COMC even if it's not during a big time sale.  The fact that it was Black Friday meant I grabbed these two for mere peanuts.  The Absolute triple jersey is my tenth relic-only card of him and was a fun pickup thanks to the low price and great photo.  I also dug up an autograph of the Mini variety from the same year and tried to scale the images to give you a better idea of its size.  Denard is the subject of the first of two milestones today as he becomes the 12th player in my collection to reach the 30-hit mark!

Jake Ryan 2015 Contenders auto RC

Although I haven't shown off any cards of him to-date, I believe I've mentioned former LB Jake Ryan once or twice over here.  A player who was generally considered a three-star recruit, I'd argue that he outplayed that rating over his four years (2011-15) in Ann Arbor.  Green Bay saw enough out of him to grab him in 2015's fourth round and he's seen a decent amount of action in his first two seasons for the Pack.  Hopefully more success awaits him in the pros.  For now I'm just happy to add him to my collection with this Contenders signature.  Speaking of that autograph, I'd say Jake has something to work on during the off-season.

Matt Wile 2011 Leaf Army All-American Bowl auto

Today's final card is also today's last new player.  Wile was both a place-kicker and punter for the Wolverines from 2011-15.  He mostly handled kickoffs his freshman year, mixed punting and field goals the next two, then pretty much focused on the PK role during his senior season.  He went undrafted, as many kickers do, and bounced around a few practice squads before seeing game action with Atlanta and Arizona.  I wouldn't exactly count on him to appear in any of Panini's products any time soon so I was happy to grab this Leaf Army signature; that product his proved valuable in the past when it's come to landing cards of some of the more obscure Wolverines.

I'm glad to end my showoff of 2016 purchases with this post, but before I'm done I have one more milestone to celebrate:  with today's haul I've eclipsed the 200 mark for unique players in my football collection by moving up to 202 thanks to today's newbies.  While I'm excited to add to my collection any way I can, it's especially fun to find something of a player I haven't yet acquired and making things even more diverse.  And that's how I'd like to close the book on last year.

Now that I'm caught up on this stuff, stay tuned for trade packages--January was a great month!--and more, including some fun eBay scores.

2015-16 COMC purchases: insertmania

Continuing my quest to get all my 2015 and '16 purchases to-date posted, especially before my next COMC package arrives (and we really are close to the end!), here's a bunch of football inserts I grabbed from my favorite card-purchasing site:

Brian Griese 2008 Topps Gold Border (#0484/2008)
Leon Hall 2007 Topps Copper (#1693/2007)
Leon Hall 2008 Topps Gold Border (#0253/2008)
David Harris 2012 Topps Gold (#0036/2012)
Steve Hutchinson 2010 Topps Gold (#1898/2010)

Jake Long 2010 Topps Gold (#0039/2010)

Amani Toomer 2007 Topps Copper (#1505/2007)

We'll start with this lucky seven spot of Topps numbered parallels from 2007, '08, '10, and '12.  For some reason the Coppers were the cards numbered to the year while the Gold versions were /52 in 2007, explaining Hall's first card (a parallel of his rookie) as well as Toomer's appearance above.  Longtime QB Griese and a second appearance by Hall represent the following year's return to Gold.  We then skip a year and move on to a pair of all-time great Wolverine OL in future Hall of Fame G Hutchinson and former #1 overall pick Long.  Rounding out the group is tackling machine David Harris, a LB that was good enough to appear in flagship during a non-rookie year.  I loves me some numbered inserts and these Topps parallels always fit the bill.

Jim Harbaugh 2000 Score Franchise

Dhani Jones 2011 Certified Mirror Red (#034/250)

Jake Long 2008 SAGE HIT Saturday Colors

Mario Manningham 2008 Press Pass Legends Bronze (#185/999)
Tony McGee 1995 Pinnacle Trophy Collection
Amani Toomer 1997 Collector's Edge Masters 1996 Rookies (#0643/2000)

And now for a bit of miscellany.  I haven't accumulated very many inserts of the coach in khakis so the shiny Harbaugh Score insert was a fun get.  And if he's relatively rare in my collection, Dhani Jones is positively scarce; the well-traveled Wolverine has so few cards I should consider supercollecting him.  Long makes another appearance on this eye-pleasing college game-themed insert from 2008 SAGE.  Fellow '08 draftee Manningham appears on a numbered Press Pass parallel to go along with Chad Henne from the same set.  I finished up TE Tony McGee's rookies so why not move on to inserts like this '95 Pinnacle parallel that's Du-fex legit to quit?  Finally, Toomer gets his second numbered card of the day, and I distinctly remember acquiring this in a COMC trade with Tim from GSNHoF.

Marlin Jackson 2005 Bowman's Best Blue (#0833/1399), Bronze (#165/199), Green (#365/799)

This colorful trio of the former star CB puts me just two cards shy of Jackson's rainbow from the set (including autographs), though I happen to need the rarest versions:  both Silver cards numbered /25.  I think '05 Bowman's Best was a great looking set and I decided a while ago to chase all of Marlin's versions because it'll look really nice all put together.

David Terrell 2001 Hot Prospects Pigskin Prospects
David Terrell 2002 Finest Refractor (#168/250)

Terrell without A-Train?  Hey, that's just how things shook out this time.  This pair of early 2000s inserts was fun to grab--I mean, dig that die-cut, football-shaped, college uni card from Fleer up top!  In case you're curious, Anthony Thomas was not part of the same 20-card set.  Joining that gem is a Refractor, and a somewhat lower numbered one at that.  I could have done with more of the action in the background instead of that design, but I love just about any Refractor.

Tyrone Wheatley 1995 Pinnacle Trophy Collection

Tyrone Wheatley 2001 Pacific Dynagon Premiere Date (#008/135)

Last up is another player pair, and this time it's Wolverines RB coach and former yard-gainer extraordinaire Tyrone Wheatley.  I don't remember which Trophy Collection card I grabbed between Ty's and McGee's above, but they're both winners to me.  While I very slightly prefer the baseball version's design from that year, this is very, very close second and as always the Dufexed delight looks great.  That's joined by one of Pacific's stronger suits--another numbered parallel, and also another one I believe I grabbed from Tim, who has a knack for finding hidden treasures like this one.  It's shiny, the numbering is fairly low, and it's even on the front which can be a nice change of pace.

Ok folks, just one more COMC pickup post remains, but I'm planning on leading up to that with a couple other items:  my most recent eBay score and a quick show recap from earlier this month.

Rookie Blue-out part 4: TEs, FBs, and a punter!

Over the last couple months of 2015 I made a big push to acquire lots of cards for my Michigan Football RC PC, and between Sportlots and COMC I made a ton of progress.  Now I'm slowly but surely showing them off in various bunches.  Hit the link above to see the album or have a look at my checklist here.  (You can also use the links in the "Rookie Blue: Michigan Football rookies collection" section on the right sidebar)  Click here for all posts in the series.

Anything formatted in this style indicates what I consider to be a Michigan uniform photo, regardless of airbrushing, etc.

So it looks like themes won't be a problem for me going forward--the remaining cards are split pretty nicely into positional groups (I did pad today's total a bit by adding in a couple FBs and a punter to balance out the numbers a bit).

John U. Bacon's fantastic book Endzone quotes a great discussion between legendary Wolverines coach Bo Schembechler and future coach Jim Harbaugh, who'd accepted his first head coaching position with San Diego:

"Soon after Harbaugh took the USD job, he got a call from Schembechler, who asked only two questions:  'Are you gonna have a tight end?'  'Yes,' Harbaugh said.  'Are you gonna have a fullback?'  'Yes.'  'Fine.  You'll do great!'"

From Bo's era to Harbaugh's, Michigan has sent a nice number of players from both positions to the pros.  You've already seen some of them in this series, and today I have a bunch more for you:

B.J. Askew (2003):  Bowman, Finest, Fleer Authentix (#1022/1250), Fleer Mystique (#335/699), Fleer Tradition (with Quentin Griffin and Artose Pinner), Leaf Rookies and Stars, Playoff Honors (#428/550), SPx (#0642/1500), Topps, Topps Chrome, Topps Total, Upper Deck, Upper Deck Pros and Prospects (with Bennie Joppru) (#1188/1800)

My scans of Askew may be a bit askew but my pursuit of his rookies has been anything but.  Today's thirteen, four of which are numbered, give me almost half of his 27 first-years.  I'll call Fleer's Authentix card the most original while giving Upper Deck the best design.  You'll see the Pros & Prospects card again in a minute as it includes a second player in this very post.

Don Bracken (1988):  Topps

Yeah, I had to put the punter somewhere.  Don played for the Wolverines in the early 80s and apparently still holds a record for the longest punt in a Rose Bowl at 73 yards.  After going undrafted--a common fate for a punter, really--he signed with Green Bay, for whom he appeared in 1985-90, followed by a pair of seasons with the (LA) Rams.  Sadly, he passed away two years ago after being diagnosed with MRSA, a scary infection that makes its way into the news from time to time.

Here he is on his lone RC, which is one of two career card appearances ('93 Pacific), and of course he had to wait until '88.  Speaking of that year, has anyone noticed that Topps' football designs absolutely murder the baseball ones from the same years in the late 80s?

Jarrod Bunch (1991):  Action Packed Rookie Update, Bowman, Pacific, Pinnacle, Score, Upper Deck

Bunch was the first player whose cards I showed off in the first post of my original feature covering a big haul of Michigan RC purchases.  A few of his cards here list him as a RB but he was considered a FB in college, so here he is.  I love that four of these are college cards, even if Score went away from convention with the airbrushing and painted Jarrod's helmet all maize.  Pacific's early 90s designs were butt-ugly, but once again Upper Deck came through with a great looking card.  By the way, these were the final six I needed to complete Bunch's 10-RC run.

Bennie Joppru (2003):  Bowman, Donruss Elite (#031/500), Finest, Fleer Mystique (#058/699), Fleer Tradition (with Domanick Davis and Dave Ragone), Score, SP Authentic (#1075/1200), SPx (#0877/1500), Topps, Topps Draft Picks and Prospects, Topps Total, Upper Deck, Upper Deck MVP, Upper Deck Pros and Prospects (with B.J. Askew) (#1188/1800)

Joppru and his amazing sideburns clock in at an excellent 14 cards today, five of which are numbered and five of which are Michigan uni cards (with two including Senior Bowl jerseys).  Ordinarily I might declare something like the Elite issue as my favorite, but the easy win goes to one of my favorite all-time Topps Draft designs.  Interestingly enough the Pros & Prospects card that pairs up Joppru and Askew is the only dual-Wolverine RC I've seen, and it counts for both guys.

Eric Kattus (1989):  Pro Set

Kattus is "new" to this blog because the last time I showed off a card of him, a TK Legacy auto, it was in a TMV post that's so old the image links are broken.  Here's what I said about Kattus:  "I have to admit I knew nothing about Kattus, a TE from '82-'85 (which means he started before I was born), so I found out through Wikipedia that he was a senior captain, drafted by the Bengals and also played for the Jets briefly.  With Brady Hoke back we may see Michigan tight ends in the NFL once more."  Little did I know that we might hardly see any draft picks under Hoke.  This is Eric's lone RC.

Kevin Koger (2012):  SP Authentic, SPx (#493/750)

Koger is the type of TE that I think could have been a beast in Jim Harbaugh's offense and maybe even an NFL draft pick.  He was a grad assistant at Michigan for a couple years and is now in the same role at Tennessee, so I hope he continues to further his coaching career!  Here's a pair of cards to remind him of his playing days, both of which are from UD since they tend to be the best at covering the college guys.  I consider these a toss-up as they're both great in their own right as the sum total of Koger's first-years.

Jim Mandich (1975):  Topps

College Football Hall-of-Fame TE Jim Mandich played one of Bo's favorite positions on his very first Michigan team.  I talked about him a bit more in this post after picking up a TK Legacy signature of Mandich.  This classic '75 card is his only first-year, naturally, and also fits in nicely in my vintage collection.

Doug Marsh (1981):  Topps

I'll admit to being ignorant of Marsh's career before writing this post (one reason this project is so great!), but found out a bit more on him after some research.  Marsh appeared in 35 college games, collecting 57 receptions and 10 TDs.  The St. Louis Cardinals took him 33rd overall in '81 and he went on to appear in 92 games over seven seasons with the Cards, compiling 167 catches and 19 scores.  Here he is catching a breather on the bench in his lone rookie from '81 Topps.

Tony McGee (1993):  Action Packed, Bowman, Gameday, Pro Line Live, Pro Set, Skybox Impact, Skybox Premium, SP, Stadium Club, Ultra

McGee is a somewhat more recent tight end, even if he last played more than a decade ago.  He played sparingly in 1991 and '92 before turning a 38 catch/six TD season into a second-round (#37 overall) selection by the Bengals, with whom he spent the bulk of his career (nine season).  After stints with Dallas and the Giants he finished his career with 322 catches and 21 scores.

His selection in the second round caught the attention of card companies enough that he appeared on the 10 RCs you see above, in a huge mix of styles.  From the low-end (Pro Line) to high (SP), from premium (Stadium Club and Ultra) to oddball (the oddly-sized Gameday), there's a ton of variation here, including a trio of college unis!

Jay Riemersma (1997):  Crown Royale, Revolution, Ultra

Riemersma, who'll make another appearance in a soon-to-be-posted COMC recap, appeared on just three RCs in '97, but they were anything but boring.  First is a pair of Pacific entries, with the classy Crown Royale and the gaudy Revolution.  Thankfully Fleer brings things back to normal with one of my favorite Ultra designs (which looks just like the baseball version).  Like the original Star Trek movies and Windows releases, every other one is pretty good!

Paul Seal (1976):  Topps

Seal is a native Detroiter who was with Michigan from '71-'73 and scored six TDs (three each in his final two seasons) out of 33 receptions.  Like a few other guys in this post he was chosen in the second round, in this case by the Saints in '74 (and yet he had to wait two years for his RC!).  His NFL career saw him split six seasons down the middle with New Orleans and San Francisco, and he scored seven times on 106 catches in 85 games.  His '76 Topps rookie is his only regular issue card, but he does have a TK Legacy auto for me to chase down.

Paul Seymour (1974):  Topps

I mentioned Seymour in this 2014 post covering more TK Legacy pickups, and in that post I mentioned that he was actually a college tackle that converted to TE.  Looking at him in that photo compared to players today makes me wonder if he'd even be big enough to play DB much less anywhere on a line.  His '74 Topps rookie includes an image featuring a classic hand-in-the-dirt pose and is the third and final vintage (70s and earlier) entry from today's post.

Derrick Walker (1991):  Upper Deck

I only have one rookie of Walker to show off today, but that's because I already had his other two first-years (Fleer, Pro Set).  While I think the Pro Set is the best looking of the bunch due to its fantastic photo, the '91 UD design is still top-notch, especially compared to the horror show that was '91 Fleer!

That's all for today's post, but stay tuned for other non-rookie stuff coming up soon!