Cougar Cards

1993 Pacific Silver Prism Inserts #10 David Klingler

2011-11-01T19:56:00.000-05:00

What a great game by the Cougars against Rice last Thursday! There were amazing and record breaking performances.

Tyron Carrier tied the NCAA record for kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Patrick Edwards tied Elmo Wright for the University of Houston's career touchdown reception record. He also had the biggest receiving day in the country so far this year with 318 yards and 5 TDs on only 7 catches.

Case Keenum threw for 9 TDs, shattering the NCAA career touchdown passes record.

9 TD passes in one game would shatter most schools' records, but not at the University of Houston. The Cougar and NCAA record is 11 set by David Klingler in 1990. It's good to see Keenum continue the tradition of great UH quarterbacks putting up big numbers, setting records, and winning.

Today's card is the 1993 Pacific Silver Prism Inserts #10 featuring David Klingler. What an outrageous looking card, but oddly, I don't hate it. I actually like it in a pop art kind of way. While it definitely has an over the top background, it's repetitive enough that it doesn't totally bury the picture. And unlike some refractor cards which blur the entire image, the picture of Klingler is intact and pops from the background.

1994 Select #154 Simon Fletcher

2011-09-24T11:46:00.003-05:00

I love the University of Houston and offensive football. I love the entire history of it: the Veer, the Run and Shoot, the Spread. I'd really love for UH to get back to another UH tradition, solid defense. Hopefully some day soon we'll get there.

What the Coogs need is some players like Simon Fletcher. Will UH get a Fletcher type player in the future? Do we have one now? All I know is I'll keep watching and hoping to see one.

Today's card is the 1994 Select #154. What a sharp looking card. First let's start with the design. Full bleed, borderless picture on the front. Broncos team name with gold bordering an inset tinted photo. Great design.

The back: Photo on half the card. Jagged border is a little too much for my taste, but not a deal breaker for me. Prior season and career stats which is sufficient. Description of his play included. "One of the best players never picked for the Pro Bowl." Is that a backhanded compliment? I hope not. I hope it's more of an indictment of the Pro Bowl selection process.

And the most important feature that makes this a nice looking card, the photographs. Two very nice action photos. Defensive actions photos aren't always the best, but these are very good. On the front you see him rushing the passer. On the back, he's in hot pursuit of someone. In both, you see the intensity in his eyes. Great job.

1937 Diamond Matchbooks #3 William "Red" Conkright

2011-08-24T19:50:00.000-05:00

Adding assistant coaches to the checklist really expands the collecting options. Prior to adding coaches, the oldest item was from 1954. Now the oldest item is from 1937.

Today's item features William "Red" Conkright. Conkright played his college football at OU where he was team captain and was an all Big-Six lineman. He played one year of pro football for the Chicago Bears in 1937.

I'm not sure all of his coaching stops prior to coming to the University of Houston, but he was a line coach for the Coogs under head coach Harold Lahar for two seasons: 1957 and 1958. In 1957, UH went 5-4-1 and won the Missouri Valley Conference. In 1958, UH went 5-4 tying for 2nd in the conference behind conference champion North Texas.

Conferences were so crazy then. In 1957, the Coogs won the conference with a perfect 3-0 conference record. 2nd place was North Texas with a perfect 1-0 record. What? How do you only play 1 conference game? All other teams in the 5 team conference played 3 conference games except Tulsa that played 4. In 1958, at least all teams played 4 conference games.

He left UH in 1959 to take the head coaching job at SFA.

Today's collectible is not a card. It's a matchbook: 1937 Diamond Matchbooks #3 featuring Conkright. Matchbook collecting was huge in the US in the 1930s and 1940s. There is still a fairly significant group that collects these, but it is not at the level it was then.

I wonder if the decline in smoking, especially in public places, has affected this hobby. When I was a kid, every restaurant had a bowl of matches advertising the place. Now with so many restaurants being smoke free, you don't see as many matches available. When you do see them, the matchbook is fairly plain with just a logo. Compare that with matchbooks of the past where often they were quite elaborately decorated.

Today's featured matchbook has everything that was available on the cards of the time. The front of the cover has a photo of Red. The back has his bio.

What a fun and interesting collectible.

1995 Topps Finest Refractors #188 Lamar Lathon

2011-08-15T23:30:00.001-05:00

In my last post, I talked about one of the first premium card brands I liked, Fleer Ultra. Today I'm going to talk about one of the first premium brands that I really disliked, Topps Finest.

Today's card is the 1995 Finest Refractors #188 featuring Lamar Lathon.

So what don't I like about this?
1) Most obviously, the protective cover. OK, so you have a cover that keeps these more expensive in better shape, but the cover is ugly and detracts from the card. It's like putting a plastic seat cover over a nice couch. And of course you can't remove the cover to see how nice the card really looks because you'll ruin the value of the card.

2) The design. Just compare this to the Ultra card from the last post. The photograph quality is much worse. But that's OK. The picture isn't really the focus anyway. Instead you have lightning bolts and garish colors distracting you from the picture.

3) Refractors. There's nothing inherently wrong with refractors. I prefer a quality photograph over a tricked up picture, but I can see the appeal. The biggest negative of refractors is the later use of it. Instead of having just one refractor variation, today there's a whole rainbow of refractors. On top of the base refractor, you have blue, green, red, orange, purple, white, etc. Then you add the superfractor and xfractor which blurs and distracts from the picture even more.

But that's just my opinion. Some people love them and Finest was very popular. It's just not for me.

1993 Ultra #139 Andre Ware

2011-08-14T14:00:00.003-05:00

I've been watching quite a bit of College Football Live with Andre Ware lately because I'm ready for the new season to start. So how about a random Ware card?

Today's card is the 1993 Ultra #139. Ultra was one of the first "high end" brands I liked. It's funny to call this high end now because a pack was $3-$5. Compare that to card prices today. But at the time, that was a big deal.

So why did I like Ultra?
1) The photography - It was comparable to Stadium Club which was the standard at the time. Plus you got more good pictures on the back
2) The design - It was just a nice looking card without too many gimmicks that were just becoming popular. Now almost every card has a gimmick. But it was just a nice photo, a nice marble graphic that looked sharp but didn't distract. A little gold foil, but nothing over the top.

What didn't I like? Ultra was one of the earliest brands to emphasize pictures over stats and info. You can one year and career totals on this card which is probably sufficient, but historically cards had a player's history.

Ultra's look stands the test of time and looks better than almost everything on the market today. It doesn't have an autograph or jersey piece. It's not serial numbered. So it would never be popular if it came out today. But I think it's a nice looking card.

2011 Sweet Spot Rookie Signatures and Rookie Signatures Variations #RSJC

2011-08-06T14:25:00.001-05:00

James Cleveland played wide receiver at the University of Houston from 2009 to 2010. In 2009, he had a monster year. He led the team in receptions (104), receiving yards (1214), and touchdowns (14). He was 8th in the nation in receiving yards per game and 3rd in receptions per game. He was the 4th leading scorer among wide receivers.

That great year earned him several honors such as CUSA Newcomer of the Year, 1st team All CUSA, Phil Steele All-American 3rd team, and All American Honorable Mention for SI and Football News.

Unfortunately his senior season wasn't as productive dropping off to 57 receptions for 800 yards. But he had a solid receiving career for the Coogs.

Today's cards are 2011 Sweet Spot Rookie Signatures #RSJC and 2011 Sweet Spot Rookie Signatures Variations #RSJC. The production on these were limited to 599 and 299.

I find these cards fascinating. The little plastic fake helmet thing is a funny gimmick. What interests me most is these helmets look nothing like the UH helmet. The color is not even right. Most of the cards in this series for other schools look very similar to the real thing. The UH helmet and some others don't.

I'm a UH traditionalist so I like the old skinny logo UH. But if we're going to deviate from what I consider the real UH helmet color and logo, it's interesting to really go out there and see some far out there variations. A white helmet instead of red? The wet cat instead of interlocking UH? Sacrilege.

Sweet Spot Rookie Signatures

Sweet Spot Rookie Signatures Variations

Checklist Update

2011-08-04T21:00:00.001-05:00

Yes! We have a checklist update. Please see the links on the left under Cougar Collectible Checklists.

It's been over a year and there are tons of updates. On top of adding new cards and new players, I've added assistant coaches plus UH alum Tom Landry.

It has been a year so what has been added?

9 former players

1 former basketball coach

20 assistant football coaches

1845 cards

As usual, cards that have been added are highlighted on the card list. Players/coaches that have been added are highlighted in blue and players/coaches that have new cards are highlighted in orange/yellow (depending on your version of Excel) on the player list.

One other change, I am using a different file host. Previously I was using fileden which allowed direct linking with their free account. Unfortunately I was unable to upload some of my files this time AND I have security concerns since McAfee blocks the site due to exploits. So now I am using PutLocker. I don't appear to have the security concerns now and I was able to upload my files, but direct linking isn't allowed. Hopefully you'll be patient and go through the 10 second pause and 2 additional clicks. If this file host gives you trouble, please leave a comment for me.

Press Pass SE Game Day Gear Jerseys #KK - Kevin Kolb

2011-08-03T20:54:00.000-05:00

Kevin Kolb has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals.

Congratulations! Let's hope Kevin takes advantage of this opportunity. It would be so great to see him succeed. I'd love for him to have success personally, but as a UH alum, I love see Coogs succeed at the highest levels. I'd especially like to see a UH quarterback break through.

On a personal note: as a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, it really hurt me to cheer for him as an Eagle. For most of my life, the Cardinals were in the Cowboys division, but they were never hated rivals like the Redskins or Eagles. BTW: I still have trouble with Arizona Cardinals. It should be St. Louis (not the Rams) although some older fans might still think Chicago.

It will be great to seek him back in red and white. In honor of that, here are some cards featuring Kolb in his Houston red and white. These cards are 2007 Press Pass SE Game Day Gear Jersey cards #KK. There are five variations: Silver, Gold, Holofoil, Holofoil Platinum, and Autographed (not pictured).

For my Coogfan buddies, don't you love the blue uniform trim on the Holofoil cards? ;-)

Silver

Gold

Holofoil

Holofoil Platinum

Back

Cool Links - Coming Back

2011-07-22T11:40:00.002-05:00

It's been too long since I posted on here. It's time to come back. I'm updating the checklists and will be posting them soon. Until then, here are a couple of links for you to browse and enjoy.

The UH Digital Library has a ton of cool stuff, but this page has scanned versions of some old Houstonian yearbooks including the first from 1934. I love looking through old yearbooks. You learn so much history and see how much things have changed.

Olajuwon Fan - This site doesn't look like it has been updated in a couple of years, but if you want to see images of Olajuwon cards, this is a fun place to go. The site owner claims to own 1830 Olajuwon cards, and if he doesn't have them all posted, he has at least hundreds of them shown.

2009-10 Playoff National Treasures Century Materials NBA Tags Signatures #155 Clyde Drexler

2010-09-25T16:15:00.002-05:00

Today's card, the 2009-10 Playoff National Treasures Century Materials NBA Tags Signatures featuring Clyde Drexler, fascinates me. The card itself doesn't fascinate me. I'm curious about the person who collects this type of card. And I'm especially curious what the Cougar fans who visit this blog but don't necessarily collect cards think.

For those Cougar fans, here's a little card collecting history. With the card industry struggling, the manufacturers needed to come up with something that would not only increase sales to current collectors, but would also draw in new collectors. They came up with the jersey card that featured a small piece of the player's uniform in the card.

Some say this saved the industry. I don't know enough about the industry to say that, but I can see how it could pull in new collectors.

Prior to this, the only way to get a player worn jersey was to pay hundreds, perhaps thousands, for a full jersey. Even then, much of the time, you may not be 100% confident of the authenticity of the uniform. Often, it was a matter of how much you trusted the dealer and who the dealer's supplier is. While not as cool as a full player worn jersey, the average collector could get a jersey card at a much more reasonable price.

But as with most good ideas, there are imitators, some good, some bad, and overuse of the idea. Soon every manufacturer and set had jersey cards. Event worn jerseys (including events specifically designed just to have multiple jerseys worn to supply cards) started being used instead of just game worn jerseys. That definitely doesn't have the same appeal.

With the flood of jersey cards, collectors also became more picky. A one inch square of solid white (or other color) material stopped exciting people. Collectors wanted material with multiple colors. I guess that makes the card more attractive. Doesn't add much for me.

Then it went to the next level with patches. Collectors wanted a piece of the jersey number, name plate, etc. The highest demand then came for items like part of the team logo or the NFL/NBA logo. I can see the appeal of those cards although they've also been among the items most often faked by fraudulent eBay sellers.

Then you have items like today's card. What is the appeal of a laundry tag on a uniform? Do I care that the uniform should be washed on low?

OK. The cards are 1 of 1 so no other person in the world will have the card. That's pretty cool, but it would be better to have a one of a kind that people wanted because it looks good instead of just because there is only one.

So what do you think? If you are one of the people who likes this type of card (to each their own), it's on eBay right now for about $400.

2010 Sweet Spot Sweet Swatches #SSW22 Donnie Avery

2010-09-20T22:24:00.004-05:00

Since we've spent so much time looking at cards from the past, it's time to catch up on some of the newer cards coming out.

Today's card is the 2010 Sweet Spot Sweet Swatches #SSW22 featuring Donnie Avery. Donnie may be hurt but hopefully we'll get some more nice cards for him this season.

Since Upper Deck lost its NFL license and received a license to do college cards, we're lucky enough to see more cards of Avery in his college uniform. I love that.

But then you have the memorabilia portion of the card. I find that part extremely disappointing. First of all, I generally don't like odd cut outs and the "SS" cut out for Sweet Swatch looks odd. To make it worse, the swatch is blue. I assume that is from a Rams uniform. If you have a card featuring a player in a college uniform listing the college team, and not a pro team, the swatch should be from a college uniform.

But most cards featuring a Cougar in his Houston uniform gets a thumbs up for me.

We did it!

2010-09-03T22:47:00.002-05:00

Wow! I can't believe we did it. I don't know that I've ever posted more than 3 times in one week. But 56 consecutive days are done.

What's next?

I'll be cutting back on posting, hopefully posting a couple of days a week. I need to catch up on the checklists and other background blog work.

More important: Football season is starting. Time to watch some games; talk some football; see new achievements instead of just looking back at the past.

GO COOGS!

1954 Red Sox Team Issue #12 Bill Henry

2010-09-03T07:38:00.001-05:00

Today's card is the 1954 Red Sox Team Issue #12 featuring Bill Henry. This is the first card in any sport showing a Cougar.

The last post of the countdown and I don't have an image for you. How anti-climactic. But here's a description so you can keep your eye out for it...

The cards are 6 1/2" x 9" and feature a photograph and a facsimile autograph. They are unnumbered and blank backed. Sounds more like just a photograph than a card, but I'd love to have one since it is the first Cougar card.

1955 49ers Team Issue #10 Paul Carr

2010-09-02T07:45:00.001-05:00

Paul Carr played linebacker for the University of Houston from 1951 to 1953. He was co-captain of the 1953 team.

Carr was a teammate of Bobby Clatterbuck and shared many of the same firsts such as the first bowl game and victory and first ranking.

He was named All American Honorable Mention in 1951 and 1952 as well as 1st Team All Gulf Coast Conference in 1951 and 1st Team Missouri Valley All Conference in 1952.

Paul was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 7th round of the 1954 NFL Draft. He played 3 seasons from 1995 to 1957 for the 49ers.

Today's card is the 1955 49ers Team Issue #10, another sharp team issue set measuring 4 1/4" x 6 1/4". As usual, I love the 1950s posed photograph. Did they tell players not to look at the camera? Maybe they did that to make it look more like an action shot, but if that's the case, he really shouldn't be smiling.

1956 Giants Team Issue #6 Bobby Clatterbuck

2010-09-01T07:38:00.001-05:00

Bobby Clatterbuck played quarterback at the University of Houston from 1951 to 1953.

Some of his statistics are still in the UH record books:

Tied for 1st in fewest interceptions thrown in a season (3 in 1953)

Tied for 9th for longest touchdown pass (84 yards to Vic Hampel against Detroit 9/28/51)

Led team in passing all 3 years (1951 966 yards, 1952 736 yards, 1953 276 yards).

Led team in total yards in 1952 (702)

More important than his statistics are the many firsts involving Clatterbuck:

Played in the Cougars 1st bowl game, a 26-21 victory over Dayton in the 1952 Salad Bowl to cap the 1951 season.

Played on the Cougars first ranked team, #19 on 11/17/1952. UH dropped out of the polls the next week and finished the season unranked despite winning every game after that 1 week they were ranked and winning the Missouri Valley Conference.

First Cougar to play in the NFL (1954).

First Cougar on a major manufacturer card (1955 Bowman #141).

Bobby was selected by the New York Giants in the 27th round of the 1954 NFL Draft. He played professional football for 5 years for the Giants and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Today's card is the 1956 Giants Team Issue #6. These cards are 4 7/8" by 6 7/8". The front has a black and white photo of the player with a facsimile autograph. The back has a brief bio and lists career highlights.

These team issue cards are growing on me. I don't think they'd be a perfect fit for a traditional card collection. But because of their larger postcard or photograph size and photograph layout vs card layout, I think they would be great for framing and display purposes.

1957

2010-08-31T07:27:00.002-05:00

I'm going to keep it short today partly because I have no pictures again.

There are only 3 cards to choose from for 1957, all team issue football card:
1) Rams Team Issue #26 featuring Jack Pardee
2) 49ers Team Issue #8 featuring Paul Carr
3) Giants Team Issue #7 featuring Bobby Clatterbuck

Pardee has been featured on this blog previously.

Carr and Clatterbuck will be featured soon with full write ups and card images.

1958-1960 Colts Team Issue #13 Harold (Hal) Lewis

2010-08-30T07:16:00.003-05:00

Harold (Hal) Lewis play back for the University of Houston football team from 1956 to 1958. He was co-Captain of the 1958 Cougars along with Hogan Wharton and Don Brown (3 future professional football players).

He was an excellent punt returner. He is 4th (17.4 in 1956) and 7th (16.3 in 1958) in season punt return average at UH and 5th in career punt return average (14.1)

Lewis was named Missouri Valley All-Conference 1st Team fullback in 1957 when the Cougars won the conference.

Hal was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 7th round of the 1959 NFL Draft. He played 3 years of professional football for the Baltimore Colts, Buffalo Bills, and Oakland Raiders.

Sorry no picture again today. I don't even have an example from this set to give you an idea of what it looks like.

Today's card is the 1958-1960 Colts Team Issue #13. The set is listed as 1958-60 because the cards were most likely released over all 3 years. Dates for the individual cards in this set have been difficult to determine.

You may notice that I'm using this card for 1958 even though Lewis didn't play for the Colts until 1959 and was still playing for UH in 1958. That makes it nearly impossible that this card was issued in 1958.

Unfortunately there aren't many other choices for 1958 cards. I believe there is a Doyusha Japanese Baseball League card of Carlton Hanta issued that year.

1959 Topps #46 Bill Henry

2010-08-29T08:04:00.005-05:00

Bill Henry has been featured on this blog previously so I'm violating my goal of featuring players not shown before. Unfortunately there are only 2 players and 1 coach featured on cards in 1959 and all of them have been featured too.

Today's card is the 1959 Topps #46. Here's an interesting article on the 1959 set by someone who is much more of an expert than I am.

Looking at this card makes me wonder why someone would collect modern/current cards vs these vintage cards. The layout is much cleaner without all of the flash that in my opinion just distracts. It is a very solid posed photograph. Some modern sets like Stadium Club have nicer action photos, but many modern sets don't have better pictures than this one.

So it doesn't have chrome, refractors, foil, etc. Some people love these things, but I just think they're gimmicks. It doesn't have tons of variations that are identical except for the color of the border and the print run. It's not serial numbered, but if you're searching for a card in top quality condition like a new card is, they're probably as rare as most low numbered modern cards. But you also have the option of getting a more moderate condition card at a decent price which would be value suicide on a new card.

Finally if you REALLY want to search for a low print variation, you can look for the Topps card made for the Venezuelan market. These cards are very rare and next to impossible to find in a high quality condition.

To me, the biggest advantage of modern cards is we've seen the guys play. I never saw Billy Henry play, but someone like Michael Bourn I can see play every day. It's harder to develop an attachment to a player you've never seen play, but collectors do it every day. I'd bet very few collectors saw Babe Ruth play, but he still has new followers and collectors all the time.

1960 Fleer #32 Don Flynn

2010-08-28T07:16:00.003-05:00

Don Flynn played football at the University of Houston from 1954 to 1956. He was quarterback and co-captain of the 1956 team that went 7-2-1 winning the Missouri Valley Conference in Bill Meek's last year as coach.

In 1956, Flynn led the team in rushing (412 yards), passing (464 yards), scoring (39 points). That performance earned being named to the 1st Team Missouri Valley All Conference team.

After his college career, Don played for the Dallas Texans and New York Titans. He also played in the Canadian Football League.

Today's card is the 1960 Fleer #32. Another great vintage set. I love the simple, but colorful, layout. That is also a sharp picture of Flynn.

The back is basic, but a very solid effort. One of my favorite comments is that Flynn is "one of the all-time greats at the University of Houston and probably the strongest quarterback they ever had." No offense to any of the great players before him, but you have to keep in mind that UH had only played football for 13 years when this card was released. Being an "all-time great" at this point in UH history is like being on the All-Decade team. Not a small feat, but not quite the same compliment compared to a program with 50 years of history.

1961 Nu-Card #155 Ken Bolin and #169 Charlie Rieves

2010-08-27T07:50:00.002-05:00

Another two for one day! Two backs who played together for two years.

Ken Bolin was a back at the University of Houston from 1959 to 1961. He was co-captain of the 1961 team that went 5-4-1. Bolin had two 80 yard runs for touchdowns in the 1961 season. 80 yards ties for 7th longest run from scrimmage in UH history.

Other achievements:
6th career kickoff return average (24.9)
Leading rusher in 1960 (542 yards) and 1961 (356 yards)
Leader in kick returns in 1960 and 1961
Led the team in interceptions in 1961 with 4

Bolin was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 22nd round of the 1962 AFL Draft.

Charlie Rieves was another Cougar back from 1959 to 1960. He played 4 years of professional football for the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers.

Some of Rieves' UH accomplishments:
Leading rusher in 1959 (347 yards)
Tied for scoring leader in 1959 (18 points)
Led the team in scoring in 1960 (38 points)

Today's cards are from the 1961 Nu-Card set. #155 features Ken Bolin and #169 features Charlie Rieves. This set may be my all time favorite football card set.

1) The set focuses on college instead of pros. Although I enjoy both, I prefer college football
2) The pennant on the front epitomizes vintage college football to me
3) The cartoon football field and players make a great background
4) The pictures

Just look at these pictures! Let's start with Bolin. Does he look scared, in pain, or psychotic? And then there is Rieves' picture. He looks cartoonishly mad. The picture reminds me of a very angry Curly from the 3 Stooges.

1962 Post Cereal #169 Jack Pardee

2010-08-26T07:28:00.002-05:00

While Jack Pardee didn't play football at the University of Houston, he was the head coach from 1987 to 1989. He took over a 1-10 run based Veer team and implemented the pass based Run and Shoot offense that eventually stunned college football.

The transition was difficult as the Cougars went 4-6-1 in Pardee's first year. The biggest win was a 60-40 victory over the University of Texas. While the 60 points might lead you to think that the Run & Shoot was finally clicking, the defense was responsible for many of the points. UH ran 4 interceptions back for touchdowns which ties for the NCAA record. Johnny Jackson ran back 3 which is still an NCAA record.

In 1988, UH under Pardee improved to 9-3 and played in a bowl game. The team ranked as high as #14, finishing the season #18.

Then came 1989 and the Cougars had possibly the greatest offense in NCAA history. They set many records that still stand including most yards in a game (1021 vs SMU on 10/21/89), most yards gained per game (624.9), most passing yards per game (511.3), and most TD passes per game (5.0). The team averaged 53.5 points per game which is a little below the 1944 Army record of 56 points per game. And Andre Ware won the Heisman Trophy. The team was ranked as high as #8 and finished the season at #14 with a 9-2 record.

Today's card is the 1962 Post Cereal #169. These cards were found on the back panel of different Post Cereal boxes so you had to cut them out yourself. It also means the backs just display plain cardboard, the inside of the cereal box.

The front features a photo, a description, the Post logo, and the card number. I love the picture on this one. Another classic vintage card pose. I could do without the Texas A&M reference in the description, but overall a nice looking card, especially for the back of a cereal box.

1963 Colts Team Issue #3 Jim Colvin and #5 Wiley Feagin

2010-08-25T07:17:00.003-05:00

We have a special two for one today.

Player 1, Jim Colvin. Jim played on both the defensive and offensive lines for the University of Houston from 1957 to 1959. He was named first team All-Conference in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1959.

Colvin was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 8th round of the 1960 NFL Draft. He played 8 years of professional football for the Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Giants.

Player 2, Wiley Feagin. Wiley was a guard for the Cougars from 1958 to 1960. Those lines in 1958 and 1959 must have been pretty good with 2 future professionals. He was captain of the 1960 team, UH's first year as an independent.

Feagin played 3 seasons of professional football for the Baltimore Colts and Washington redskins

Today's cards are from the 1963 Colts Team Issue set. Sorry that I don't have an image of these. Another case of fewer players to choose from without repeating a player and uncommon cards.

The "cards" are 7 7/8" x 10 1/4" on glossy heavy paper stock. They feature a black and white photo on the front along with the player's team, position, height, weight, and college. The backs are blank. The cards are not numbered, but are generally listed by number in alphabetical order.

This IS NOT Jim Colvin or Wiley Feagin. It is Tony Lorick who did not play for the Cougars. It is just an example from this card set.

1964 Topps #114 Curley Johnson

2010-08-24T07:31:00.000-05:00

Curley Johnson played football at the University of Houston from 1954 to 1956. 1956 was Coach Bill Meek's last year, and the Cougars won the Missouri Valley Conference with a 7-2-1 record. The Coogs won 4 MVC titles in the 1950s.

As many players had to be in the past, Johnson played end, half back, and kicker. He was UH's leading rusher in 1955 with 469 yards.

He was named 1st Team All-Conference and Conference Back of the Year in 1955.

After his collegiate career, Curley was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 7th round of the 1957 NFL Draft. He played 10 years of professional football for the Dallas Texans, New York Titans, New York Giants, and New York Jets.

Today's card is the 1964 Topps #114. This card is a great example of why I love old school cards. Simple design. Bright colors. Just beautiful. The bright yellow background makes the picture pop. The blue stars for the border provides some flair. The black and white box with the name and team provides an anchor for it all.

I'm not sure where the uniform comes from. The Jets didn't wear red. Neither did the Titans. The Texans did wear red. Would a card feature a picture from 4 years prior when Curley played for the Texans? The Texans were red and gold. This looks red and white although there may be some gold trim around the number. Maybe it's just a random practice uniform.

The pose is great too. Johnson's carrying the ball, but with his fist clenched, it looks like he's ready to punch anyone who tries to tackle him.

The back is a nice blue, black, and white combination with a description of his abilities and his career.

1965 Coke Caps Vikings (King Size Coke Variation) #C4 Errol Linden

2010-08-23T07:24:00.003-05:00

Errol Linden played end for the University of Houston football team from 1959 to 1960. He led the team in receptions in 1960 with 12. Yes, 12 for the season led the team. In UH's current offense, 12 receptions might not even lead the team in one game.

After his Cougar career, Linden was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 10th round of the 1961 NFL Draft and by the Houston Oilers in the 29th round of the 1961 AFL Draft. He played 10 seasons of professional football for the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints.

Today's item is another oddball, the 1965 Coke Caps Vikings #C4. The top of the cap has the Coke logo and a football graphic. The inside of the cap has a headshot of Errol and lists his name and team. Besides the base Coke cap, there are also Tab, Fanta, King Size Coke, and Sprite variations. The King Size Coke cap is pictured below.

I've never collected bottle caps, but I know a lot of people do. I imagine condition can be a challenge for bottle cap collectors. These aren't twist tops so you have to use a bottle opener. Opening the bottle could bend the top or sides dramatically or it could scratch up the top, ruining the images.

1966 Philadelphia #75 Pat Studstill

2010-08-22T07:37:00.004-05:00

Pat Studstill was a wide receiver at the University of Houston from 1958 to 1959. The 1959 was Missouri Valley Conference co-champion in 1959.

Studstill played 11 years of professional football for the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, and New England Patriots. In the pros he played wide receiver and punter. One of the things he is most famous for is that he was the last pro player to not use a facemask.

Today's card is the 1966 Philadelphia #75. Philadelphia brand was a major card manufacturer at the time who had a license with the NFL while Topps had an AFL license.

While Philadelphia cards had more simple designs than modern cards, they still looked very different from Topps cards. To me, Philadelphia cards looked more realistic and less artistic/cartoonish than Topps cards.

1967 Williams Portraits #112 Joe Bob Isbell

2010-08-21T07:15:00.001-05:00

Joe Bob Isbell was an offensive guard who played at the University of Houston from 1959 to 1961. He was co-captain of the 1961 team along with Ken Bolin and Bill Brown in Hal Lahar's last year as head coach.

After his college career, Isbell was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 20th round of the 1962 AFL Draft. He played five years of professional football for the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns.

Sorry, no image again today. As I go farther back, I have fewer players to choose from (especially if I'm sticking to the rule of not using players already featured), fewer card options in general, and fewer images of some of the less mainstream cards.

Isbell was featured on very few cards, none from major card manufacturers. This card may be his most mainstream.

I've seen images of some of the other cards in this set and they look very nice. The "cards" are 8" x 10" and feature charcoal portraits of the players. The front also includes the player's name and position under the portrait. The backs are blank. The cards are quite elegant and look suitable for framing especially since they are 8x10.

Below is an example of the set. Again this is NOT Joe Bob Isbell. It is Bob Skoronski. I just wanted you to be able to see in general what the set looks like.

1968 Topps #42 Tom Beer

2010-08-20T07:43:00.000-05:00

Today's player is another one of those great Cougar tight ends that made it to the pros, Tom Beer. He played at the University of Houston from 1965 to 1966.

After his college career, Beer was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 2nd round of the 1967 AFL Draft. He played six seasons of professional football for the Broncos and the New England/Boston Patriots.

After his pro career, he wrote the book Sunday's Fools: Stomped, Tromped, Kicked, and Chewed in the NFL which was published in 1974. This book is about his professional career and the bad teams he played for. Reading the reviews on Amazon, I had to order it. I can't wait to read it.

Today's card is the 1968 Topps #42. It is Beer's rookie card. This is another brightly colored card front. What I really love is the back of these cards. The green and white is so bold without being over the top and gaudy like today's cards. Sometimes simple is really a better design.

1969 Eskimo Pie #15 and 1969 Chemtoy AFL Superballs #20 Dick Post

2010-08-19T07:47:00.004-05:00

Dick Post was a running back at the University of Houston from 1964 to 1966. He was captain of that 1966 team that went 8-2.

He had a very solid career at UH, not only running the ball, but also receiving and returning kicks:
10th in career rushing yards (2219)
Led the team all 3 years in rushing yards (528 in 1964, 630 in 1965, 1061 in 1966)
Led the team in total offensive yards in 1964 (528)
Led the team in receptions in 1964 (12)
Led the team in kickoff returns in 1964
Led the team in scoring in 1964 (30 points)

In 1966, he was named All-American Honorable Mention and was the Houston Chronicle Player of the Year.

Post was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 4th round of the 1967 AFL Draft. He played for the Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Houston Oilers. Although he only played in the NFL for 5 years, he was a 2 time Pro Bowler in 1967 and 1969.

We have a special bonus today, 2 items both oddballs.

First we have the Eskimo Pie #15. These were made for distribution for the Eskimo Pie ice cream product. This "card" is not really a card at all. It is actually stickers attached to a cardboard panel. Post shares the card with Matt Snell. It is unnumbered, but the set is listed alphabetically based on the last name of the player on the left.

The second item today is the 1969 Chemtoy AFL Superball #20. Yes, this is a high bouncing rubber ball with a paper in the middle of the ball. The front of the paper has a picture of the player and the back has the player name and team. Again, they are not numbered, but they are sequenced alphabetically. How cool is this?

1970 Topps #86 Royce Berry

2010-08-18T07:17:00.000-05:00

Royce Berry played linebacker at the University of Houston in 1965 and 1966 and then again in 1968.

Berry was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round of the 1969 AFL Draft. He played for the Bengals from 1969 to 74 and for the Chicago Bears in 1976.

Back to the greatness of 1970s Topps football card. Today's card is the 1970 Topps #86. It is considered Berry's rookie card although there was a 1969 Bengals Tresler Comet card.

The front of this card is beautiful. I love the colors, the graphics and fonts. Best of all, I love the picture. He looks like a tough guy to me. Remember the character Nate Scarboro played by Michael Conrad from the original movie The Longest Yard? The old coach/player who used to play pro ball? I think they look very similar. Looks like a nice guy, but you wouldn't want to cross him.

But the star of this card is the back. The description of his career is pretty good with comments like that he was "one of the toughest linemen out of the college ranks in 1969." But the funniest part is the cartoon with the label "Royce was one of Houstons better players." What a brilliant analysis! First of all is the simplicity. He wasn't the fastest or strongest or led the team in tackles or anything more detailed like that. He was just one of the better players. But besides the simplicity, the comment is pretty obvious. On most teams, if a player makes it in the pros, he was probably one of the better players on the team. Usually the worst players on the team don't get drafted and play in the pros.

Thank you

2010-08-17T22:20:00.004-05:00

I'd like to thank all of the people who read any page on my blog. I enjoy writing it because I'm learning so much about the history of University of Houston athletics. I hope others are enjoying it too.

But I'd really like to thank those who have been posting comments lately, in particular Commish and SportsCardGirl for commenting multiple times. I've been posting off and on for over three years now, and I've had more comments in the last 3 weeks than I had in the last 3 years before that.

This blog has had over 26,000 visitors (although definitely not all unique). That shocks me. I didn't know if I would ever have 10 visits total. And I appreciate everyone who has visited. But you wonder who those readers are. Many come from google? Are they just showing up on my page and leaving because there is little interest in what they found? Are they just interested in the one page, never to return? I don't know.

But getting comments means that someone actually reviewed my post AND thought enough of it to respond. It's a little corny, but it really does mean alot. And it makes me think that I should do the same thing when I visit other blogs or personal websites. It keeps you going.

When I committed to counting down the years, posting at least once a day until football season started, I wasn't sure I could do it. I rarely posted more than a couple of times a week (and I may go back to that when the countdown is over). But I haven't missed a day. To tell the truth, the extra visits and comments help keep me on track.

1971 49ers Postcards #35 Mike Simpson

2010-08-17T07:40:00.001-05:00

Mike Simpson played defensive back at the University of Houston from 1966 to 1968. In 1967 he tied for the team lead in inceptions with Johnny Peacock with 4.

He was also a punt returner who led the team in punt returns in 1968.

Simpson was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 13th round of the AFL Draft. He played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1970 to 1973.

We'll continue our trend from yesterday of looking at something besides Topps cards. Today's card is the 1971 49ers Postcards #35. These black and white oversized cards were distributed by the 49ers. The backs are postcard style and feature career information and stats. Although this is listed as #35, the backs are actually unnumbered. The numbering generally used is based on the alphabetical order.

And despite what is pictured here, the cards did not come autographed.

But the pose on this card is hilarious. As the cards get older and the pictures are more staged, the poses and pictures often get funnier.

1972 NFLPA Wonderful World Stamps #2 Greg Brezina

2010-08-16T07:44:00.005-05:00

Greg Brezina played linebacker for the University of Houston from 1965-67. He is 6th on the Cougar career tackles list with 350 and led the team in tackles in 1967 with 126.

Greg was named a Sports Extra All-American in 1967.

Several Brezina brothers played for the University of Houston. Bobby played from 1960-62 and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1963. Gus played from 1962-64 and was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1965. Bernie played from 1962-64. Butch played from 1970-71. Steve played from 1970-72. Not only did the brothers play at UH, Bobby's son Robby also played from 1985-86. Here is a great article about the Brezina Boys.

Greg was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 11th round of the NFL Draft. He played for 11 seasons in the NFL, all for the Falcons.

Today let's take a break from 1970s Topps. Today's card is the 1972 NFLPA Wonderful World Stamps #2. The stamps were to be glued into an album named The Wonderful World of Pro Football USA. So there's not much information on the card itself. You need the album to get the biography.

1973 Topps #276 Gus Hollomon

2010-08-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

Gus Hollomon played defensive back for the University of Houston football team from 1965-67. He led the Cougars in interceptions in 1965 (5) and tied for team lead with Tom Paciorek in 1966 (6).

In the Cougar record books, he is tied for 2nd in career interceptions (14).

Hollomon was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 4th round of the 1968 AFL Draft. He played 2 seasons for the Broncos and 3 seasons for the New York Jets.

Today's card is the 1973 Topps #276. I LOVE the '70s. Just look at that mustache. Burt Reynolds would be so proud.

This is really Hollomon's only major manufacturer card. His other cards are team issue and NFLPA Wonderful World Stamps.

1974 Topps #34 Elmo Wright

2010-08-14T12:00:00.002-05:00

The University of Houston has had some amazing wide receivers in its history. Some people can make arguments for other players, but to me there is no question that the greatest Cougar receiver is Elmo Wright. He is not only a great UH receiver, but I believe he is one of the greatest receivers in NCAA history.

Elmo played at UH from 1968-1970. The Houston Veer was an offensive juggernaut during that era. And while the Veer is generally associated with running the ball, Wright still put up some amazing stats. And despite UH's adoption of the Run and Shoot and Spread offenses, many of his receiving records still stand.

Although many of his NCAA have been recently broken, he still holds some:
Tied 1st season most 50+ TD receptions (8 in 1968)
1st season average yards per TD reception (56.1 in 1968) - What an amazing record. TD receptions of 87, 50, 75, 2, 80, 79, 13, 67, 61, 43, and 60. Those 2 and 13 yard TDs really brought that average down.
20th career TD receptions (34)
10th career yards per game (111.6)

Some of Wright's UH records:
1st career average per play (21.0)
1st career yards per reception (21.9)
1st career touchdown receptions (34)
Tied 1st career 200 yard receiving games (3)
10th in career receptions (153)
2nd in career receiving yards (3347)
2nd in career touchdowns (35)
10th in career all purpose yards (3482)
6th in career scoring (216)
1st season yards per reception (27.9 in 1968)
Tied 1st season 200 yard receiving games (2 in 1968)
4th (1275 in 1968) and 8th (1198) in season receiving yards
1st (27.9 in 1968), 8th (20.3 in 1969) and 10th (18.6 in 1970) in season yards per reception
Tied for 3rd (14 in 1969) and tied for 6th (11 in 1968) in season TD receptions
Tied for 7th in total TDs (14 in 1969)
2nd (262 vs Wyoming on 11/22/1969), 4th (249 vs Idaho on 11/16/68), and 5th (244 vs Cincinnati on 10/16/68) in game receiving yards
Tied for 5th in game scoring (24 points twice)

Wright led the Cougars in receptions all 3 years and led the team in scoring in 1969

Wright was an All-American Honorable Mention in 1968, 2nd Team in 1969, and Consensus 1st Team in 1970. He was also an Academic All-American in 1969.

On top of all that, he invented the end zone dance when he was a junior at UH.

Elmo was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1st round (#16) of the 1971 NFL Draft. He made the NFL Rookie team that year. He played 5 years in the league for the Chiefs, Houston Oilers, and New England Patriots. Unfortunately injuries limited his professional career.

Today's card is the 1974 Topps #34. It is considered Wright's rookie card although in 1972 he was featured on a Sunoco Stamp.

Another typical 70s Topps card. I love seeing former Cougars in red uniforms. If I can't get a card in a UH uniform, at least it can be close to UH colors. I like the goal post graphic as a border.

The back has a great cartoon and a caption that Wright plays the saxophone. There is also an odd football game with yards gained and a score. I wonder how the game was played.

1975-76 Topps #11 Dwight Davis

2010-08-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

Dwight Davis played basketball for 3 seasons at the University of Houston from 1969-72 including the Sweet Sixteen teams of 1969-70 and 1970-71. As you can tell by his stats, he was a great all-around player. He is the the career UH top 10 for scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots average. To do that at a school with a basketball history as great as UH is an amazing accomplishment.

Some of his records:
7th career points (1741)
8th career scoring average (20.7)
5th career rebounds (961)
4th career rebounding average (11.4)
2nd career blocked shots (231)
5th career blocked shots average (2.8)
10th season scoring average (24.37 in 1971-72)
3rd (125 in 1970-71) and 6th (106 in 1971-72) in season blocked shots
3rd (4.3 in 1970-71) and 5th (3.9 in 1971-72) in season blocked shots average

Davis led team in scoring in 1970-71 and 1971-72, blocked shots in 1970-71 and 1971-72, and rebounding in 1970-71.

He was named Third Team All-American in 1972 and was inducted into the UH Hall of Honor in 2006.

Dwight was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1st round (#3) of the 1972 NBA Draft. He played 5 seasons in the NBA for the Cavs and the Golden State Warriors.

Today's card is the 1975 Topps #11. While not as 1970s terrific as yesterday's card featuring Dwight Jones, this is still a solid card. Decent picture. Great colors for the graphics. Funny basketball player graphics on the back.

1976-77 Topps #33 Dwight Jones

2010-08-12T23:15:00.002-05:00

Dwight Jones played basketball at the University of Houston for two seasons in 1971-72 and 1972-73. In his two years as a Cougar, he was a defensive force.

Some of his stats:
4th career rebounding average (13.7)
6th career blocked shots (155)
4th career blocked shots average (2.87)
9th career rebounds (380)
6th career rebounding average (14.1)
9th season rebounding average (13.3 in 1971-72)
Tied for 7th season blocked shots (97 in 1972-73)
7th season blocked shots average (3.6 in 1972-73)
2nd game blocked shots (14 vs Houston Baptist on 2/8/73)

Jones led the team in rebounding in both 1971-72 and 1972-73 and in blocked shots in 1972-73.

Amazingly he wasn't even named as an Honorable Mention All-American. He was inducted into the UH Hall of Honor in 2002.

Dwight was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round (#9) of the 1973 NBA Draft. He played 10 seasons in the NBA for the Hawks, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, and LA Lakers.

He was a the leading scorer and rebounder on the 1972 US Olympic team. That team "won" the silver medal. They lost the finals to the Soviets in possibly the most controversial officiating in all of history. The entire team refused to accept their medals though. As painful as the UH-NC State game was, I think this game was even more heartbreaking. It was bad enough that the on court officials screwed over the US team, but also the off court basketball committee officials were involved. If you haven't seen the documentary :30 from Gold, I highly recommend it.

Today's card is the 1976 Topps #33. I don't know why everyone doesn't collect late '60s and '70s basketball card. Just look at this card. Love the afro. Love the mutton chops and goatee. Look at the necklace. Look at the awesome font. Look at the bright colors. Amazing.

Not only is the front of the card awesome, but the back is good too. Not only does it have his NBA stats, which you would expect, but it also includes his college stats. It even includes his freshman stats which aren't including in the UH media guide and records since freshmen weren't allowed to play varsity back then.

1977 Cardinals Team Issue #11 Bob Giblin

2010-08-11T07:12:00.003-05:00

Bob Giblin played defensive back for the University of Houston from 1972-1974. He was co-captain of the 1974 team. As a defensive back, he is tied for 8th in career interceptions with 11.

On top of being a solid defensive player, Giblin was also a solid punt returner. He has the 8th best season punt return average at 16.1 yards in 1974.

He was named as an All-American Honorable Mention in both 1973 and 1974.

After his college days, Giblin was selected by the New York Giants in the 4th round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He was the 3rd of 9 Cougars selected that year. He played for the Giants in 1975 and for the Saint Louis Cardinals in 1977.

Today's card is the 1977 Cardinals Team Issue #11. Unfortunately I don't have an image of this card. It is Giblin's only card. It's so rare that I'm able to find Team Issue cards, either for sale or just images of them. And there weren't any other Cougars on 1977 cards that haven't already been featured on this blog.

1978 Topps #285 Riley Odoms

2010-08-10T07:39:00.001-05:00

Today's player may be the greatest tight end in University of Houston History, Riley Odoms. Odoms played at UH from 1969-1971. His biggest competition may be Earl Thomas who played from 1968-1970. No wonder the Cougars were such an offensive force in that era with players like that.

In 1971, he led the team in receptions with 45. He had such a good season that he was named Sporting News All-American.

Riley was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 1st round (#5) of the 1972 NFL Draft. #5 is the 2nd highest a tight end has ever been selected.

Odoms played for the Broncos from 1972 to 1983. He was selected for the Pro Bowl 4 times in his career and was twice named All-Pro.

1979 Topps #422 Larry Keller

2010-08-09T07:29:00.000-05:00

Larry Keller played football for three years at the University of Houston from 1972-74. In that time, he had 21 quarterback sacks which ties him for 6th in career sacks. Mack Mitchell also played from 1972-74 and had 33 sacks which is 2nd all time, and Bill Stohler played from 1971-72 and had 20 sacks which is 8th. So 3 of the top 10 sack leaders played on the 1972 and 1973 teams. That is a dominant defense.

Keller was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 9th round of the 1975 NFL Draft.

In 1975, he played in the Canadian Football League for the Hamilton Tiger Cats and in the World Football League for the Memphis Southmen aka the Grizzlies. From 1976-1978, he played for the New York Jets.

I love the piece of trivia on the back of this card. I wonder how many current NFL players are volunteer firemen.

1980 Topps #298 Charlie Hall

2010-08-08T07:33:00.002-05:00

Charlie Hall played linebacker for the University of Houston from 1968-1970. He led the team in tackles in 1969 (99) and was co-captain of the 1970 team.

Hall was named 3rd Team All-American in 1970. He is also tied for 7th in UH career tackles with 345.

Hall was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 3rd round of the 1971 NFL Draft played for the Browns from 1971 to 1980.

Today's card is the 1980 Topps #298. It's very similar to yesterday's card. That's the joy and the frustration of this era of cards. The joy of limited choices is that you can collect EVERY card for a player or of a set. The frustration is that if you don't like the cards, you don't have any alternatives.

1981 Topps #347 Don Bass

2010-08-07T07:32:00.004-05:00

Since the Run and Shoot days, the University of Houston has had some great wide receivers who put up some amazing stats. But prior to that in the Veer days, the Cougars had some great pass catchers even if they didn't all have the big numbers.

One of those guys was tight end Don Bass who played at UH from 1975-77. He was a member of the 1976 team that won UH's first year in the Southwest Conference, won the Cotton Bowl, and finished #4 in the polls.

Although he never had more than 42 receptions in a season (compare that to UH in 2009 when 5 people had 42 or more receptions), he did lead the team in receptions in 1975 (38) and 1977 (42). Bass also led team in punt returns in 1975 and kickoff returns in 1977.

His biggest single game was probably vs TCU on 10/30/1976 where he scored 24 points, good enough for #5 in UH history.

Bass was named 1st Team All-Southwest Conference in 1977 and was an All-American Honorable Mention in 1976 and 1977.

After his college career, Don was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 3rd round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He played for the Bengals from 1978-81 and for the New Orleans Saints in 1982.

Today's card is the 1981 Topps #347. Now we're starting to get to old school football cards. Notice the lack of team logo or stripes on the helmet. From the 1970s to 1982, Topps did not have the rights to use them. So the helmet is airbrushed.

I remember owning plenty of cards from this set when I was younger. That includes the Joe Montana rookie which I still own although the condition isn't that great.

1982 Donruss - UH Golfers

2010-08-06T07:27:00.000-05:00

With 1992 Pro Set, we looked at 11 University of Houston golfers. Now with 1982, we have another 7 golfers which shows even more how many great Cougar golfers there are.

All of these cards are from the 1982 Donruss set.

Keith Fergus #21

Ed Fiori #36

Tom Jenkins #54

Bruce Lietzke #4 and #64

John Mahaffey #24 (I love the Cougar red pants and shirt)

Bill Rogers #5

Jim Simons #33

1983-84 Star #192 Rob Williams

2010-08-05T08:03:00.002-05:00

Rob Williams played basketball for 3 years for the University of Houston from 1979-82 including one Final Four. Although his professional career wasn't at the level of some UH alums, he had one of the greatest college careers of any Cougar.

His name is all over the UH record book:
#5 career points (1838)
#7 career scoring average (20.9)
#6 career assists (407)
#7 career assists average (4.6)
#9 career steals (157)
#9 career steals average (1.83)
#8 career average minutes played (35.6)
#1 season average minutes played (39.03 in 1980-81) (I'm glad he got to rest 1 minute per game)
#6 season points scored (749 in 1980-81)
#6 season scoring average (25.0 in 1980-81)

Rob led the team in many categories while he was there:
Scoring all 3 years he played: 1979-80 (608), 1980-81 (749), and 1981-82 (633)
Assists all 3 years he played: 1979-80 (127), 1980-81 (146) and 1981-82 (134)
Free throw percentage in 1980-81 (.785) and 1981-82 (.793)
Steals in 1980-81 (62)

He is the only Cougar named to the All-Southwest Conference 1st Team 3 times. He was the SWC Newcomer of the Year in 1980 and SWC Player of the Year in 1981.

Williams was also named 3rd Team All-American in 1981 and 2nd Team All-American in 1982.

He was also named to the University of Houston Hall of Honor in 2006.

After his college career, Rob was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the 1st round (#19) of the 1982 NBA Draft. He played for the Nuggets for 2 seasons. After his NBA career, he played in the Continental Basketball Association as well as in the Philippines, Italy, Australia, and Spain.

1984-85 Star #133 and #245 Larry Micheaux

2010-08-04T08:03:00.002-05:00

Larry Micheaux, nicknamed Mr. Mean, was a 4 year starter from 1979-1983 for the University of Houston basketball team. He played on 2 Final Four teams and was a member of Phi Slamma Jamma. He was co-captain of the 1982-83 team.

There were many great players on those Cougar teams, but Micheaux still managed to make the record books.

4th in career field goal percentage (.587)
9th in career blocked shots (132)
8th (.604 in 1981-82) and 9th (.600 in 1980-81) in season field goal percentage
Led team in field goal percentage in 1979-80 (.530) and 1980-81 (.600)
Led team in blocked shots in 1980-81 (49)

He was named All-Southwest Conference 2nd Team and All-American Honorable Mention in 1983.

After his UH career, he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2nd round of the 1983 NBA Draft. Micheaux played for the Kansas City Kings in the 1983-84 season and for the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets in 1984-85. For the next 10 years, he played in the Italian and Spanish leagues.

Today's cards are 1984-85 Star #133 and #245. #133 has Micheaux in his Bucks uniform and #245 is in his Rockets uniform. It's odd to see a player in multiple uniforms in the same product unless there is an update set. This set was released in three series, so perhaps that explains the different uniforms.

1985 Eagles Team Issue #33 Leonard Mitchell

2010-08-03T08:06:00.001-05:00

Leonard Mitchell was a defensive tackle for the University of Houston from 1977 to 1980. He played on one of the great UH teams of all time, the 1979 squad that went 11-1 and finished #5 in the polls.

He is #5 on the UH all time career quarterback sacks (22) list and #1 incareer forced fumbles (10). He also led team in sacks in 1977 with 8.

Mitchell was a consensus All-American in 1980 and 1st Team All-Southwest Conference in 1979 and 1980.

After his college career, he was selected in the 1st round (#27) by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1981 NFL Draft. He played for the Eagles from 1981 to 1986 and for the Atlanta Falcons in 1987.

Today's card is the 1985 Eagles Team Issue #33. As the name implies, this set was issued by the Philadelphia Eagles. I don't know if team issue sets in general are rare, but they don't seem to come to market as often as mainstream cards. And as the team sets get older, they become even more difficult to find. Out of the 101 cards in my checklist listed as Team Issue, I've only seen 4 of them, about 4%. Overall, I have images of 35.6% of the checklist.

1986-87 Fax-Pax #7 Nick Faldo

2010-08-02T07:40:00.001-05:00

Today's player is a little controversial, Nick Faldo. Faldo is one of the greatest golfers of all time and he did play golf for the University of Houston. So where's the controversy?

He attended the University of Houston for only 10 weeks. As far as I can tell, he only participated in one tournament as a Cougar. He became frustrated that going to class was cutting into his golf practice time. So he left UH to focus on golf full time.

So what do you do with a player like Faldo? Do you claim him as a Cougar?

How about players like Randy Brown in basketball or Barrick Nealy in football who transferred out? I've included them in my checklists so my list will be as complete as possible. They did play for UH so I think they belong.

What about coaches of UH athletes who didn't play at UH? Coaches like head coaches Bill Yeoman and Jack Pardee or current assistant coach Jim Jeffcoat. Should those be included?

Or even more of a disconnect from UH athletics: what about someone who has a degree from UH, but who never played or coached for UH? Tom Landry falls into that category even though he is usually associated with UT because he played football there.

I've been hit and miss on these, including Yeoman and Pardee, but excluding Jeffcoat and Landry. I think I should list them all to be fully comprehensive.

What do you think? I'd love to get your feedback so PLEASE COMMENT.

1987 Dolphins Police #11 T J Turner

2010-08-01T07:21:00.001-05:00

Today's card is the 1987 Dolphins Police #11 featuring T J Turner. Police sets are often created to be handed out at community events or as a fundraiser.

This set was sponsored by Kiwanis, Children's Center of Fair Oaks Hospital at Boca/Delray, the Dolphins, and area law enforcement agencies

1988-89 Trail Blazers Franz #6 Rolando Ferreira

2010-07-31T07:18:00.001-05:00

Rolando Ferreira played center for the University of Houston basketball team for two seasons, 1986-87 and 1987-88. He was co-captain with Richard Hollis of the 1987-88 team that was an NIT participant.

Ferriera was a very solid defensive player for the Cougars:
#9 in UH career blocked shots average (1.6)
Led team in rebounds (6.8) and blocked shots (1.6) in 1987-88
Led team in free throw percentage (.735) in 1986-87

For his efforts, he was named to the 1998 Southwest Conference All-Defensive Team.

After his college career, Rolando was selected by the Portland Trailblazers in the 2nd round of the 1988 NBA Draft. He played 12 games for the Blazers in the 1988-89 season. He was the first Brazilian to play in the NBA.

He was also an outstanding international player. He played for the Brazilian national team for 12 years. He played for Brazil in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics and in 3 FIBA World Championships. He was a member of the 1987 team that won the 1987 Pan American Games over the USA team.

Today's card is the 1988-89 Trail Blazers Franz #6. This set was produced by Fleer for Franz Bread. The backs are printed in pink and red on white card stock.

1989 Pro Set #101 Simon Fletcher

2010-07-30T12:46:00.002-05:00

Simon Fletcher was a defensive end for the University of Houston from 1982 to 1984. That 1984 Cougar team was co-champion of the Southwest Conference.

After his college career, he was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 2nd round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He played for the Broncos from 1985 to 1995. Fletcher is tied with DeMarcus Ware for the NFL record for most games in a row with a sack (10). He also holds the Broncos' record for career sacks (97.5)

Today's card is the 1989 Pro Set #101. I know Pro Set cards were ridiculously overproduced so they have little monetary value, but I still love their look.

Another thing I like about Pro Set cards is the size of the sets. This 1989 set had a total of 561 cards. The 1990 set had 801 cards. Because of the size of these sets, pretty much every starter, some of the backups, and the coaches were all featured on cards.

Today's cards are so focused on stars that positional players like linemen and non-stars in other positions like defensive back are rarely featured. If you like to collect only stars, the current format is great. If you have other collecting goals like players from a certain college or all of the active players on a pro roster, you may be out of luck.

I understand the economics of this. Cards have become so expensive that a collector may feel cheated if the monetary value of a card is too low because of the player featured. It's just a shame that this is the case. But manufacturers generally try to give the public what they want, so we have only ourselves to blame.

1990 Topps #495 James Dixon

2010-07-29T08:04:00.002-05:00

The University of Houston has a long history of great wide receivers. One of those Cougar greats is James Dixon who played at UH from 1987 to 1988 after coming from Cisco Junior College.

Dixon teamed up with Jason Phillips to form one of the greatest wide receiving duos in NCAA history. They were the first two wide receivers to have 1,000 yards receiving on the same team. They also were the first teammates to be 1st and 2nd in receptions per game.

He has some amazing statistics as a receiver:
#7 in game receptions (15 vs Rice 11/26/88)
#6 in season receptions (102 in 1988)
#9 in season receiving yards (1,103 in 1988)
Tied for 6th in season receiving TDs (11 in 1988)
#7 in career receptions 161

He was also a great kick returner:
#8 in longest kickoff return (94 yards vs SHSU 9/26/87)
#6 in season kickoff return average (27.4 in 1987)
#4 in career kickoff return average 25.3

He was named 2nd Team All American in 1988 as well as 1st Team All Southwest Conference.

He was not drafted in the NFL. In 1988, he played for the Fort Worth Cavalry in the Arena Football League. But he did get a chance to play in the NFL after that, playing for the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 to 1991.

Today's card is the 1990 Topps #495. This is one of the last old school low end card styles. Looking at the card back, you can see why cards are called cardboard even though the stock has greatly improved since then. As we continue to move backwards through the years, you'll see more and more of this style and less diversity of design.

1991 Star Pics #19 Alvaro Teheran

2010-07-28T08:09:00.002-05:00

After playing at Houston Baptist, Alvaro Teheran played basketball for the University of Houston in 19989-90 and 1990-91. In those 2 seasons he scored 591 points as a Cougar. He also led the team in blocked shots in 1990-91 with 1.8 per game.

For his efforts, Alvaro was named 2nd Team All Southwest Conference and SWC All-Defensive Team in 1991

He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft, but did not play in the NBA.

Today's card is the 1991 Star Pics #19. It is also available in autographed and medallion variations.

Several new companies and products featuring only draft picks and prospects hit the stores around this time. I love these products because I'm a bigger fan of college sports than pro sports, but I understand that I'm in the minority.

1992 Pro Set - UH Golfers

2010-07-27T07:29:00.000-05:00

The University of Houston golf program is one of the most successful sports programs in collegiate history. The Cougars have won 16 team national championships and 8 individual national championships. UH has also had 44 All Americans.

Today I'm just going to overload a post with players and cards. This is just a sampling of the greats who have gone to UH. Not all of the players spent their entire collegiate careers at UH, but they all spent some time there.

All of the cards are from the 1992 Pro Set.

1992 Pro Set #11 Billy Ray Brown

1992 Pro Set #31 Steve Elkington

1992 Pro Set #90 Brad Fabel

1992 Pro Set #92 Blaine McCallister

1992 Pro Set #228 Phil Rodgers

1992 Pro Set #18 Mike Smith

1992 Pro Set #137 Mike Standly

1992 Pro Set #215 Rocky Thompson

1992 Pro Set #161 Tray Tyner

1992 Pro Set #56 Bobby Wadkins

1992 Pro Set #259 Kermit Zarley

1993 JOGO #218 Manny Hazard

2010-07-26T07:54:00.001-05:00

In my opinion, today's player is one of the most underrated and forgotten football players in University of Houston history, Emannuel "Manny" Hazard. He only played 2 seasons at UH, but one of those years was one of the greatest in NCAA history.

In 1989, he caught 142 passes. That was an NCAA record until last year when Bowling Green's Freddie Barnes caught 155 passes. Of course, Barnes took 13 games to do it while Hazard only took 11. So Manny caught 12.9 receptions per game while Barnes had 11.9 per game.

His name is all over the UH and NCAA record books.

NCAA records
#3 season TD receptions (22 in 1989)
#1 career catches per game (10.5)
#4 career yards per game (125.5)

UH records
Tied for #1 game receptions (19 twice)
#1 game receiving TDs (5 vs Baylor 1989)

#1 season receptions (142 in 1989)
#1 season yards receiving (1689 in 1989)
#1 season receiving TDs (22 in 1989)
#1 season TDs (22 in 1989)
#1 season points scored (134 in 1989)
Tied for #1 season 200 yard receiving games (2)

#3 career receptions (220)
#6 career receiving yards (2365)
#2 career receiving TDs (31)
Tied #4 career TDs (31)
#9 career scoring (192)
Tied for #1 career 200 yard receiving games (3)

He was co-captain of the 1990 team that went 10-1.

Manny was named 1st team All American in 1989 and 3rd team All American in 1990. We was 1st team All Southwest Conference in both 1989 and 1990 and he was named SWC Newcomer of the Year in 1989.

After his college career, he played several years in the Canadian Football League for the Birmingham Barracudas, Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Shreveport Pirates.

Today's card is the 1993 JOGO #218. These Canadian cards generally aren't as nice as their American counterparts (although they have improved over the years), but it is nice to have cards for members of our Cougar family, regardless of the league they're playing in.

1994-95 Flair #55 Carl Herrera

2010-07-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

Carl Herrera only played basketball for one season at the University of Houston coming from Jacksonville Junior College. That season was 1989-90.

Carl was an all around player. He led the team in scoring (16.7), field goal percentage (.565), free throw percentage (.804), rebounding (9.2), and blocked shots (2.0).

He is in the Career Top 10 in field goal percentage and free throw percentage and Season Top 10 in free throws made.

He was named 1st Team All Southwest Conference and Southwest Conference Newcomer of the Year. He was also an All American Honorable Mention.

Herrera left after his junior year and was selected by the Miami Heat in the 2nd round of the 1990 NBA draft. His NBA career lasted 8 years, his first 4 with the Houston Rockets including both championship seasons. He then played 3 years for the San Antonio Spurs. His final season was split between the Vancouver Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets.

He also competed in the 1992 Olympics for Venezuela with fellow Cougar David Diaz.

Today's card is the 1994-95 Flair #55. This was still in the early days of transitioning from basic products to higher end products. While I thought some of the new products looked nice, at the time, I still wasn't convinced that they were worth the extra money. But when I saw Flair, I found a product worth the extra money.

First there was the card stock. It was 3 or 4 times thicker than regular card stock. That thickness gave the card some weight and strength that other cards didn't have.

Next it had the multiple quality pictures that went to the edge of the card, no borders. A few other brands had that, but it wasn't common and it looks great.

It also had liberal use of gold foil. That seems a little cheesy and basic these days, but at the time very few products had it.

It was just a great looking product in its first year.

Case Keenum Cards

2010-07-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

A special bonus today to break up the countdown. Let's talk about Case Keenum cards.

One of my many followers (OK, I have 2 public followers. If you want to follow this blog, click the Follow link at the top of the page) sent me an e-mail recently with a very interesting card. It is what appears to be a 2009 Topps Heisman Watch card.

I was intrigued. I didn't think that cards could feature active players. So I did a little more research. I checked Topps' website and found nothing. I checked Beckett's site and found nothing.

Finally I checked eBay and found this listing. In the description, it states this is an ACEO card.

If you're not familiar with ACEO, it stands for Art Cards, Editions, and Originals. Most frequently ACEO cards are drawings, paintings, or prints that are on card stock and are the size of baseball cards. I have a few myself, little miniature pieces of artwork that you can collect, trade, or display.

But as an ACEO, I think this card is an original creation, not a Topps card. It looks sharp though, better than some of the designs I've seen from card manufacturers. There are people who make very high quality, non-licensed cards and sets, sometimes of cards that were never made that should have been or designs they'd like to see. This card may fall into that category.

If you're aware of this and know what you're buying, that's great. It's a nice looking card. If not, I think it's a little questionable by the seller to not make it more clear, especially since in the description it states the manufacturer is Topps.

As far as I know, there are no Case Keenum cards made by any of the card manufacturers. I'm looking forward to seeing plenty of them next season though.

There is another Case Keenum card of which I'm aware. UH Professor Simon Bott released Cougar Cards to students at school activities last year. In that set was a Case Keenum card.

Dr. Bott said he plans on releasing another set this year, so UH students should be on the lookout for them. He said there may be fewer student athletes this year due to some logistical issues, but anything that promotes the university and increases our knowledge of our school should be treasured.

1995 Collector's Edge Rookies Black Label 22K Gold #7 Billy Milner

2010-07-24T07:18:00.005-05:00

Today's Cougar is another offensive lineman, Billy Milner. He played for the University of Houston from 1993 to 1994. He was co-captain of the 1994 team along with Clay Helton, Mike Meux, and Alfred Young.

In his senior season, he was named Honorable Mention All American by Football News and Second Team All Southwest Conference.

Milner was selected by the Miami Dolphins at #25 in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft. His career started well playing 16 games and starting 9 as a rookie for the Dolphins. Unfortunately his career didn't pan out after that. He only played one more season after that, playing in 4 games for the Dolphins and 10 games for the Saint Louis Rams in 1996.

Today's card is the 1995 Collector's Edge Rookies Black Label 22K Gold #7. Other Collector's Edge Rookies variations include the base card, 22K Gold, and Black Label.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I love cards featuring players in their UH uniform. So what do I think of today's card?

I'm very conflicted by this card. That's a Cougar uniform, but where's the interlocking UH? Either this is a practice/all star game uniform or more likely, this card wasn't licensed by the NCAA and/or UH, so no logo. This isn't uncommon.

I think I actually prefer the pro uniform and logo more than a modified, airbrushed UH uniform.

1996 Score Board Autographed Collection Autographs #21 Jimmy Herndon

2010-07-23T08:03:00.003-05:00

Jimmy Herndon played offensive lineman for the Cougars from 1992 to 1995. Unfortunately for offensive lineman, they don't publish many stats for them, but we can look at some of the awards he won to consider how good a player he was at UH.

Jimmy was named 2nd team All-Southwest Conference in 1993 and 1994. In 1995, he made 1st team All-SWC.

On top of his conference awards, he was named 3rd team All American by College Sports Magazine and was named Honorable Mention by the UPI.

Herndon was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 5th round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played 8 seasons in the NFL, 1 with the Jaguars, 5 with the Chicago Bears, and 2 with the Houston Texans.

Today's card is the 1996 Score Board Autographed Collection Autographs #21. There is also a Gold variation hand numbered and limited to 350 cards. Both versions feature an autograph.

The best part of the card is that he is featured in a UH uniform. It's great to see any Cougar on a card, but to me it is extra to see them in their UH uniform. Someone should create a list of all cards featuring UH players and indicate if they're in their UH uniform. That would be a nice set to collect.

1997 Pacific Prisms Gems of the Diamond #GD19 Vaughn Eshelman

2010-07-22T07:53:00.001-05:00

Vaughn Eshelman pitched for the University of Houston from 1990 to 1991. Those were very solid years for UH baseball as the Coogs went 44-23 in 1990 and 37-19 in 1991.

Vaughn led the team in strikeouts in 1991 with 78. He also threw 2 one hitters for the Cougars.

Eshelman was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 4th round of the 1991 MLB Draft. He played for 10 Minor League teams over 8 seasons. He also pitched 3 seasons in the Major Leagues for the Boston Red Sox from 1995-1997, going 15-9.

Today's card is the 1997 Pacific Prisms Gems of the Diamond #GD19. The style is very much like early '90s cards. Very nice.

1998 Bowman #217 Dustin Carr

2010-07-21T07:24:00.002-05:00

Today's player is another four year letterman at the University of Houston, Dustin Carr. He played center field for the Cougars from 1994 to 1996 and third base in 1997.

In 1997, he led the team and the league with 32 doubles and 108 hits. He also was named 3rd Team All-American, 1st Team All-Conference USA, and shared Team MVP. Later, he was named third baseman on Rayner Noble's All Decade Team.

Season UH records:
#1 in runs (80 in 1997)
#1 in hits (108 in 1997)
#1 in doubles (32 in 1997)
#8 in batting average (.399 in 1997)
#2 in total bases (177 in 1997)

Career UH records:
#4 in runs (161)
#4 in hits (225)
#2 in doubles (51)
#5 in total bases (337)
#6 in steals (54)

Dustin was selected by Tampa Bay in the 22nd round of the 1997 MLB draft. He played five seasons for four Minor League teams, but never made it to the Majors.

Today's cards is the 1998 Bowman #217 and several of its variations. Yesterday I said that one of the good things about collecting these days is that there is something for every collector's taste. The number of variations can also be considered a negative. In the case of today's card, there are nine variations of the same card: Base, Golden Anniversary, International, Chrome, Chrome Golden Anniversary, Chrome International, Chrome Refractors, Chrome Golden Anniversary Refractors, and Chrome International factors.

In some cases there are even more variations. Refractors often come in a rainbow of colors, the only difference being the border color and the print run. One of the funniest jokes is that someday there will be a set where there are so many variations that every card will be a one of one. To me, that's just a little too much.

Base

Chrome

Chrome International

Chrome International Refractor

1999 Topps Chrome #119 Jason McDonald

2010-07-20T07:25:00.001-05:00

Jason McDonald played just one season for the University of Houston after coming from Sacramento City College. He was the Cougars' shortstop in 1993.

He was selected by the Oakland A's in the 4th round of the 1993 MLB Draft. He played for the A's Minor League clubs until he was called up in 1997 to play outfield. He continued to bounce between the Major and Minor leagues for the A's until 1999. In 2000, he played for the Rangers' Minor League teams and for the Major League team. He played a couple more seasons in the Minors before his career ended.

Today's card is the 1999 Topps Chrome #119. I'm not a big fan of Chrome cards. I think they detract from the picture which should be the focus of the card. But some people absolutely love Chrome. While I love the simplicity of the old days of card collecting, one of the positives of the modern era is that there is something for almost every collector regardless of their tastes.

2000 SP Top Prospects First Impressions Gold #GG Gee Gervin

2010-07-19T08:30:00.001-05:00

Being the son of a legend must really have its positives and negatives. Positive: You get to do things, go to places, and meet people the average person doesn't. Negative: People may expect the same talents, interests, and levels of success as the father.

The son of NBA legend George "The Iceman" Gervin, Gee Gervin may not be an NBA Hall of Famer, but he is definitely a Cougar great.

Gee played for the University of Houston in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. He was team co-captain both years. He led the team in scoring (both seasons), 3 point percentage (1998-99), free throw percentage (both years), assists (both years), and steals (1998-99). Despite playing on losing teams both seasons, he was All-Conference USA 1st Team both years. He was the first Cougar to be named 1st Team All CUSA in 1998-99, probably because he was the first player to lead the conference in both points and assists. He was even named All American Honorable Mention in 1999.

Gee never made it to the NBA, but he has been playing professionally. He played in the ABA for the Detroit Dogs and won the first-ever ABA Championship Game MVP Award. He played in the International Basketball Association, in Mexico, in Cyprus, and for the Harlem Globetrotters. Most recently in 2009-10, he played for the Norrkoping Dolphins in the Swedish league.

Today's card is the 2000 SP Top Prospects First Impressions Gold #GG. It features a picture of Gervin in his UH uniform and an on card autograph. The Gold variation is limited to 25 cards and is hand numbered. The base variation is not numbered.

2001 Fleer Platinum #248 Alton Ford

2010-07-18T08:27:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you wish a player could just hang around a little longer. Alton Ford is one of those guys. Coming to the University of Houston as a High School All American and the Texas High School Player of the Year, expectations were high.

Ford showed flashes of that greatness as a Freshman. He played in 26 games and started 18, including the last 7 where he led the team in scoring and rebounding. His 10.8 points per game ranked him #7 in all-time Freshman scoring and his 5.9 rebounds per game ranked #5 for Freshman. He was even named to the 4th team All American on one list.

But because expectations were so high, they weren't met and areas of improvement were noticeable. But instead of staying in school to improve, he declared for the NBA draft. He was selected by the Phoenix in the 2nd round, played for the Suns in 2001-02 and 2002-03. He then played for the Houston Rockets in 2003-04.

After leaving the NBA, he has played in French, Chinese, Polish, and Bosnian leagues as well as the NBA's D-League.

If he had stayed at UH, would he have been a college star? Would he have developed more in college and been a better pro? We'll never know. But what we do know is that we love our Coogs whether they were at UH for a short time or 4+ years, whether they are Hall of Famers or don't play a minute in the pros. They are part of our Cougar family.

Toay's card is the 2001 Fleer Platinum #248. The design is based on the famous 1986-87 Fleer set which features rookie cards of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler as well as an Otis Birdsong card. If you want to do a retro card in basketball with a recognizable design, this set is the obvious choice.

2002 USA Baseball National Team Signatures #SN Shane Nance

2010-07-17T07:23:00.001-05:00

Several pitchers at the University of Houston have had one great season, or maybe even two or three. But few if any had a four year career like Shane Nance. He played baseball at UH from 1997-2000. Not only was he a starting pitcher, but he was also a designated hitter.

As a freshman, he made Collegiate Baseball's 1st team Freshman All-American list.

He was 1st team All Conference USA in 1998 and 2nd team All Conference in 1999 and 2000. He was Team MVP in 1998 and was named to Rayner Noble's All Decade team.

Shane Nance's UH Accomplishments:
#1 career wins (32)
#1 career innings pitched (411.1)
Tied for #7 career complete games (12)
Tied for #3 career shutouts (5)
#5 season strikeouts (119 in 1999) & #7 (106 in 1997)
Led team in ERA in 1997 (4.53), 1998 (2.96), and 2000 (2.31)
Led team in victories in 1998 (9)
Led team in strikeouts in 1997 (106), 1998 (93), and 1999 (119)

Nance was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2000 MLB draft. He played for 7 minor league teams. Shane also had limited appearances in three seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Unfortunately he never stuck in the Majors and retired in 2005.

While at UH, he also played for the USA National Team in 1998 and 1999. His time on the national team is the inspiration for today's card, the 2002 USA Baseball National Team Signatures #SN. Limited to 375 cards, it features Shane in his Team USA uniform and includes an autograph.

2003 Leaf Rookies and Stars #198 and Leaf Rookies and Stars Longevity #198 Hanik Milligan

2010-07-16T05:21:00.000-05:00

Today's featured player is Hanik Milligan. He played for the University of Houston football team from 2000-2002.

Some of his highlights:
Tied for #4 in tackles in a game (22 vs TCU in 2001)
#2 in season tackles (174 in 2001) and #7 (149 in 2002)
#3 in season solo tackles (102 in 2001)
Tied for #4 in season tackle assists (77 in 2002)
#3 in career tackles (405)
#5 in career solo tackles (235)
#5 in career tackle assists (170)
Tied for #5 in career fumble recoveries (5)
#2 in career forced fumbles (9)
Led team in interceptions in 2000 with 5.
Led team in tackles in 2001 and 2002.

For his efforts, he was named 2nd Team All Conference USA in 2001 and 1st team All Conference in 2002.

He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 6th round of the 2003 NFL Draft. played for the Chargers from 2003-2005, the Arizona Cardinals in 2006, and the St Louis Rams in 2007. In 2005, he was selected as to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro temas as a special teams player.

His older brother Hamin also played for the Cougars from 2000-2001. Although he didn't make it to the NFL, he did play for five Arena Football League teams and does have a couple of AFL cards, 2006 Upper Deck AFL #59 and 2006 Upper Deck AFL Gold #59. Sorry, I don't have any pictures of those cards for you.

Today's card is the 2003 Leaf Rookies and Stars #198 and the Longevity variation which is restricted to 50 cards. The graphics are a little busy for my tastes, but I'm more of an old school, simple design guy. I do give bonus points for graphics matching the team colors. I also think that the base card is more attractive than the Longevity variation. That's probably because I like the color coordinated graphics though

2004 Bowman Heritage #287 Jesse Crain and #306 Brad Sullivan

2010-07-15T00:09:00.000-05:00

A special 2 for 1 today! Not because these players don't deserve their own posts, but because we'll be looking at the same cards for both players.

The first player is Jesse Crain. He played at the University of Houston in 2002 coming from San Jacinto Junior College. He had a huge impact that one season though playing both shortstop and relief pitcher.

He led the team in saves in 2002 with 10. That is good enough to be 3rd on the UH season save list and 5th in career saves. He is also 2nd in consecutive shutout innings (35.2)

His amazing season won him several honors. He was team MVP. He was the 1st player in school and Conference USA history to be named 1st team All-Conference at two positions. He was also named as a 1st team All American and made Rayner Noble's All Decade Team (1995-2004) as a Relief Pitcher.

After his Cougar career, Crain was 2nd round pick in the 2002 MLB draft by Minnesota. He has played for Twins from 2004 to present.

You can also check out his website.

The second player is Brad Sullivan. Brad player for the Cougars from 2001-2003 and was a dominating starting pitcher who holds several UH pitching records.

#1 wins in a season (13 in 2002)
#1 strikeouts in a game (16 three times)
#1 strikeouts in a season (157 in 2002)
#1 career strikeouts (409)
#1 career strikeouts per nine innings (10.6)
#3 career wins (25)
#9 career ERA (2.64)
Tied #1 season wins (13 in 2002)
#9 season ERA (1.82 in 2002)
#3 Consecutive Shutout Innings Pitched (30.2)
#3 season strikeouts per nine innings (11.2 in 2003) and #5 (11.0 in 2002)

Sullivan led team in ERA and victories in 2001 and 2002. And he led team in strikeouts and innings pitched in 2001, 2002, and 2003.

He was given several awards for his magnificent efforts:
Freshman All American and All Conference 2001
CUSA pitcher of the year 2002
1st consensus All-American in UH and Conference USA history in 2002
All Conference 1st team for 3 years (2001-2003)
Rayner Noble's All Decade Team (1995-2004)

He was selected in the first round (#25) of the 2003 draft by Oakland. Unfortunately he never got to pitch in the Major Leagues.

Today's cards are the 2004 Bowman Heritage #287 and #306. The card design is based on the 1955 Bowman design which was previously posted featuring Bill Henry. The design is identical with the exception of the Bowman Heritage logo being added. As usual, there are variations. There are black and white and mahogany variations as wells printing plates.

2005 Greats of the Game #155 Andre Owens

2010-07-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

Andre Owens played basketball for the University of Houston from 2002 to 2005. He was one of the team's leaders since his first game as a Cougar where he was the high scorer. He had a very solid career at UH.

Career stats
Points: 1,407 Avg 16.2
3-Pointers Made: 227 (a career high for UH at the time)
Career high points: 41 (1 of 11 Coogs to score 40+)

Team leader
Scoring: 2003-04 (16.0) and 2004-05 (18.3, also led Conference USA)
Free throw percentage: 2002-03 (.764) and 2003-04 (.733)
Assists: 2002-03 (3.2)
Steals: 2002-03 (0.9) and 2003-04 (1.2)
Three Pointers Attempted: 2002-03 (198) and 2003-04 (197)
Three Pointers Made: 2003-03 (65), 2003-04 (62), and 2004-05 (100)

He was team co-captain in 2003-04 (with Marcus Oliver) and 2004-05 (with Lanny Smith). For his efforts in the 2004-05 season, he was named All Conference USA 2nd Team.

As an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Utah Jazz for the 2005-06 season where in played in 23 games. He played 31 games for the India Pacers in the 2007-08 season. Since then he has played in Serbia, Turkey, and Russia.

Today's card is the 2005 Greats of the Game #155, one of Owens' rookie cards. This card has a limited production of 99. There is also a gold variation limited to 25.

I have mixed opinions on the design of this card. I really like that the card is designed to make the player's photograph the focal point. But to do that, almost all color is removed from the card. The background of the photo is grayed out to a distorted black and white. Then you have a border that's a gray/silver overlay of a parquet floor. An odd choice because when I think of parquet floors, I don't think of gray. Finally with the exception of the red Fleer logo, all of the other text and graphics are black and white. Add it all together with a white basketball uniform with a primarily black team logo, and this card is essentially colorless.

2006 Bazooka Rewind Relics #RWA Ryan Wagner

2010-07-13T00:33:00.001-05:00

Today's player is an all-time Cougar great baseball player, relief pitcher Ryan Wagner. He played for the University of Houston from 2002 to 2003. His 2003 season was spectacular and the Cougars won the College Station regional, losing to eventual champion Rice.

He led the team in ERA with a 1.93 (excluding pitchers who pitched less than 10 innings). He went 6-5.

His impact on the UH record books:

#1 in strikeouts per 9 innings for a season (16.8 in 2003). This is also an NCAA record.

#1 in appearances in a season (38 in 2003)

#1 in saves in a season (15 in 2003)

#4 in strikeouts in a season (148 in 2003)

#2 in holds in a season (5 in 2002)

#1 in career saves (16)

#7 in career strikeouts (213)

#6 in career holds (6)

He also holds several postseason records.

He was named All American and 2nd team All Conference (behind teammate Brad Sullivan). He was also named to the 1995-2005 Rayner Noble All Decade Team.

He was selected #14 by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round of the 2003 MLB draft. He played in his first Major League game later that year. This made him the 1st player in UH, CUSA, and Cincinnati Reds history to play in the Major Leagues during the same year he was drafted.

He played for the Reds from 2003-2005 and the Washington Nationals from 2006-2007. In 2007 he suffered a shoulder injury and was never the same player again. He announced his retirement in 2009.

Today's card in the 2006 Bazooka Rewind Relics #RWA. There are so many things I do not like about this card. First, the design on the front of the card takes up so much space that it detracts from the player who should be the focus.

Next, the cut out to display the jersey piece. The small triangles become the focus instead of the jersey piece. I give them credit for trying to be creative with a different concept. It just fell short.

The final problem is the jersey piece itself. Most of the card emphasizes the achievement on a particular day. Although it does not say so, you get the feeling that the relic was from that day. But on the back, it states "The relic contained on this card is not from any specific event, game or season." So not only is it possibly not from that game, it may not be from that season. Even worse, it may not be from any game at all. It may be from an event. Maybe he wore the jersey at practice or even at an autograph signing session or meet and greet. So much for "Topps pledges to bring you closer to the game and its leading players from the past, present and the future." If they don't know if the jersey is from a game, season, or event, how do they even know it is real?

Relic/jersey cards are very cool things, but using random jerseys from unknown non-game related events just so you can claim jersey pieces are in your cards make all jersey cards, even legitimate game worn ones, less desirable.

2007 Leaf Limited Printing Plates Cyan #245 Biren Ealy

2010-07-12T00:10:00.001-05:00

Today's card is the 2007 Leaf Limited Printing Plates Cyan #245 featuring Biren Ealy. I don't own many rare cards, but this one is actually in my collection. It is the only one of its kind, a 1 of 1.

For those who don't collect cards, printing plates are one of the rarest cards available. These really aren't cards. They are the plates used by the card manufacturers to print the cards. Instead of paper, they are generally made of aluminum.

Four different plates are used to create a card. There are cards to apply cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. For this reason, some people debate whether a printing plate is actually a 1 of 1 card or just four variations. In my opinion, as long as people are considering different color variations, refractors, superfractors, xfractors, etc as different cards, then each individual printing plate must be treated as a separate card since they do not look the same.

Some critics also say that printing plates aren't very attractive. They're right. Plates aren't as attractive as a well done card. But I must admit, knowing that I own a card that no one else in the world has is a pretty cool feeling.

2008 Extreme Sports CFL #99 Joffrey Reynolds

2010-07-11T00:10:00.002-05:00

Sometimes good and even great players play for bad teams. Often the achievements of these players are ignored. Maybe fans have trouble believing that any good came out of a bad season. Maybe fans just want to forget everything that happened during a bad season. But we need to recognize great players and achievements regardless of the season.

Joffrey Reynolds is one of those players. Playing from 1999-2002, Reynolds only had one season with a winning record, 7-4 in 1999. He played for possibly the worse team in UH history, the 0-11 2001 team. But don't let that diminish his achievements.

Joffrey's name is all over the Cougar record books. His biggest record is probably the 300 yards rushing effort vs ECU on 11/9/02. He is the only Cougar running back to ever break the 300 yard mark.

Other records and important stats:

Most carries in a game 41 (11/9/02 vs ECU and 11/30/02 vs Louisville). Also 8th most in a game (34 vs Army in 2000)

Most carries in a season (316 in 2002)

Tied for 5th for most points scored in a game (24 on 11/9/02 vs ECU)

4th in 100 yard games (13)

4th in rushing yards in a season (1545 in 2002)

Tied for 9th in rushing TDs in a season (11 in 2002)

4th in career rushing yards (2947)

2nd in career carries (618)

Tied for 5th in career rushing TDs (23)

Tied for 10th in career TDs (26)

7th in career total yards (3674)

Led team in rushing yards in 2000 (534), 2001 (818), and 2002 (1545)

Led team in scoring in 2001 (50) and 2002 (78)

9th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 128.75. (1545 yards in 12 games)

He also received several honors as a player. He was named CNNSI Honorable Mention All American and 1st team All Conference USA in 2002. He was also Co-Captain of the 2002 team.

In 2003, as an undrafted free agent, he signed with the St Louis Rams. In that season, he returned 6 kickoffs for 109 yards in 4 games.

He then moved on to the Canadian Football League and has played for Calgary Stampeders from 2004 to present. He has had an amazing career in the CFL. Some of his accomplishments include:

4 time CFL All Star (2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009)

5 time Western Division All Star (2005-2009)

Led league in rushing in 2008 (1310 yards) and helped lead the team to a Grey Cup Championship

Led league in rushing in 2009 (1504 yards)

Going into the 2010 season, he needed 760 yards to become the career rushing leader for the Stampeders

He's still playing at a very high level in the CFL so if you get a chance, watch some of his games to get you ready for the start of the UH season.

Today's card is the 2008 Extreme Sports CFL #99. He's looking great in a red uniform. (Can we start the whole red pants/white pants uniform debate?) But that team logo is driving me crazy. That horse is identical to SMU's mustang.

2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Collegiate Patches Autographs #30 Donnie Joseph

2010-07-10T00:10:00.000-05:00

Today's featured player is Donnie Joseph, another relative newcomer to the card world.

Joseph played for the Cougars from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, he was second on the team in ERA at 2.16. He led the team in saves (11), strikeouts (75), appearances (31), games finished (18), and games in relief (30).

He was drafted by the Cincinnati Red in the 3rd round of the 2009 MLB draft. In 2009, he played for the Billings Mustangs and the Dayton Dragons. In 2010, he has played for the Dayton Dragons and the Lynchburg Hillcats.

Today's card is the 2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Collegiate Patches Autographs #30. It is limited to 125 cards. The card features a manufactured patch (a patch created specifically for a card, not pulled from a game/event used jersey) that has the fat UH logo. It has a picture of Donnie in his Houston uniform. It also features his autograph.

I'm not generally a fan of manufactured patches, and autographs on fabric are never crisp, but it's the UH logo so that's a positive. Also the picture is awkwardly cut up to insert the patch.

The back features a differently cropped version of the front picture, the UH logo, and an overview of his final season as a Cougar.

2010 Topps Pro Debut #210 Bryan Pounds

2010-07-09T00:18:00.000-05:00

Bryan Pounds is the latest Cougar to be featured on a card.

Bryan played for the University of Houston from 2005 to 2008. The highlight of his Cougar career was his play in the 2008 Conference USA tournament. He was the MVP of that tournament leading his team to a Conference Tournament Championship.

He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 34th round of the 2008 Major League Draft.

In 2008, he played for the Oneonta Tigers. In 2009, he played for the West Michigan Whitecaps. And in 2010, he has played for the GCL Tigers and the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Today's card is the 2010 Topps Pro Debut #210. As usual, there are multiple variations including the base card, the blue card (numbered to 259), the gold card (numbered to 50), the red card (numbered to 1), and four printing plates.

This is a nice looking card. Very clean and simple design. Nice action photograph catching him at the end of his swing. Some foil on his name and the Topps logo, enough to highlight, but not enough to detract from the image. Of the variations I've seen, I think the blue looks best. I'm sure I would like the red more because I love seeing my Coogs in red.

Base Card

Blue Variation

Gold Variation

Checklist Update

2010-07-07T21:17:00.003-05:00

We have a checklist update. Please see the checklist section to the left.

Since it has been so long since the last checklist update, 695 cards have been added. But not only do we have new cards, but 26 players have been added. 45 players had cards added to the list. New cards are highlighted on the card list. Newly listed players and players with additional cards are highlighted on the player list.

2 baseball players were added: Donnie Joseph and Bryan Pounds. 24 golfers were added. I won't list them all here.

Enjoy, and as usual, if you know of any players or cards not listed, please let me know and I will get them added.

I'm back

2010-07-07T21:00:00.002-05:00

Inspired by an act of kindness by a University of Houston professor, I'm back. I'm starting with updated checklists, and I will posting an update very soon. Yes, I have been keeping track of everything.

BIG NEWS! Starting Friday, I'll be doing a daily update with at least one card every day counting back the years. So on Friday, I'll be starting with a card from 2010, and I will continue all the way back to the first year a card featuring a Cougar was issued, 1954. The countdown will end just in time for the first football game of the year. When possible, I will feature players not previously listed on the blog before.

I still have bigger hopes and dreams for this blog and a website, and I have been working towards those goals in the background, but it's time to do something to promote UH now instead of waiting.

1981 Donruss #46 Fuzzy Zoeller

2010-01-02T21:50:00.000-06:00

The University of Houston golf program is one of the legendary athletic programs in NCAA history. 16 NCAA championships and some of the biggest names in golf are part of the UH legacy.

Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller Jr is one of those big names. Fuzzy came from Edison Junior College and only played one season for the Cougars, 1973. Unfortunately the 1973 season was not a championship year as UH came in second. Zoeller was not a big player for UH though since he didn't even compete during the championship match. That year Bill Rogers was first team All American and Bruce Lietzke made the All American Second team.

Zoeller did have a big impact on the PGA tour though going pro in 1974. He is one of only three players to win the Masters in his first appearance there (1979). He also won the US open in 1984. In 1985, he won the Bob Jones award.

I'm personally intrigued by a venture he started in 2009, Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka. The vodka is getting rave reviews. Sounds like something I need to try.

Today's card is the 1981 Donruss #46. Early '80s cards in general for all sports appear to have a low quality compared to cards of today, but this increase in competition with Topps and willingness to try new designs improved quality and design in the long run.

Happpy New Year

2010-01-02T20:12:00.000-06:00

OK! It's the new year. Time to get serious about posting again.

2009 SP Threads #187, 2009 SPx, SPx Rookies Silver, and SPx Rookies Silver Holofoil #179, and 2009 Upper Deck #254 Sebastian Vollmer

2009-11-22T21:35:00.000-06:00

Yeah! Sebastian Vollmer cards are available. I'm a little surprised. Offensive linemen generally don't have the most sought after cards so card manufacturers don't produce many of them. Add that Vollmer isn't from a high profile school and wasn't a high profile player (he wasn't invited to the NFL combine), and it's even more surprising that he has cards. Maybe his fascinating story helped.

Sebastian is from Germany and didn't even play football until he was 14 years old. When he came to UH, he spoke little English and was a tight end. After back surgery, he switched to playing tackle. In his senior year, he was named All Conference USA.

He was then selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He was the first European player to ever be drafted in the NFL. He got some playing time beginning with the first game of the season and has been starting since week 6.

All of the images appear to come from one event. Considering these are all Upper Deck products, I guess that's not too surprising. Very disappointing that there aren't any pictures in a UH uniform.

First we have Upper Deck #254.

Next we have SP Threads #187.

Finally we have SPx #179. This comes in three variations: Base, Silver, and Silver Holofoil (not shown). The Base is numbered to 799, Silver to 399, and Silver Holofoil to 25.

SPx Base

SPx Silver

New Checklist November 18, 2009

2009-11-18T15:05:00.003-06:00

OK... The checklist hosting issue has been solved. Please use the links to the left to access the player and card checklists in both PDF or Excel format.

As part of resolving the issue, I have updated the checklist itself. I know it has been 5 months, but fear not, I have been keeping the list updated this entire time. I just need to post it online more often.

We have a new player on the list, Sebastian Vollmer. Look for a post about his cards soon.

Lots of cards were added. In total 400 cards were added to the checklist.

The biggest additions:

Donnie Avery - 158

Hakeem Olajuwon - 96

Clyde Drexler - 87

Michael Bourn - 18

Kevin Kolb - 12

Other players with new cards include Fred Couples, Jesse Crain, Elvin Hayes, and Chris Synder. As usual, you can tell the newly added cards by their highlighting.

So get to work Cougar fans. 400 new cards should keep you busy for a while.

And if you know of a card missing from the checklist, please let me know. If you want to send a scan of it too, even better.

Checklist Files

2009-11-17T16:56:00.003-06:00

It appears that my checklist host is having some issues or doing some updates. Hopefully all will be well soon.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions about accessing checklists.

2009 Topps #572, 2009 Topps Gold Border #572, and 2009 Topps Black #572 Michael Bourn

2009-11-14T17:45:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Michael Bourn for winning his first Gold Glove Award this year.

In honor of Michael Bourn, today's cards are 2009 Topps cards #572. First is the base card. Next is the Gold Border card numbered to 2009. The final card is the Topps Black numbered to 58. There is also a Topps Platinum which is a 1 of 1. Plus there are four printing plates where are also 1 of 1s.

Base

Gold Border

Black

2009-10 Prestige #123 Elvin Hayes

2009-10-25T10:39:00.004-05:00

Hooray! New Elvin Hayes cards are starting to come out for 2009. This is the 2009-10 Prestige #123 from Panini.

It's not the best looking card. Layout? I guess it's OK. The picture? Again OK. Are the edges washed out from the lights or is that a poor Photoshop effect?

One thing I do like is the classic Rockets uniform. I like the red and yellow so much more than the red and white or the red, white, and blue.

1998 Hoops Shout Outs #22 Hakeem Olajuwon

2009-10-17T11:30:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you may like a card because it has an autograph. Or maybe it has a piece of memorabilia. Or it has chrome or foil printing. Or maybe it is a refractor. Or over the top graphics. But sometimes a card is great due to its simplicity such as the 1998 Hoops Shout Outs #22 featuring Hakeem Olajuwon.

First you start with a good photograph from an interesting angle. Second you use a simple card design. Instead of using excessive graphics, the underutilized technique of using white space doesn't detract from the photograph. Instead it enhances the picture. Finally using a simple, understated font completes the less is more theme of the design.

My only problem with this card is the little "sh" and the large "out." The text appears to spell shouts instead of shout outs. That's a minor flaw in an otherwise great looking card.

1990 Topps Traded #129T Alfred Oglesby

2009-09-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

Cougar great Alfred Oglesby passed away Saturday.

Oglesby played for the University of Houston from 1987 to 1989. That great 1989 Coog team was known for its offense that scored 53.5 points per game and produced a Heisman trophy winner. But the defense was amazing too, allowing only 13.6 points per game with two shutouts.

Oglesby was a standout on the 1989 team. He led the team in tackles with 104. He was a Sporting News All American Honorable Mention and an All Southwest Conference first teamer.

He was selected in the third round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins. He played in the NFL from 1990 to 1995 for the Dolphins, Packers, Jets, and Bengals.

Today's card is his only rookie card, the 1990 Topps Traded #129T. Unfortunately it's not the most exciting design or photograph.

He was also featured on three cards in 1992: GameDay #411, Topps #434, and Topps Gold #434.

Coogs Win!!!!

2009-09-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the Coogs today! The University of Houston football team beat #5 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, OK.

Today's win is the first road win against a top 5 opponent since UH beat 6-0-1 #3 Texas on 11-10-1984. The Coogs went on to be Southwest Conference Co-Champions tying with SMU. Houston went to the Cotton Bowl based on its victory over SMU.

While UH has been known for its offense for much of its history, the 1984 Coogs had some incredible defensive players that went on to the NFL. Three of them are T J Turner, Audray McMillian, and Simon Fletcher who are featured below.

T J Turner
1989 Topps #294

Audray McMillian
1993 Fleer #259

Simon Fletcher
1994 SkyBox Impact #75

Cougar Cards

2009-09-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

Attention University of Houston students! You are very lucky. Why?

1) You are a student at the University of Houston
2) You have a professor like Simon Bott that cares about you and the University of Houston
3) You have a great opportunity to collect some unique Cougar trading cards

Since this blog focuses on Cougar collectibles, this post is about item 3.

The Daily Cougar recently had an article on Cougar Cards, a way to increase student participation in UH activities, a way to collect Cougar memorabilia and learn more about the school, and a way to get prizes.

As much as possible, every UH student should participate in school activities. It improves your collegiate experience, creates a stronger community, and most importantly, it's fun! And now you get the bonus of receiving Cougar cards.

The checklist is amazing. You have Cougar legends like Clyde Drexler, David Klingler, and Jim Nantz. You have current athletes like Case Keenum and Aubrey Coleman. You have athletes from sports other than football and basketball like swimmers, soccer players, and softball players. (I had a great time attending almost every sport when I was in school. I especially loved going to volleyball matches.) You have coaches like Kevin Sumlin, Tom Penders, and Bill Yeoman. You have important campus figures like President Renu Khator, Regents, Student Government President, and new Athletic Director Mack Rhoades. All that and more.

Below is a sample card. I hope to have more images soon and will post them if & when I get them.

Check out the Cougar Trading Cards website for more information like a complete checklist, events where you can receive cards, and a list of prizes. The event list is very diverse so there is something for everyone. Looking at the list makes me really miss my college days. Sure you have obvious things like football games and volleyball matches, but you also have non-sports related events like going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, watching Friday the 13th, or hearing a recital or concert. Other more serious educational events such as Time Management, Resume Writing, and Job Search workshops are included which I highly recommend. I'm amazed at how many people in the business world don't know the basics of putting together a resume or conducting a job search. I'm thankful I went to several workshops while I was a student.

So start going to these events today.

2007 Sweet Spot Pigskin Signatures Dual #KS Kevin Kolb

2009-08-29T18:30:00.001-05:00

Sometimes the concept of a card sounds great, but the card fails miserably. The 2007 Sweet Spot Pigskin Signatures Dual #KS featuring Kevin Kolb falls into that category.

The concept is great. Two highly drafted rookie quarterbacks. Both of their autographs on a piece of a football. Pictures of both players. Only 50 copies of the card. That sounds wonderful.

But just look at this. The pictures look fine. The pigskin background looks good. But the autographs... What should be and is the focal point of the card looks horrible. The autographs are completely illegible. Some players have bad autographs in general, but that is not the problem here. Generally Kolb's signature is very stylized, but it is usually legible. In this case, the texture of the football makes both signatures unrecognizable scratches of silver.

Good concept. Disappointing card.

1992 Stadium Club #259 T. J. Turner

2009-08-24T23:45:00.004-05:00

A Cougar great passed away today. T. J. Turner died from complications of a stroke.

T. J. played defensive tackle for the University of Houston from 1982 to 1985 and had an incredible career. He was captain of the 1985 team along with center Todd Schoppe. His name is all over the Cougar record books.

1st in career tackles for a loss with 66

3rd in career sacks with 30

8th in sacks for a season with 11 in 1984

2nd in tackles for a loss with 23 in 1984

4th in tackles for a loss with 21 in 1985

Led the team in sacks in 1982, 1984, and 1985

He also was awarded several honors.

Football News Freshman All American in 1982

Sporting News 2nd Team All American and AP & UPI Honorable Mention in 1984

2nd Team All Southwest Conference in 1983

1st Team All Southwest Conference in 1984 & 1985

He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 3rd round of the 1986 NFL draft where he played from 1986-1992.

My prayers go out for him and his family.

1968 Topps #239 Bill Henry

2009-08-16T00:41:00.000-05:00

This is the last card released of Bill Henry while he was an active player.

What a classic looking set. The canvas border is beautiful and the colors are classic 1960s. The pose is funny like so many vintage poses are. He looks like he just completed a very awkward throw. I'd bet he never had a ball in his hand posing for this picture.

The back of the card is typical of 1960s cards: Basic player data, career statistics, and cartoon with a trivia question. Not creative, but solid and consistent.

This is a great vintage card that you can pick up for a couple of dollars. A Venezuelan variation is also available. The Venezuelan variation is very rare compared to the US release.

2009-10 Upper Deck NBA Draft Edition Alma Mater #FC Fred Couples

2009-07-31T22:15:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting card... the 2009-10 Upper Deck NBA Draft Edition Alma Mater card #FC featuring Fred Couples. Why is a golfer included in an NBA set? Several non-basketball players from several sports are featured showing the school they came from.

This card features a picture of Couples post-swing. It includes the University of Houston "wet cougar" logo on a shield, a logo not in existence when Fred played at UH. It also has a Fred Couples autograph. With only 99 cards printed, this is a pretty nice collectible despite the oddity of it being in a basketball product. Other variations of this card without an autograph are a black card (1/1), blue card (#'d to 99), green card (#'d to 50), red (#'d to 25), and a non-numbered base card.

Hakeem Olajuwon is also featured in this set with Draft Pics and Tournament Titans inserts.

Of course Fred Couples is one of many Cougar golf greats. He played golf at UH from 1977 to 1980. He later went on to the PGA where he won the Masters and was Player of the Year in 1992.

In 2000, he was inducted into the University of Houston Hall of Honor.

1994 Stadium Club #455 Allen Aldridge

2009-07-15T23:40:00.001-05:00

Too often Anthony Alridge's last name is listed as Aldridge.

The University of Houston did have a great Aldridge though, linebacker Allen Aldridge. Aldridge played at UH from 1990-1993. The Coogs were great his Freshman year going 10-1 finishing the season #10 in the nation. Unfortunately his remaining years at UH weren't as successful.

In 1993 Allen tied with Stephen Dixon to lead the team in sacks with four, and he was selected to play in the Blue Gray game. In 1994, he was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Denver Broncos.

He played for the Broncos from 1994-1997 and for the Detroit Lions from 1998-2001. He started for the Broncos in their Super Bowl XXXII victory.

Today's card is one of many rookie cards, the 1994 Stadium Club #455. The front features a full bleed action photo of Aldridge, probably in training camp. The Topps Stadium Club logo and 94 Draft Pick logo are featured in gold foil. Allen's name is also listed in gold foil with a shadow that makes it very challenging to read.

The back features a grayed out version of the picture on the front, not one of my favorite card design elements. It also lists college senior and career total statistics as well as a description of Aldridge's game.

1988-89 Fleer #101 Greg "Cadillac" Anderson

2009-07-09T22:15:00.001-05:00

I started school at the University of Houston in 1986. Growing up, I wasn't a big basketball fan, but after a painful football season and since I wanted to support my school, I went to almost every home basketball game. Players like co-captains Greg Anderson and Rickie Winslow got me hooked on the game.

As a freshman, Cadillac played on the 1984 Championship runner up team backing up Akeem Olajuwon as Center.

In 1986 Anderson was All American Honorable Mention and Second Team All Southwest Conference
In 1987, he was First Team All Southwest Conference.

His name is all over the UH record books. Some of his rankings include:

Career
Points - 9th with 1,662
Rebounds - 3rd with 1,045
Blocks - 3rd with 227
Games Played - 9th with 123

He's a member of the 40 point club scoring 41 vs Arizona State on 12/6/86. Only 11 Coogs have scored 40+ points in at least one game.

He led the team in scoring in 1986-87 with 545 points.
He led the team in rebounding in 1985-86 with 360 and in 1986-87 with 318.
Led team in blocked shots in 1984-85 with 72, 1985-86 with 75, and in 1986-87 with 56.

His teams made the NCAA tournament in 1984 and 1987 and the NIT in 1985.

After his college career at UH, he was the 23rd pick of the first round of the 1987 draft, selected by the San Antonio Spurs.

He had a solid career as a role player in the NBA even though he bounced around. He played 10 seasons for 6 teams. He averaged 7.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.87 blocks per game.

Today's card is Cadillac's rookie card, the 1988-89 Fleer #101. The front features and action shot of him backing down a player. I assume he's dribbling, but you can't see the ball. The card border colors match the Spurs team colors. When the colors of a card's border matches team colors, that usually improves the card design.

The back features career stats, in this case one season. Because he'd only played one season, there's plenty of empty space. That's a small price to pay for having career stats on all cards. The colors on the back are fairly hideous, but at least it's a clean, simple design compared to too many over the top designs with lots of flash but little substance.

2009 Topps Magic #86 Kevin Kolb

2009-07-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

2009 Kevin Kolb football cards are here. One of the best looking sets I've seen so far is the Topps Magic set.

Topps Magic continues the card industry trend of copying vintage card designs. In this case, the set is patterned after the 1951 Topps Magic set. The set features players in their college uniforms, just like the 1951 set. As usual, I give bonus points for Cougars in their UH uniforms.

There are four variations, the base card which is standard sized, the autographed card, the mini card (not pictured) which is the size of the original Magic cards, and the black bordered mini card.

Donnie Avery is also featured in this set.

Base

Autograph

Black Bordered Mini

2008 Leaf Certified Materials Souvenir Stamps Autographs USA Flag #14 Donnie Avery

2009-07-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth of July! And to celebrate the Fourth, here's the 2008 Leaf Certified Materials Souvenir Stamps Autographs USA Flag #14 with Donnie Avery.

I won't get into questions like why would someone want to put a stamp into a football card or why couldn't this card be designed so that the bottom of the signature isn't cut off? This is a very rare card though with only five made.

I'll just say God bless America and enjoy this patriotic card.

2009 Playoff Prestige Rookie Review #15 Donnie Avery

2009-06-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

It's only June, but several 2009 football cards are already on the market. Cougar great Donnie Avery is featured in one of those offerings, 2009 Playoff Prestige, specifically the Rookie Review subset.

There are four variations of Avery's Rookie Review, the base card, Materials, Materials Prime (not pictured), and Autographs.

Base card

Materials

Autographs

Checklist Update

2009-06-17T15:41:00.000-05:00

Yes! We have new cards listed. To be more precise, we have 95 new cards listed. Please see the checklists section to the left.

In baseball, five players have 2009 cards.
Michael Bourn - 9 new cards
Jesse Crain - 2 cards
Garrett Mock - 2 cards
Chris Snyder - 11 cards
Doug Drabek - Here's a surprise, an Upper Deck 20th anniversary autographed buy back

In basketball, four players had additional 2008 cards. There are some all time greats here including autographs.
Otis Birdsong - 5 new cards
Clyde Drexler - 18 cards
Elvin Hayes - 4 cards (More Big E!!!!)
Hakeem Olajuwon - 33 cards

And 2009 football cards are already hitting the shelves
Donnie Avery - 8 new cards

As usual, there are two lists, players and cards. They are also in Excel and pdf formats. Plus players and cards that are highlighted indicated cards added since the last update.

1964 Topps #133 Dan Birdwell

2009-06-12T23:52:00.001-05:00

Dan Birdwell was a defensive lineman for the University of Houston from 1959 to 1961. In their their last season in the Missouri Valley Conference, the 1959 Coogs only went 3-7, but they managed to share the conference title with 9-2 North Texas State by going 3-1 in conference.

In 1960, the Cougars went 6-4 in their 1st year as an independent. In 1961, UH went 5-4-1 in Harold W Lahar's last season as coach of he Coogs. Birdwell then went on to play in the All-American Bowl.

I don't know any more about Birdwell's college football career. If you know more about it, please leave a comment. Sharing knowledge about Cougar players is what this blog is all about.

In 1962, Dan was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Detroit Lions and the sixth round of the AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. He decided to play for the Raiders.

Birdwell played for the Raiders from 1962 to 1969. In 1967, he was a starter for the AFL champions, but the Raiders lost to the Green Bay Packers in the second AFL-NFL Championship Game aka Super Bowl II. In 1968, he was named to the Pro Bowl and was first team All Pro.

On February 14, 1978 he passed away at the age of 37 due to a heart attack.

Dan Birdwell is featured on several collectibles, but he he is only featured by himself on one major brand card, the 1964 Topps #133.

While he may only have one major card, it is a great one. What a sharp looking vintage card. First, the photograph is a headshot with the background removed and replaced with a Cougar red field. I'd guess the color is a coincidence. These days, the background would be removed using a program like Photoshop. Obviously that was not available then and there is a very harsh cropping of the image. Underneath the photo is a black box listing name, team, and position. The card has a white border with blue stars. What a beautifully designed card.

The back doesn't have stats, but it does have a narrative about his skills and history which includes a mention of playing three years at UH.

Antowain Smith Rookie Cards

2009-06-08T23:20:00.000-05:00

Antowain Smith has some very interesting rookie cards from 1997. I'm not talking about the card design. I'm talking about poses and pictures.

We'll start with a basic pose but still sharp looking. It's the 1997 SkyBox Premium Autographics #54. Even in a t-shirt holding a helmet, Smith looks smooth. Also nice to have an autograph.

The next step up is on the 1997 Pinnacle Inside #141 featuring Antowain sitting on his helmet looking cool. There's also a smaller insert picture of him looking focused, but I hope he doesn't play with the earring on. The back has another pic of Smith smiling while wearing his helmet.

One more step up is the 1997 UD3 #16. Antowain looks like he's having a good time at this photo shoot. The pose on the front is a playful pose. More subtle, but still funny is the back photo with Smith smiling as he catches a ball in front of a garden of flowers.

Next is the 1997 Collector's Choice #316. I don't know how they took the picture on front, but it's just crazy.

On the next card, 1997 Topps Gallery #19, I love the picture and the card layout. Another fun photo shoot for Antowain with him posing in fake snow.

Finally we have the 1997 Upper Deck #16. This is the most interesting pose of all. Is he trying to break out of a cage? He certainly does look intense.

1994-95 Hoops #257 Hakeem Olajuwon

2009-06-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

Where have all the big men gone? Just look at this 1994-95 Hoops #257 featuring the scoring leaders from the 1993-94 NBA season.

The top 3 scorers are all centers, David Robinson #1, Shaq #2, & Hakeem #3. Patrick Ewing is also in the top 10.

Compare that to the 2008-09 NBA season. There is only 1 center in the top 10, Al Jefferson at #8. And he's only in the top 10 in points per game. He only played 50 games. The next center is Dwight Howard at #25, then Yao at #29.

Is the scoring big man a thing of the past?

1994-95 Fleer Towers of Power #7 Hakeem Olajuwon

2009-06-02T22:17:00.003-05:00

I'm usually not a big fan of overly busy backgrounds on cards, but I'll make an exception for the 1994-95 Fleer Towers of Power #7 featuring Hakeem Olajuwon.

The front features Hakeem shooting in front of an electrical device straight out of Frankenstein or a Tesla laboratory.

The better photo is on the back. I don't know what was going through Olajuwon's head, but the look on his face is that of a mad scientist. That's a perfect fit for the card theme.

1979 Topps #141 and 1979 O-Pee-Chee #65 Tom Paciorek

2009-05-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

Today's cards are both from 1979. It's Topps #141 and O-Pee-Chee #65. Both feature Tom Paciorek.

You may notice the two cards look virtually identical. The main difference is the logo in the bottom left corner. Also the card is numbered differently as the O-Pee-Chee set has fewer cards than the Topps set.

O-Pee-Chee was a Canadian candy and trading card maker that licensed the Topps products to be printed and distributed in Canada. Basically it's a minor variation that's not as fun as the too many variations available for newer cards.

Topps Front

Topps Back

OPC Front

2001 Topps XFL Gridiron Gear #8J Chuck Clements

2009-05-18T22:50:00.005-05:00

Chuck Clements was a very prolific passer for the University of Houston from 1993 to 1996 during a very difficult stretch for the football team.

Chuck is 9th and 10th for most completions in a season (245 in 1995, 223 in 1996)

6th in most attempts in a season (437 in 1995)

10th in TD passes in a season (21 in 1996)

10th in plays in a season(474 in 1995)

4th in career completions (683)

4th in career pass attempts (1,192)

6th in career passing yards (7,112)

6th in career TD passes (43)

4th in career plays (1,284)

6th in career total offense (6,893)

In 1995 he was first team All-SWC and in 1996 he was first team All-CUSA.

In 1996, he led the Coogs to the 1st C-USA Conference Championship and the Liberty Bowl against Syracuse.

In 1997, he was drafted by the New York Jets in the 6th round where he played one season.

In 2000, Clements was the 5th pick in the XFL draft for the Las Vegas Outlaws. Unfortunately he was injured in the pre-season and didn't get to play before the league folded.

In 2002 he played for the Ottawa Renegades in the Canadian Football League.

Today's card is a fun but strange collectible, the 2001 Topps XFL Gridiron Gear #8J. It features a piece of practice worn mini-camp jersey. It also features a practice picture with Chuck getting ready to throw the strange looking XFL ball.

The back features another picture of Chuck in practice along with a description of the memorabilia piece.

I love the layout of this card. It's a bit over the top, but this is the XFL we're talking about so I expect something crazy. The only disappointing aspect to me is the lack of statistics. I guess that can be expected though because what stats would be shown? It was the first year of the XFL. Most players in the XFL were guys who couldn't make an NFL roster. The best choice for stats might be college, but there's a several year gap between his college days and the XFL. So no stats was really the only option.