1955 Topps All American Custom Jay Wilkinson Duke Blue Devils

Awhile back I read Mr. Wilkinson's book about his father "Bud Wilkinson" and really enjoyed it. It inspired me to add Jay to my 55 Topps All American set. From his website: "Jay was a first-team All-American football player at Duke University in 1963, finishing ninth for the Heisman Trophy award. He excelled throughout his college football career and today is a member of the Duke University Sports Hall of Fame. Jay also was a high school All-American, leading both his football and basketball teams to state championship games."

1960 Fleer Texas Longhorns Customs

1960 Fleer Football has always been a favorite of mine and I have started using it as a design for my customs. I started with a couple of 1960's Longhorn greats Jack Collins and Jimmy Saxton but really liked the outcome and have used it on others as well. Here are some of the results.

Jackie Burkett Auburn Tigers All American 1958 & 1959

From auburntigers.com

Though he played college baseball and basketball, Jackie Burkett will be remembered as one of Auburn's greatest centers. Burkett and Zeke Smith combined to give Auburn some of its greatest line play in history. He was named top center and linebacker by SEC coaches in 1958. Selected All-American in 1958 and 1959, Burkett captained the 1959 team and called defensive signals during his three-year varsity career.

My newest project is a team set featuring the 1965 Alabama Crimson Tide National Champions. I had started using the 1965 Topps baseball design but no other card makes me think of this era of Alabama football like Joe Namath's 1965 Topps tall boy rookie card. I started with Paul Crane in yellow and I like the outcome so I think I will do all of them in yellow. I can't wait to finish these!

Senquez Golson added to my Ole Miss Rebels All-American Set

Senquez becomes Ole Miss First Team All-American #48. For the photo in the background I chose his interception vs. Bama.

My Favorite Autograph

I've been an autograph collector as long as I can remember I guess. I enjoy collecting cards, but autographs are more personal. It captures a moment in time or an encounter with the signer. Then there is the signature, some signed carefully, some scribbled and some just a mess of pen strokes. But with all autographs that you collect yourself, there is always a story. I was looking through my box of cards the other day and came across my all time favorite auto.
My dad seemed to attend a lot games when I was young and he had the great habit of hauling me along. One night he was going to see Ole Miss play LSU for a midweek game. Oxford was two and a half hours from our house so it was going to be a long night. Being a school night, I was not allowed to go and was mad about it. My dad made it home that night with a consolation prize of sorts. Pete Maravich was doing radio for LSU and my dad brought home a Pistol Pete signed program!  It's a huge auto, but fun for me because knowing my dad,I just can't imagine him standing around waiting for an autograph. I'm glad he did!

Murry Alexander - 1948 Mississippi State Maroons

I had the pleasure of growing up around Mr. Murry Alexander. I remember thinking how big he was then, he looked about 7' tall to a kid. But he was a bigger man, a leader at church, his home and our town. He had a pretty good year in 1948 playing with a Mississippi State team that sent a couple of guys to the pros.

Ole Miss Great Jimmy Lear Passes Away Jan. 2015

Archie Manning, Eli Manning, Charlie Conerly and Jake Gibbs are often thought of as some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever step on the field for the University of Mississippi. However, another great signal caller, Jimmy Lear, also helped put Ole Miss football on the national map. As a 5-foot-11 signal-caller from Greenwood, Miss., Lear lettered three years at quarterback for Coach John Vaught’s Rebels, from 1950-1952. He was recognized as an All-American in 1952 and earned All-SEC recognition in 1951 and 1952. Although considered one of the best running quarterbacks in Ole Miss history, Lear made his mark as an outstanding passer, helping the Rebels lead the SEC in passing in 1951 and 1952. He is currently 23rd on the Ole Miss All-Time passing yardage list with 1,773 career yards. In 1988 he was inducted into the Ole Miss Athletics Hall of fame and was honored again in 1991 as he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. He also received the Distinguished American Award from the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2005. “It is quite an honor to be selected as an SEC Legend,” Lear said. “I was thrilled-to-death when I first heard about it.” Lear may best be known for leading the Rebels to the program’s first-ever undefeated regular season, as the 1952 team went 8-0-2. The undefeated record earned Ole Miss its first Sugar Bowl birth in the school’s history - which ended up being the team’s only blemish, a 24-7 loss to Georgia Tech. At 8-1-2, the Rebels finished 7th in the nation that year. His marquee victory during that remarkable season in 1952 came when he carried the No. 11 Rebels to a 21-14 come-from-behind victory over then-No. 3 Maryland, arguably the school’s biggest victory at the time. “There was just such a huge build up to that game, after Maryland had gone undefeated the year before and upset Tennessee on its way to the Sugar Bowl,” said Frank Crosthwait, a long-time friend of Lear’s and current president of the Ole Miss Chapter of the National Football Foundation. Coming into that game, Maryland had won 22-consecutive games, not having lost a contest since it fell to North Carolina in 1950. Lear accounted for all three of the Rebels’ touchdowns that day, while also handling both the punting and kicking duties. He earned National Back of the Week honors for his efforts as he completed 11 of 16 passes for 231 yards and one TD, while also rushing for 44 yards on 15 carries, giving him 275 total offensive yards in the game. Going against the nation's No. 1 defense, which was allowing only 156.4 yards per game, Lear led the Ole Miss offense to 461 yards. The Jackson Clarion-Ledger’s Wayne Thompson summed it up best in his 1952 game recap when he wrote, “King Jimmy Lear, playing the greatest football game of his brilliant college career, led the Ole Miss Rebels to the gridiron heights here this sun-kissed Saturday afternoon…” According to Thompson’s article, Lear leading Ole Miss to victory was the greatest college football win for any team in the state of Mississippi since 1935, when Mississippi State defeated Army, 13-7. While Lear was the key member of that magical 1952 team, he will be the first to point out that he didn’t achieve perfection on his own. “We had a great group of players - not just one or two - but the whole group,” Lear said. “We were all great friends as well, which was so great to be a part of. The camaraderie of the team was what made it special.” During his time at Ole Miss, Lear did much more than just hone his talents on the gridiron. He also participated in track and field, baseball and golf. As a student, he was elected Colonel Reb by the student body, one of the highest honors for any male student at the University of Mississippi. After his collegiate career, Lear was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in the 16th round of the 1953 draft. When his football days ended, he went back home to Indianola, where he was the headmaster at Indianola Academy. He later became an owner/partner of the Maxwell Cotton Company, a successful local business. “Jimmy and I grew up in the Delta and have always really cared about the Indianola community,” said Crosthwait. “He is very respected and admired throughout the Indianola community.” One of the many reasons Lear is so respected around the Mississippi Delta and the Ole Miss family is because of how humble he is. He quickly says the key to his success was his great group of teammates, and he never brags about his past. However, he does enjoy reminiscing a bit on what he and his team achieved. “People still come up and give me compliments about my achievements, which makes all of this special,” Lear said. The 1952 Lear-led team started a trend for Ole Miss football, as that team’s first Sugar Bowl berth in school history led to a string of seven Sugar Bowl appearances in the next twelve seasons for the Rebels. “That undefeated season that Jimmy led the Rebels to really put Ole Miss football on the map,” Crosthwait said. By Thomas McKee olemisssports

Check out my shop on etsy

All of the cards that I create can be purchased. Check out my etsy shop for some of the designs. 

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in cards

A couple of years ago I visited the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson for the first time and was just blown away! The museum is laid out very well and it is packed with memorabilia. It got my autograph meter spinning and I went home and printed out a list of inductees and began to check them off one by one as I hunted them down. Hall of Famers on a list like this are so much more fun to collect than Cooperstown guys. When you write or meet one of these legends, they often thank you for remembering them, or will most of the time write a nice note back. I don't open the envelope expecting a price list like with other Hall of Famers. That being said, I first started using a cut auto design, but now I also send cards that I based on the 1955 Topps All-Americans. On the cards I am using the red box on all of them instead of various colors like the original set. I think they have a classic look, and the inductees love getting them.