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Greg Cleveland
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In 1992, when Minneapolis hosted the Super Bowl, they launched the first NFL Experience. Like Fanfest for Baseball, it was and still is a fan-based extravaganza. This was actually the third year of having a card show, the first for the Experience. Plus they had many players signing autos and a huge card show, with all the card companies giving away promos. This was back when you had Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, Pacific, Action Packed, Pro Line, Score/Pinnacle, Skybox--known as Impel back then, and Wild Card. Those were the days! This was before we had kids, so my wife and I could go and stay as long as we wanted! We went together on Saturday, then she went on her own (called in sick and went without me!) on Monday. Don't think they even do it on the Monday after anymore. I'm sure it's very different now, but I thought I'd dig a few things out and let you reminisce with me.
Can't remember how many players they had roll through for autos. I got Lawrence Taylor, Randall Cunningham on cards, missed Anthony Munoz and Mike Singletary, and I had these guys sign on the program. Couldn't plan ahead since there was no list of who was signing. You had to be there and see who was at the table. Just dumb luck I got LT and Cunningham.
Left Side .................... Right Side
Al Toon ....................... Mark Ingram
Bubba McDowell ................... Carnell Lake
Ricky Proehl ...................... Brad Baxter
Keith Simms
Promo cards and sheets were a big thing back then. Some things were 1991 themed, some gave a look at 2002's product. (Already? Thinking that far ahead?)
Here's a few samples...
Wild Card There were ten altogther-five from each team--but the numbering and content wasn't consistant. (see backs)
Skybox Always made clean, well-designed cards. Really liked their products.
Fleer No cards--dissapointing--but they had 100,000 of these to hand out.
Score/Pinnacle Pretty much created the most traffic because they handed out these 4-card panels--and there were different ones! So you had to go back again and again to get a new one! Beckett lists 23 different ones, I have about 14 or so. This is probably my best one.
Pro Line Like Fleer, no cards, but they had these sheets that had complete checklists on the back. I just love the Riggans photo.
Pacific Apparently, we missed Steve Largent signing cards. Otherwise, they handed out promo cards for their 1992 set. Fronts featured the new design, backs had info about the 1991 Season League Leaders. We couldn't complete this 6-card set, as they handed out cards ramdomly.
Upper Deck This was the heyday of their Commemorative sheets. They had NFC and AFC sheets, then if you were there on Monday, you could pick up the lower-numbered Super Bowl Champion sheet. NFC and AFC are numbered to 30,000, Champion sheets numbered to 15,000. Would love to collect autographs on any of these. I have extras of these if anybody would be interested.
Action Packed They weren't really handing out anything early in the day, but all of a sudden, we walked by, there was Emmitt Smith signing promo cards. We got in line quickly because it was short--he must have just started-- and got a couple. Traded one off long ago, but still have this one. We still kick ourselves for not going back, because we could easily gone around again.
Now I can't remember Topps having anything to hand out. Odd, but when you left, there was a grab bag of goodies given at the door. Inside, among the treasures was a cello wrapped 5 card pack of 1991 Stadium Club. Each card had the Super Bowl logo stamped on the upper right corner. Would have been nice if they were gold embossed or something, but this way, it didn't take away frojm the photography and design of the card, which was Stadium Club's hallmark, anyway. My best card...
Back to that Grab Bag. In it, was also a 1989 Starting Lineup--we each got a Bubby Brister ::facepalm:: --the Stadium Club pack, more NFL stuff I can't recall, and the stickers I showed way back in the first pic with the ticket. You could not go home empty-handed, which made it all the more fun! I have always wanted to go to another one, just to see how it's changed. When my wife went back on Monday, all the merchandise was 50% off, so she bought me a sweatshirt which I still have and wear today. Thanks for looking, I know it was a lot of stuff!
Can't remember how many players they had roll through for autos. I got Lawrence Taylor, Randall Cunningham on cards, missed Anthony Munoz and Mike Singletary, and I had these guys sign on the program. Couldn't plan ahead since there was no list of who was signing. You had to be there and see who was at the table. Just dumb luck I got LT and Cunningham.
Left Side .................... Right Side
Al Toon ....................... Mark Ingram
Bubba McDowell ................... Carnell Lake
Ricky Proehl ...................... Brad Baxter
Keith Simms
Promo cards and sheets were a big thing back then. Some things were 1991 themed, some gave a look at 2002's product. (Already? Thinking that far ahead?)
Here's a few samples...Wild Card There were ten altogther-five from each team--but the numbering and content wasn't consistant. (see backs)
Skybox Always made clean, well-designed cards. Really liked their products.
Fleer No cards--dissapointing--but they had 100,000 of these to hand out.
Score/Pinnacle Pretty much created the most traffic because they handed out these 4-card panels--and there were different ones! So you had to go back again and again to get a new one! Beckett lists 23 different ones, I have about 14 or so. This is probably my best one.
Pro Line Like Fleer, no cards, but they had these sheets that had complete checklists on the back. I just love the Riggans photo.
Pacific Apparently, we missed Steve Largent signing cards.
Otherwise, they handed out promo cards for their 1992 set. Fronts featured the new design, backs had info about the 1991 Season League Leaders. We couldn't complete this 6-card set, as they handed out cards ramdomly.
Upper Deck This was the heyday of their Commemorative sheets. They had NFC and AFC sheets, then if you were there on Monday, you could pick up the lower-numbered Super Bowl Champion sheet. NFC and AFC are numbered to 30,000, Champion sheets numbered to 15,000. Would love to collect autographs on any of these. I have extras of these if anybody would be interested.
Action Packed They weren't really handing out anything early in the day, but all of a sudden, we walked by, there was Emmitt Smith signing promo cards. We got in line quickly because it was short--he must have just started-- and got a couple. Traded one off long ago, but still have this one. We still kick ourselves for not going back, because we could easily gone around again.
Now I can't remember Topps having anything to hand out. Odd, but when you left, there was a grab bag of goodies given at the door. Inside, among the treasures was a cello wrapped 5 card pack of 1991 Stadium Club. Each card had the Super Bowl logo stamped on the upper right corner. Would have been nice if they were gold embossed or something, but this way, it didn't take away frojm the photography and design of the card, which was Stadium Club's hallmark, anyway. My best card...
Back to that Grab Bag. In it, was also a 1989 Starting Lineup--we each got a Bubby Brister ::facepalm:: --the Stadium Club pack, more NFL stuff I can't recall, and the stickers I showed way back in the first pic with the ticket. You could not go home empty-handed, which made it all the more fun! I have always wanted to go to another one, just to see how it's changed. When my wife went back on Monday, all the merchandise was 50% off, so she bought me a sweatshirt which I still have and wear today. Thanks for looking, I know it was a lot of stuff!
