Anyone who remembers Rod Smart remembers the XFL and "He Hate Me," so despite Smart having 16 1/1 cards in existence, that XFL card is really the key card. it's his first Pro Card, it's his only card in a uniform that the public commonly associates with Smart, and it's also just a pretty neat card in general given that it's from a set of a league that no longer exists.
Well, that North Attleboro shop had one, so I received this card for Christmas. My best present? Probably so. I mean just look at it:
Nice little action shot, sweet logos, and also a nice head shot of the Smart man himself. Just so fantastic. Everything I ever could have imagined and then some. The back is neat too:
Gotta love that XFL football...it certainly stands out compared to the NFL variety. Also contains one of the best opening lines in trading card history - "In his words, 'He Hate Me,' 'He Hate Me,' and 'He Hate Me.'" You don't see that on a Steve Garvey card do ya Night Owl? I also like the reference to Jim Criner. He played two years at linebacker for Cal Poly in the early 60's before coaching in the college ranks. He coached the Scottish Claymores from 1995-2000, but after leaving that team he spent 2001 coaching the Las Vegas Outlaws and Rod Smart. He is now the
Director of the American Football Coaching and Teaching Academy according to LinkedIn, so it's pretty awesome that he gets a mention on a card despite his only NFL connection being a brief stint as a Chiefs scout for Dick Vermeil. Awesome card, awesome reference.
I loved the XFL, and He Hate Me was my favorite player. It didn't hurt that he was a member of the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers football team while I lived in Bowling Green shortly after I graduated. Our college careers probably overlapped a little bit, but I never paid attention to him until the Outlaws came on TV.
ReplyDeleteJT, The Writer's Journey
That's awesome, you don't hear much about Smart's college career so I'm always curious!
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