The 1994 Higher Deck soccer card set could not blow you away with overwhelming nostalgia.
In reality, you would be forgiven if you happen to did not bear in mind a lot about it in any respect…
The passion was going via an enormous downturn.
And lots of collectors had given up on amassing altogether.
But, this set nonetheless has nice issues value remembering.
For starters, you will discover three Corridor of Fame rookies within the 330-card guidelines.
And the imagery is as incredible as you’d count on from an Higher Deck product.
Plus, dozens of Corridor of Famers and superstars are scattered all through the small however loaded guidelines.
And on this information, we’ll check out the 15 most useful.
Let’s soar proper in!
1994 Higher Deck #7 Marshall Faulk Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $50
After a stellar collegiate profession that included a 386-yard dashing sport and a Heisman finalist choice, 21-year-old operating again Marshall Faulk declared for the NFL Draft.
And the Indianapolis Colts had been more than pleased to supply him employment, drafting him with the second decide of the 1994 NFL Draft.
As an explosive twin menace, Faulk began all 16 video games of his rookie 12 months, instantly boosting the Indianapolis offense.
In 1993, the Colts completed useless final in dashing offense, totaling simply 1,288 yards and an abysmal 4 touchdowns on the bottom.
Faulk just about outdid that by himself in 1994, because the budding famous person racked up 1,282 dashing yards and 11 touchdowns.
And his 522 receiving yards had been merely a bonus to an already first rate Colts passing assault.
To cap off his unimaginable debut, Faulk gained the Professional Bowl MVP and the Offensive Rookie of the Yr award.
Faulk virtually singlehandedly improved a lowly Colts group from 4-12 to a good 8-8.
Nonetheless, a .500 document wasn’t sufficient to win the AFC East or earn a Wildcard spot.
Nonetheless, issues appeared a lot brighter within the RCA Dome.
Faulk spent 5 seasons in Indy earlier than ending the final seven of his Corridor of Fame profession in St. Louis, the place he struck the Tremendous Bowl gold in 1999.
1994 Higher Deck #25 Bryant Younger Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $45
The San Francisco 49ers completed the 1992 and 1993 seasons with the NFL’s greatest offense beneath then-offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan.
However in addition they got here up brief within the NFC Championship in each seasons.
With Shanahan and all the important thing items again on offense for the 1994 season, it was time to tighten issues up on protection.
The 49ers changed defensive coordinator Joe McPherson with Ray Rhodes.
They went nuts on the free agent market, signing big-name vets like Deion Sanders, Gary Plummer, Ken Norton and Rickey Jackson.
And so they additionally appeared to Bryant Younger to shore issues up on the road, choosing the defensive deal with out of Notre Dame with the seventh decide of the 1994 NLF Draft.
Younger settled in completely, beginning all sixteen video games at left defensive deal with.
With 45 solo tackles and 6 sacks, Younger completed third in Defensive Rookie of the Yr voting with roughly 21% of the vote.
However his greater prize was a Tremendous Bowl ring after San Francisco routed the San Diego Chargers in Tremendous Bowl XXIX.
Bryant would end as a four-time Professional Bowler in fourteen Corridor of Fame seasons with the Niners.
1994 Higher Deck #22 Isaac Bruce Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
Isaac Bruce grew to become synonymous with the “Biggest Present on Turf,” the moniker given to the St. Louis Rams’ high-powered offenses from 1999 to 2001.
Over a sixteen-year profession, Bruce constructed a repute as one of many sport’s most dynamic wideouts of all time.
In the present day, he sits in fifth place on the all-time receiving yards checklist.
And it began with the 1994 NFL Draft.
After ending twenty third in passing offense in 1993, the Rams drafted Bruce within the second spherical with the thirty third decide.
Surprisingly, his Corridor-of-Fame profession did not begin off as sizzling as you’d suppose.
Sure, his first interception of his profession was a 34-yard landing.
Nonetheless, with Flipper Anderson and Jessie Hester entrenched as starters, Bruce noticed restricted taking part in time.
Showing in twelve video games with no begins, Bruce reeled in 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
One among Bruce’s apparent struggles was his catch proportion of 47.7%, nicely under his profession mark of 57.9%.
However he did not let it drag him down.
And his “struggles” did not final lengthy.
Bruce would set profession highs with 119 receptions and 1,781 receiving yards in his sophomore 1995 season.
1994 Higher Deck #129 Barry Sanders
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
By no means has a season this good ended this badly.
Detroit Lions operating again Barry Sanders was in a special stratosphere in 1994.
His 1,883 dashing yards stood because the fourth-highest single-season whole in NFL historical past and set a brand new franchise document.
He accounted for practically 42% of Detroit’s yards from scrimmage, and his 5.7 yards per carry led the league by a full yard.
It appeared like Sanders broke into the open discipline each time he touched the ball.
Even when opposing defenses stacked the field, he juked and slipped via them to dizzying impact.
The Detroit Lions’ bottom-five protection practically wasted Sanders’ Offensive Participant of the Yr (and MVP runner-up) marketing campaign.
Fortunately, the Lions rode a late-season four-game profitable streak to a 9-7 document and a Wild Card berth.
After which…nothing.
The rival Packers game-planned Sanders to absolute perfection, holding him to an unreal -1 yards on 13 carries.
Nobody did that to the sport’s greatest operating again, however one way or the other they did.
Detroit mustered simply 175 yards of offense with Sanders indisposed and fell 16-12 at Lambeau.
1994 Higher Deck #157 Emmitt Smith
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $35
The Dallas Cowboys had an ingenious plan for reigning NFL MVP Emmitt Smith in 1994.
Give him the ball extra.
Much more.
Come hell or excessive water, Smith obliged.
He went blow-for-blow with Barry Sanders in some of the entertaining back-and-forth showcases of dashing excellence you will ever see.
He consistently bailed out Troy Aikman throughout some of the difficult years of his profession.
He even dismissed a separated shoulder to upend the rival Giants for the division title in Week 17.
“We see him stroll off the sphere holding his arm, and we predict he is harm,” Giants linebacker Michael Brooks stated. “However he nonetheless ran via us.”
Smith ran via everyone in 1994, logging an NFL-leading 368 carries for 1,484 yards and an NFL-best 21 dashing touchdowns.
His 22 mixed receiving/dashing TDs additionally led the league, and his 1,825 yards from scrimmage positioned third.
Smith aggravated a strained left hamstring within the Wild Card Spherical in opposition to Inexperienced Bay, limiting him to simply seven carries.
His standing was uncertain for the group’s Divisional Spherical conflict with San Francisco.
Who had been they kidding?
Smith was at all times going to play.
Displaying no signal of wear and tear, the star halfback rushed 20 occasions in defeat for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
1994 Higher Deck #205 Jerry Rice
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $35
For no matter purpose, Jerry Rice and crew could not crack the Dallas Cowboys code, shedding back-to-back NFC Championships to them in 1992 and 1993.
That modified in 1994.
Rice led the league in receiving yards (1,499) and receiving yards per sport (93.7) for the second consecutive season and completed second in receiving TDs (13).
By season’s finish, Rice practically outdid the opposite six San Francisco broad receivers and tight ends who mixed for 1,777 receiving yards.
Together with MVP quarterback Steve Younger, Rice led the high-powered 49ers offense to a 13-3 document.
Would the third time be a attraction for San Francisco within the NFC Championship in opposition to Dallas?
Rice recorded simply two catches on eight targets for 36 yards, however he made one depend for a rating as San Francisco gained 38-28.
And for the primary time for the reason that 49ers dismantled the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Tremendous Bowl XXIV in 1989, Rice equipped for one more ring.
Rice had three touchdowns on 148 receiving yards that sport.
Nobody would have guessed he’d outdo himself in opposition to the San Diego Chargers in XXIX.
But, he did.
Barely.
Rice was electrical within the 49-26 blowout, scoring three touchdowns with another receiving yard (149) than throughout his fireworks present 5 years prior.
1994 Higher Deck #8 Willie McGinest Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
The New England Patriots gained 19 video games from 1989 to 1993, averaging a shade beneath 4 victories per 12 months.
In 1994, the Pats went 10-6 for a Wild Card berth beneath head coach Invoice Parcells to formally go away a half-decade of ache behind them.
One of many keys to New England’s sudden resurgence was its draft domination.
The Pats hit on prospect after prospect to restock the roster.
And some of the vital alternatives of the bunch got here within the ’94 Draft.
Chosen fourth total out of USC, All-American defensive finish/linebacker Willie McGinest was an instantaneous match for an bettering New England protection.
He performed all sixteen video games (seven begins), amassing 43 tackles (29 solo), two pressured fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 4.5 sacks.
Within the group’s 20-13 Wild Card Spherical loss to Cleveland, the 6-foot-5 wrecking ball tied for second on the group with seven tackles and notched one in every of New England’s two sacks.
From All-Rookie performer to a franchise customary, McGinest was a stalwart of a Patriots dynasty that gained three Tremendous Bowls in his twelve years with the group.
1994 Higher Deck #133 Joe Montana
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
Earlier than 1993, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs had but to play in an AFC Championship Recreation.
After which, Joe Montana modified all that.
The San Francisco 49ers legend got here to KC through commerce within the ’93 offseason and instantly boosted Kansas Metropolis from playoff participant to legit contender.
The 11-5 Chiefs gained their first division title since 1971 and soared previous Pittsburgh and Houston to achieve the convention title sport.
Within the final 12 months of a two-year deal, Montana appeared destined to elevate the Chiefs to their first Tremendous Bowl look.
As a substitute, Kansas Metropolis’s offense performed hide-and-seek, alternating big-time explosions with listless performances on the way in which to a 9-7 end.
Montana performed nicely in his last 12 months, finishing 60.6% of his passes for 3,289 yards with 16 touchdowns in opposition to 9 interceptions.
His 1.8% INT fee was one of the best within the NFL.
Then again, the 38-year-old quarterback appeared wood within the pocket.
He struggled to outrun stress and completed the 12 months together with his worst passer score (83.6) since 1986.
KC squeaked into the playoffs at 9-7, giving Montana one final probability at a playoff run.
It appeared good for 3 quarters in opposition to Miami.
Within the fourth, Montana hit a wall because the Dolphins scored 17 unanswered to oust KC, 27-17.
1994 Higher Deck #136 Dan Marino
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
Miami Dolphins followers had excessive hopes for the 1993 season as Dan Marino and crew appeared poised for one more journey to the AFC Championship or past.
However issues crashed rapidly.
Marino’s season ended horrificly in Week 5 on the highway at Cleveland when he tore his Achilles tendon.
Miami ended the 12 months with a 9-7 document in second place within the AFC East, but it surely wasn’t sufficient for a playoff spot.
With Marino again in 1994, the Dolphins had been locked in for one more deep playoff run.
And although Marino wanted a particular shoe on his proper foot after restoration, you would not have seen by his play.
Using a stat line that boasted 4,453 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, he appeared like his previous self and gained the NFL’s Comeback Participant of the Yr award.
And with a 10-6 document, the Dolphins completed atop the AFC East.
The celebs lastly seemed to be aligning for Miami.
However, after a 27-17 victory over Kansas Metropolis within the Wild Card spherical, the season resulted in yet one more heartbreak for Dolphins followers.
Main by 21-6 at halftime within the Divisional Spherical, the eventual AFC Champion San Diego Chargers dug in and pulled off a surprising 22-21 win at Jack Murphy Stadium.
1994 Higher Deck #171 Ronnie Lott
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
The firs
1994 Higher Deck #218 John Elway
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
The firs
1994 Higher Deck #250 Brett Favre
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
If the 1994 Inexperienced Bay Packers had been higher in one-score contests, they’d have run away with the NFC North.
As a substitute, Inexperienced Bay misplaced 4 vital one-score video games that dropped them into Wild Card positioning at 9-7.
It was a baffling destiny for a seeming Tremendous Bowl contender that completed 4th in scoring offense and fifth in scoring protection.
It was additionally bewildering when you think about how nice Brett Favre was all season lengthy.
In 1993, Favre threw a league-worst 24 interceptions in opposition to 19 touchdowns.
In 1994, he practically doubled his landing throws (33) whereas chopping his picks right down to a good fourteen.
It was a a lot better 12 months than his ’92 and ’93 Professional Bowl campaigns, even when it did not finish with a free journey to Hawaii.
Favre completed the common season third within the NFC in passing yards (3,882), second in passer score (90.7), and second in passing TDs.
Nonetheless, Inexperienced Bay’s apparent faults had been an excessive amount of to beat in January.
Favre managed the group’s 16-12 Wild Card win over rival Detroit nicely sufficient.
It did not go so nicely within the subsequent spherical, as Favre (18-of-35, 1 INT) and the protection folded in an embarrassing 35-9 loss at Dallas.
1994 Higher Deck #277 Troy Aikman
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
New Dallas Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer inherited a dynasty recent off its second straight Tremendous Bowl win.
He additionally inherited a quarterback who was coping with a rash of accidents.
Troy Aikman suffered a brutal concussion within the earlier 12 months’s NFC Championship Recreation win over San Francisco.
He later stated that he couldn’t recall taking part in within the sport.
In 1994, the toll was apparent.
Aikman had his worst 12 months since 1990, finishing 64.5% of his passing makes an attempt for two,676 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
His 84.9 passer score was simply over 14 factors lower than his tally in 1993.
Fortunately for the 12-4 Cowboys, Emmitt Smith existed.
Dallas completed a top-five operating sport that helped to reduce the up-and-down nature of its passing assault.
Division champs for a 3rd straight 12 months, Dallas opened their bid for a threepeat with a 35-9 annihilation of Inexperienced Bay.
Aikman was nice within the win, hitting on 23-of-30 passing makes an attempt for 337 yards, two touchdowns, and a decide.
The tables turned one week later.
Dallas fell behind 24-7 to the Niners, forcing Aikman to air it out.
His 380 yards and two touchdowns look good on reflection.
However, it was his three interceptions that derailed the defending champs in a 38-28 highway loss.
1994 Higher Deck #302 Deion Sanders
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
It was go time for Prime Time in 1994.
The 26-year-old sensation stole a career-high 38 bases in 92 video games cut up between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.
It was maybe his handiest season within the Main Leagues.
His athletic peak wasn’t contained to baseball, both.
After signing a one-year take care of the San Francisco 49ers, the All-Professional graduated from #1 cornerback to one of the best defensive participant within the NFL.
Sanders picked off six passes in fourteen regular-season video games and led the NFL with a jaw-dropping 303 INT return yards and three pick-sixes.
He added two picks in San Francisco’s three-game Tremendous Bowl march.
Whereas he did not register a punt or kick return for the primary time in his profession, Sanders’ earth-shaking presence within the Niners’ defensive backfield greater than made up for it.
He was a stolen-base artist.
He was an NFL Defensive Participant of the Yr.
And one way or the other, a way, he discovered time to launch a rap album aptly titled “Prime Time.”
Sanders dominated the sports activities world in 1994.
And it was fascinating to observe.
1994 Higher Deck #310 Reggie White
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
Earlier than Reggie White, the Inexperienced Bay Packers had a below-average protection with a good worse cross rush.
That each one modified in 1993 when White moved from Philly to Wisconsin.
From 1994 to 1997, Inexperienced Bay completed no worse than fifth in scoring protection.
The “Minister of Protection” was what the Packers’ congregation wanted to achieve new heights.
Nonetheless, 1994 was not White’s most efficient particular person season, no less than from a numbers standpoint.
The Second-Workforce All-Professional did not register double-digit sacks for the primary time in his decade-long profession up to now (8.0).
His 49 mixed tackles had been additionally a brand new profession low.
Nonetheless, the 33-year-old defensive finish was nonetheless simply as worthwhile as ever.
His teammates thrived as double groups got here his manner.
And when he initiated stress in opposition to the cross, it opened loads of lanes for everybody to complete it.
Take Inexperienced Bay’s stifling 16-12 Wild Card win over Detroit, for instance.
White registered only one deal with and a sack.
Nonetheless, his mere presence broke the Lions’ offense past restore.
White was extra than simply statistics.
He shifted the whole discipline simply by stepping onto it.
1994 Higher Deck Soccer Playing cards In Evaluation
Although it could solely encompass 330 playing cards, the 1994 Higher Deck soccer set does not come up brief relating to star energy.
There are dozens of Corridor of Famers inside, together with big names like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, to call a couple of.
And three of these Corridor of Famers (Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Bryant Younger) are rookies.
So this set is actually not missing in large names.
It additionally contained a few first rate subsets:
- Star Rookies (#1 – 30)
- Heavy Weights (#31 – 40)
Nonetheless, it’s merely neglected due to the time interval throughout which it debuted.
The passion was reeling within the early Nineties, and never even one other fantastically-designed product from Higher Deck may reserve it.
Ultimately the passion would get well.
But this set stays one of many many victims of the fallout of the passion bubble burst of the early Nineties.
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