NCAA Autographs

A review of the success, failures, and process of collecting the autographs of NCAA football and basketball stars from around the country...


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Saturday, January 27, 2007

Success on Saturday....

North Carolina's Tim Federowicz is the latest college baseball success to pop into the mailbox. A Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American from a season ago, the Tar Heels' sophomore returned both index cards and the questionnaire I sent in just 11 days. You can view a copy of his completed questionnaire by visiting the message board.

2007 STATS - COLLEGE BASEBALL
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RECEIVED: 10
SENT: 58
% RECEIVED: 17.2%
AVG # OF DAYS: 10.2
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $6.00

Friday, January 26, 2007

Friday football, baseball success...

Friday afternoon brought a trio of new successes to the mailbox, one football and a pair of baseball.

Florida star freshman Percy Harvin, a member of the 2007 national champion Gators, returned both index cards I enclosed to him earlier this month. That success took just 17 days.

James Madison outfielder Kellen Kulbacki, who is a preseason First Team All-American and the country's returning leader in terms of both homeruns and batting average, signed care of his university's athletic department in just 14 days. Kulbacki returned both index cards, as well as the questionnaire and a nice letter which can be viewed by visiting the message board.

Also in the success category was Nebraska's Tony Watson, also a 2007 preseason First Team All-American. He signed just one of the two index cards I sent care of the school athletic department in only 10 days.

2007 STATS - COLLEGE BASEBALL
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RECEIVED: 9
SENT: 58
% RECEIVED: 15.5%
AVG # OF DAYS: 10.1
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $6.67

2006-2007 STATS - COLLEGE FOOTBALL
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RECEIVED: 46
SENT: 137
% RECEIVED: 33.6%
AVG # OF DAYS: 29.2
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $3.04

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Another mailbox full....

Five new autograph successes arrived in the mailbox today, three college baseball and two high school hoops.

Mississippi's Zack Cozart, a first team All-American as selected by the NCBWA, returned both index cards I enclosed to him care of the university's athletic department in just nine days. He is the first college baseball player I've had success from that chose not to complete the questionnaire I enclosed to him.

Clemson's Daniel Moskos, a second-team All-American as chosen by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball, and Taylor Harbin, a third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, both returned their requests today, just nine days after I put them in the mailbox.

Both players signed the two index cards I sent them care of the CU athletic department. Both Tigers also completed the questionnaire I sent them, which can be viewed by visiting the message board.

Rising hoops star Jerryd Bayless became my latest high school success when the Arizona signee sent back both index cards signed. Bayless, who currently attends St. Mary's Catholic High School in Phoenix, returned the request in just 19 days.

Florida signee Nick Calathes, who currently attends Lake Howell High School in the Sunshine State, also returned his request in just 19 days and signed both index cards. Both Bayless and Calathes are ranked among the nation's top twelve high school hoops prospects according to rivals.com, and each signed courtesy of his high school.

2007 STATS - COLLEGE BASEBALL
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RECEIVED: 7
SENT: 58
% RECEIVED: 12.1%
AVG # OF DAYS: 9.6
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $8.57

2007 STATS - HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS
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RECEIVED: 5
SENT: 22
% RECEIVED: 22.7%
AVG # OF DAYS: 13.6
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $5.00

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Catching up on success...

The past few days has brought seven new successes to the mailbox: four college baseball and three others.

Southern Illinois outfielder Kevin Koski returned both index cards I enclosed to him care of the university's athletic department in just 10 days. Koski also completed a brief questionnaire I enclosed to him, which you can view by visiting the message board.

Stetson's Shane Jordan, also an outfielder, returned both index cards I enclosed to him in just 10 days as well. Like Koski, Jordan also filled out the questionnaire I included, which can be viewed on the message board. His request was also sent care of the university's athletic department.

Tennessee pitcher James Adkins, meanwhile, returned the request sent to him via the UT athletic department in just eight days. Like the previous two, Adkins signed both index cards and also completed the questionnaire.

And last but not least in terms of college baseball successes, Western Carolina's Steven Strausbuagh also signed both index cards and completed the questionnaire I sent to him via his school's athletic department. That request took just a dozen days.

I also received a trio of non-collegiate successes over the past few days. Legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden returned both index cards I sent to him care of his home address in just nine days. Mr. Wooden also enclosed a small card about his website, johnrwoodencourse.com.

Also in the success category was former Baylor standout and legendary NFL star Mike Singletary, who signed both index cards I enclosed care of his home address in just 9 days. Wrapping up the successes for the week thus far was former Florida star David Eckstein. The current St. Louis Cardinal also signed both index cards I enclosed care of his home address in just 10 days.

2007 STATS - COLLEGE BASEBALL
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RECEIVED: 4
SENT: 58
% RECEIVED: 6.9%
AVG # OF DAYS: 10.0
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $15.00

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Saturday success...

Another college hoops success arrived in the mailbox on Saturday, as Butler star A.J. Graves returned both index cards I had enclosed c/o the university's athletic department. The request, which was sent just before the new year, came back in just 21 days.

2006-2007 STATS - COLLEGE HOOPS
-------------------------------------------
RECEIVED: 21
SENT: 76
% RECEIVED: 27.6%
AVG # OF DAYS: 26.0
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $3.62

Friday, January 19, 2007

Catching up on a week's worth of success...

A trio of basketball successes arrived in my mailbox over the course of the last week, so it's time to update those now.

Jackson State hoops star Trey Johnson, who currently leads Division I in scoring, returned my request in 20 days c/o the JSU athletic department. In addition to signing both index cards, he also wrote a very nice note thanking me for the support. You can view a scan of that note on the message board.

A pair of high school hoops requests also came in this week. Blake Griffin of Oklahoma Christian School returned my request in just a dozen days c/o his school. Like Johnson, the future Oklahoma Sooner signed both index cards and also included a nice note of thanks, which you can view by visiting the message board.

The second high school success came from Mamadou Diarra of Stoneridge Prep School in California. The big man, who is a native of Africa, returned the request in twelve days, signing both index cards I enclosed c/o his school. Diarra has not yet chosen a college.

2006-2007 STATS - COLLEGE HOOPS
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RECEIVED: 20
SENT: 76
% RECEIVED: 26.3%
AVG # OF DAYS: 26.2
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $3.80

2007 STATS - HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS
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RECEIVED: 3
SENT: 22
% RECEIVED: 13.6%
AVG # OF DAYS: 10.0
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $8.33

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Two hoops successes, one NCAA and one HS...

A pair of basketball successes arrived in the mailbox today, one from the college level and a second from the prep ranks. In fact, this is my first ever success from a high school player.

UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute signed and returned both index cards I enclosed. That request, which was sent care of the UCLA Athletic Department, took just 13 days. This success comes a few months after a failed request to Mbah a Moute that I sent back in early September. Perhaps the Bruins' star had some free time over the Christmas break.

LaceDarius Dunn, an up-and-coming hoops prospect out of Excelsior Christian School in Louisiana, became high school success number one when he returned one of the two index cards I had enclosed in just six days. Dunn, who will attend Baylor next fall, signed care of his school's mailing address.

2006-2007 STATS - COLLEGE HOOPS
-------------------------------------------
RECEIVED: 19
SENT: 76
% RECEIVED: 25.0%
AVG # OF DAYS: 26.5
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $4.00

2007 STATS - HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS
-------------------------------------------
RECEIVED: 1
SENT: 22
% RECEIVED: 4.6%
AVG # OF DAYS: 6.0
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $25.00

Thursday, January 11, 2007

BIG NEWS: The blog adds a board!

With the increase in popularity of both this site and the overall hobby of collecting autographs, I have decided it's time to splurge and set up a message board for us all to interact, share information, note successes and failures, and generally discuss whatever else is taking place in the world of autograph collecting. It's absolutely FREE to join and post, and even better, if you already have an ezboard global account from another source, it will work here! So join in when you can, and tell your friends as well!

NCAA Autographs Message Board

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The college baseball contacts...

After several weeks of researching, I have come up with a list of 58 NCAA baseball players I plan on contacting soon. Below is a look at that list, so let me know if you feel I've left anyone off:

Andy D'Alessio (Clemson), Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt), Zach Cozart (Mississippi), Sean Doolittle (Virginia), Emeel Salem (Alabama), Kellen Kulbacki (James Madison), Wes Roemer (Cal State-Fullerton), Cole St. Clair (Rice), Nick Schmidt (Arkansas), Joshua Fields (Georgia), Blair Erickson (UC-Irvine), Matt Wieters (Georgia Tech), Joe Savery (Rice), David Price (Vanderbilt), J.P. Arencibia (Tennessee), Jemile Weeks (Miami), Matt LaPorta (Florida), Matt Dobbins (Jacksonville), Jake Arrieta (TCU), Darwin Barney (Oregon State), Shane Jordan (Stetson), Kevin Koski (Southern Illinois), Curt Smith (Maine), Brian Friday (Rice), Tyler Mach (Oklahoma State), Wrandel Taylor (Prairie View A&M), Chad Flack (North Carolina), Ryan Wehrle (Nebraska), Taylor Harbin (Clemson), Kyle Russell (Texas), Alex Wilson (Winthrop), Damon Sublett (Wichita State), Julio Borbon (Tennessee), Danny Payne (Georgia Tech), Jared Prince (Washington State), Eric Sogard (Arizona State), Steven Strausbaugh (Western Carolina), Tony Watson (Nebraska), Aaron Luna (Rice), Luis Flores (Houston), Kevin McAvoy (Maine), Mike Bianucci (Auburn), David Doss (South Alabama), Tommy Hunter (Alabama), Aaron Shafer (Wichita State), Jacob Thompson (Virginia), Warren McFadden (Tulane), Beamer Weems (Baylor), Tim Federowicz (North Carolina), Cody Satterwhite (Mississippi), Christian Friedrich (Eastern Kentucky), Matt Lea (Mississippi State), Brian Dozier (Southern Miss), Tony Delmonico (Tennessee), Andrew Brackman (NC State), Daniel Moskos (Clemson), James Adkins (Tennessee), Matt Mangini (Oklahoma State)

Monday, January 08, 2007

Hoops success...

Duke guard DeMarcus Nelson is the latest college hoops success, returning the request I sent in late December in just nine days. Nelson signed both index cards I enclosed. He is the first player to respond to the wave of nearly thirty requests I sent late last month.

2006 STATS - HOOPS
-------------------------------
RECEIVED: 18
SENT: 76
% RECEIVED: 23.7%
AVG # OF DAYS: 27.3
PRICE PER SUCCESS: $4.22

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Similar sites?...

I'm trying to track down a list of similar sites that keep track of NCAA autograph successes (whether it be football, basketball, or baseball), so if you know of any that aren't already listed under the "Related Links" section on the right column, please let me know. Thanks!

Friday, January 05, 2007

A new project...

While most of my projects have centered around contacting college athletes, I have occasionally ventured away from that to do slightly different things, and this is one of those times. With a few colleges beginning to crack down on allowing their athletes to sign autographs through the mail for various reasons, the thought occurred to me: why not catch them before they get to college?

So that's what I'm going to attempt to do. I've researched a couple of the top recruiting websites out there and came up with a list of what are supposed to be the top 22 high school hoops stars in the country. I then sought out their current school's website to track down a mailing address and am prepared to test my luck. Like with my college requests, I will send a pair of index cards along with a letter requesting their autograph and a self-addressed stamped envelope for them to hopefully return the autograph in, all of this care of their current high school.

I have no idea if this will find any success at all, which is why I'm starting with a relatively small number of requests. If it is indeed successful, I may look to expand in this area further in the future, both in terms of other sports and the number of letters I mail. The other down side to this, besides the uncertainty, is that sending out requests this early in a player's career means it's more likely that the player will not live up to his potential and/or projection. But then again, it's all just for fun anyway, right?

So with that in mind, here's the list of players who I will be contacting, along with their current high school and college choice. These requests will go in the mailbox on Saturday.

Michael Beasley (Notre Dame Prep School, Kansas State), Eric Gordon (North Central High School, Indiana), Derrick Rose (Simeon Career Academy, Memphis), Kyle Singler (South Medford High School, Duke), O.J. Mayo (Huntington High School, USC), Kevin Love (Lake Oswego High School, UCLA), DeAndre Jordan (Christian Life Center Academy, Texas A&M), Austin Freeman (DeMatha Catholic High School, Georgetown), Jerryd Bayless (St. Mary's Catholic High School, Arizona), Nick Calathes (Lake Howell High School, Florida), Kosta Koufos (Glen Oak High School, Ohio State), Donte Green (Towson Catholic High School, Syracuse), Patrick Patterson (Huntington High School, College TBA), J.J. Hickson (Wheeler High School, NC State), Anthony Randolph (Woodrow Wilson High School, LSU), Craig Brackins (Brewster Academy, Iowa State), James Harden (Artesia High School, Arizona State), Jamelle Horne (San Diego High School, Arizona), Mamadou Diarra (Stoneridge School, College TBA), Herb Pope (Aliquippa High School, New Mexico State), Lacedarius Dunn (Excelsior Christian School, Baylor), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma Christian School, Oklahoma)

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Hoops round two in the box....

This season's college hoops requests part II are in the box. All of the requests (shown in the December 26, 2006 entry) were sent on either December 30 or January 2. I'll update any successes as they arrive, hopefully within the next ten days or so.

I'm also still assembling a college baseball list, so if you have suggestions there, let me know. I've got a pretty large list put together so far and will post that here within the next few days.