The Beckett Blog

Never one to duck potential controversy, Razor President Brian Gray is at it again.

Gray recently began taking orders for a U.S. Army All-American Bowl football product that includes autographs from the top 2008 high school seniors (including highly touted Tennessee signee Bryce Brown) and base cards of three kids in junior high – the progeny of NFL notables Ray Lewis, Ed McCaffrey and Ty Detmer.

Producing cards of high school football players is by no means a new concept; there have been Big 33 sets devoted to prep stars in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio for years. It’s the thin-line introduction of the younger players – incoming ninth grader Ray A. Lewis III, and future eighth graders Christian McCaffrey and Koy Detmer – that might ruffle some feathers.

“All three are sons of famous [NFL] players,” Gray says. “If we luck out and hit a future big prospect it would be a huge card. At the very least, it’s fun.”

The kids played in the 2009 Football University All-American Bowl, a series of games highlighting seventh and eighth graders held in conjunction with the annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Gray says that rights to all three players were included in his license with the U.S. Army and SportsLink, the marketing firm that produces the annual All-American Bowl.

The product will be distributed in factory-set form and will include 56 base cards – 40 of players from the 2009 game, 13 of game alumnae such as Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush and Mark Sanchez, and the three junior-high schoolers.

In addition, every set will include either an autograph card or a game-worn memorabilia or patch card. The autograph checklist is 44-players deep.

“I think anyone who watches Rivals.com to see where the best high school players are headed will love this set,” Gray says. “This game has produced tremendous names – Peterson, Bush, Sanchez, Brady Quinn, Vince Young, Beanie Wells, Ted Ginn, Tim Tebow, Tyrelle Prior. These will be the players’ only cards until they make it in pros.

“Imagine what [kind of money] a Tebow printed three years ago would bring. This gives fans cards to collect of their favorite college stars for the next three to four years. [This game] has yielded two to three big players every year. We think Bryce Brown will be that special player [this year]. Plus, it may be Donovan Tate’s only football card ever made.”

Tate, an outfielder from Cartersville, Ga., was selected by the San Diego Padres with the third overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft.

The product is limited to 4,800 sets and will ship the week of July 27. For more information, contact Gray at 214-393-4510 or via email at orders@razorcollectibles.com.

– Tracy Hackler