NFL Legends: Steve Van Buren, Sammy Baugh & Arnie Weinmeister custom McFarlane figures

While most Hall of Famers end up in Canton, these three are heading to Canada. My customer continues to build his collection of NFL Hall of Fame legends.

All player notes were pulled from Wikipedia.

A first-round draft pick in the 1944 NFL Draft, Van Buren ran for 444 yards in nine games during his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He also led the league in returning punts as a rookie. The following season, Van Buren led the NFL in rushing for the first time. He would win three additional rushing crowns in 1947, 1948 and 1949, becoming the first running back in NFL history to achieve three consecutive rushing titles. Jim Brown (1957–1961, 1963–1965) twice, Earl Campbell (1978–1980), and Emmitt Smith (1991–1993) have since managed that feat. All four are in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.

“Slingin’ Sammy” not only helped establish the pro game in the nation’s capital, he also was a major influence in the offensive revolution that occurred in the late 1930s and early 1940s. By the time Baugh was through, the forward pass was a primary offensive weapon. Obviously, such a change could not be totally brought about by one individual. But Baugh was the catalyst that changed the game. No one had seen a passer who could throw with such accuracy.





Few players ever have been so dominant at their position in pro football than Arnie Weinmeister was in his six-year stint as a defensive tackle that began with the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference in 1948 and ended with the New York Giants of the NFL in 1953.

Arnie was one of the first defensive players to captivate the masses of fans the way an offensive ball-handler does. At 6-4 and 235 pounds, he was bigger than the average player of his day and he was widely considered to be the fastest lineman in pro football.

With a six-year tenure in the AAFC and NFL, his career is one of the shortest of any Pro Football Hall of Fame member.

NFL Legends: Pete Pihos, Jim Ringo, Emlen Tunnell and Dermontti Dawson custom McFarlane figures

While most Hall of Famers end up in Canton, these four are heading to Canada. My customer continues to build his collection of NFL Hall of Fame legends. It must be one impressive collection.

All player notes were pulled from Wikipedia.

Pete Pihos was drafted in the 5th round of the 1945 NFL Draft by the Eagles. During his nine seasons of play, he missed just one game. Pete led the NFL in receiving from 1953 through 1955 and earned first-team All-Pro or All-League honors six times and was named to six Pro Bowls.

The Packers drafted Jim Ringo in the seventh round of the 1953. Ringo was considered vastly undersized at 211 pounds but he used his quickness and excellent technique to build a 15-year NFL career, including 11 seasons with the Packers, as one of the game's best centers. Ringo attended his first of seven straight Pro Bowls in 1957, but he flourished under Lombardi, earning consensus All-Pro honors from 1959-63. Ringo's speed and mobility made him an ideal blocker for Lombardi's famous power sweep.

Emlen Tunnell played 14 years in the National Football League. He was the first African American to play for the New York Giants where he played his first 11 years. Lombardi having coached Tunnell in New York, encouraged him to play his last three years with the Green Bay Packers. He was the first African American star to play for Green Bay. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. He ended his career with a record 79 interceptions. He was elected as the first African-American in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. Tunnell began his pro career by hitchhiking across the country from Iowa to New York City to meet Jack Mara, son of Giants founder Tim Mara and ask to try out for the team. In his Hall of Fame induction speech, Tunnell thanked the West Indian banana-truck driver who dropped him off near this Polo Grounds "appointment."

  

Dermontti Dawson was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft. In his rookie season he played guard alongside Hall of Fame center Mike Webster. When Webster left the team following that season, Dawson succeeded him as the starting center. He soon became one of the most respected players among the Steelers, and one of the best in the league at his position. Dawson was named to seven straight Pro Bowls from 1992 to 1998 and was a six-time AP First Team All-Pro. In 1993, he was named co-AFC Offensive Lineman of the Year by the NFLPA and in 1996 he was named the NFL Alumni’s Offensive Lineman of the Year. He played in 170 consecutive games, the second most in Steelers history.

 

Anthony Munoz - Cincinnati Bengals custom McFarlane figure

A completely original pose based off the client wanting Munoz just coming out of his stance to pass block.

Marcus Allen - Oakland Raiders custom McFarlane Sportspick

My client was not happy with TMP's version of Marcus Allen. The pose, the build and the equipment were just all wrong. Using Tony Dorsett as a the base figure, I lengthened the sleeves, removed the turf bottoms and replaced them with with cleats and swapped heads from the original Allen figure.

Jack Butler vs. Dante Lavelli Custom McFarlane sportspick match-up

This started out as just a commission for a Steeler's Jack Butler figure. After coming up with the pose I proposed to the customer that we come up with a wide receiver to go along with it. It had to be a WR in the NFL HOF so I came up with a list of 7 possible WRs. After going through old NFL schedules and box scores I determined that Jack Butler and Dante Lavelli both played in the same game on November 16, 1952. So, this scene may have well actually played out.


So here is a vintage football match-up with Steelers Jack Butler verses Browns Dante "Gluefingers" Lavelli.

Sean Taylor - Redskins - custom McFarlane sportspick

My customer wanted a custom based on this photo:

Great care was taken in capturing as many of the details in the photo as possible - glove & shoe design, matching folds in the jersey, the tape style of the wrists, the Air Jordan wristbands on the elbows and even the two "live strong" bracelets.

Herschel Walker - Georgia - custom McFarlane Sportspick figure

Here is my second version of Herschel Walker in his Georgia reds. You can check out my first version here.

Roger Staubach - Dallas Cowboys - custom McFarlane Sportspick figure

My customer was not happy with McFarlane's NFL Legends Staubach figure. I had to agree with him. When I first saw the pictures it looked like Staubach should be flying a kite or something. My customer wanted a more drop-back passing pose more fitting of Staubach.

I was able to salvage the head and legs from the original Staubach figure and with a torso/arm swap we came up with a great pose for Captain Comeback.

Hines Ward of the Gotham Rogues - Custom McFarlane figure inspired by The Dark Knight Rises

 
Inspired by the latest trailer for The Dark Knight Rises comes this custom Hines Ward figure. Meticulous detail has been be given to this figure. I scoured dozens of photos of set pictures to accurately portray Hines Ward in his Gotham Rogues uniform.


If you haven't seen the trailer yet, enemy Bane, seems to detonate a bomb in the football stadium as Hines Ward returns a kick off. This custom McFarlane figure depicts the moment from the trailer when Hines Ward turns around and witnesses the carnage. This is one of the few figures that I've made sans request.

James Harrison Slams Browns Fan - custom McFarlane sportspick figure

Click for original news story and video

It was Christmas Eve, 2005. Nathan Mallet sat about 20 rows up at midfield behind the Browns' bench as the Steelers pounded the Browns, 41-0, at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Worse, there were lots of Pittsburgh fans in his section.

"I had a little too much to drink,'' he said, "and one thing kind of led to another.''

Mallett somehow avoided security, dashed on to the field and bounced up and down, arms raised, as if he'd just scored a touchdown.

In mid-celebration, Harrison grabbed the 6-0, 200-pound Mallett from behind and body-slammed him to the turf like he was wrasslin' a steer.

This custom was just way to interesting to pass up. I love getting a good challenge and "moment in time" customs are my absolute favorite to work on.