My prized autographed Marshall Faulk football helmet sits on an upstairs bookshelf next to my library of
Tom Clancy paperbacks. Truly disrespectful.
By Philip Urbina
In May 1993 I was president of the Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad and still trying to figure out the territory. I had been on the executive committee and board of directors for several years, but I was discovering new responsibilities on a regular basis, particularly as we were hiring a new CEO.
Our annual fund-raising auction presented one of those situations. In those days we raised $35,000-$45,000 at the auction each year. Today, the club raises nearly 10 times that amount. (Join us this year on Oct. 10 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa!)
We had 50 or so items in the walking auction, where people write down their bids on each item. At a designated time, the walking auction is closed and whomever has the highest bid wins the item. Pretty simple. But sometimes you can have people who might be, let’s say, overly competitive for a particular item. That was the case with the Marshall Faulk helmet, which was signed, “Best Wishes, Marshall Faulk #28.”
But the helmet wasn’t just one of several that was pulled off the shelf and signed by the 1992 Heisman Trophy winner – oops, scratch that. He finished second in the Heisman voting that year to Gino Torretta in one of the biggest robberies in sports. The helmet was the actual helmet he played in during the 1992 season. The helmet had the scratches and dings from tacklers. This was the helmet he wore while averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 1,630 yards. He wore it while rushing for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-38 win over BYU. He wore it while rushing for 300 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-28 win over then No. 24 ranked Hawaii.
At the auction, a few people were jockeying for position to get in the last bid. One of the staff members was concerned and asked me what we should do. The bidding was climbing and the walking auction was about to close. I suggested we add it to the Live Auction instead and just make it the first item so everyone would have a chance to bid on it. After all, this was a fund-raiser for the club, and we wanted to sell it for as much as possible.
We made it the first item in the live auction. The auctioneer announced the item to the 200 or so people in attendance and asked for an initial bid. Crickets. Sometimes an auction crowd needs to get warmed up a bit. As President of the Club I was at a front table. I looked behind me at all these sports-minded men in expensive tuxedos – a target-rich environment. They just needed someone else to make the first bid of the night. I had confidence in them – and inside knowledge that someone had already bid $490 in the walking auction.
“$500,” I shouted. Someone bid $525.
“$550,” I responded, sure this would spur on the high rollers.
Crickets.
Today, $550 is a significant sum of money to my frugal nature, but in 1993 it was probably a rent payment. It was a lot of money to me and I wasn’t prepared to spend it on a football helmet.
Crickets.
“Going once . . . Going twice . . . Sold!”
It was mine. Now what? I’ve had the helmet for 27 years. It’s been tried on by numerous people at parties. I know it should be in a hermetically sealed acrylic case, but it sits hidden on a shelf in my upstairs office. I can’t recall the last time I showed it off. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about it in a long time until I saw the article in the UT asking readers about their prized sports memorabilia.
I’ve thought about selling it a few times, like when my E-Trade account dropped like a rock. But the thought was fleeting. Interestingly enough, we were expecting a jersey. Item W-36 in the auction catalog says: “The Shirt Off His Back. Take home a jersey autographed by Marshall Faulk.” Documentation is critical to the value of sports memorabilia but it wasn’t even listed in the auction catalog! In 2000 I was able to get a letter from the Boys & Girls Club with the actual hand-written description sheet: “Autographed Jersey Helmet from SDSU running back – Heisman Trophy winner? 1st Round draft pick? Hall of Fame?”
A few years ago, I was at a La Costa Canyon High School football game with some friends. Marshall Faulk’s son was playing for LCC and there he sat watching intently not far from me. I considered going up and telling him I had his college football helmet. Maybe he’d want it. But I didn’t want to interrupt him while he was watching his son play.
I looked on a sports memorabilia auction site and a Drew Brees helmet has an estimated value of $300 and a current bid of $115. I’m sure he didn’t wear it in a game and there are probably many of them around. A Barry Sanders helmet has an estimated value of $300, but again, I’m guessing there are plenty around. An Eli Manning . . . well, Eli Manning collectibles aren’t worth much these days, particularly in San Diego.
So, my prized Marshall Faulk helmet remains on its shelf, keeping Jack Ryan company.
