http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com August 16, 2019 / Sports Collectors Digest 31
times longer than the average.”
In 13 of his 16 seasons, his teams had
a 1,000-yard rusher and he played in 92
games with a 100-yard rusher.
“Those are the things that really stand
out in my mind – things that my team-
mates did, but they couldn’t have done it
without myself,” he said. “I prided myself
on being reliable and accountable.”
Mawae now is an assistant coach at
Arizona State University, and joked that
he still has one play left in him.
“Hopefully it’ll be a run play behind
me, but I’ll be OK with a pass play, too,”
he said, laughing.
He is the ASU assistant offensive
line coach and offensive analyst. The
ASU head coach is Herm Edwards, who
Mawae played fi ve seasons under with
the Jets.
“I miss the puzzle of the game; I don’t
miss playing the game, meaning, the
preparation. I really miss the mental part
of the game. I live vicariously through
the players who I coach,” Mawae said.
“(My) work now includes a set routine,
including evaluating opponents, breaking
down fi lm (and) putting scouting reports
together.”
He admitted that the Pac-12 is signifi -
cantly different from the SEC that he’s
used to. And the Pac-12 includes “playing
in some historical stadiums, which is
pretty neat,” he added.
Mawae played at LSU from 1989-
1993, which he admitted was, “a really
dark time for our program.”
“I was there for fi ve of the six-worst
seasons in the history of the school,
(with) no bowl games,” he said. “I joke
that the only ring I got (through LSU)
was, my wedding ring. But I’m still very
fond of the program. Once a Tiger, always
a Tiger.”
And it’s the college game that he now
prefers.
“I think the college game is more ex-
citing than the pro game as far as watch-
ing the games,” he said, “though I do keep
up a little with the Titans, Seahawks and
Jets.”
Mawae’s football card legacy dates
back to 1994, from such brands as Signa-
ture Rookies, Stadium Club, Collectors
Edge Excalibur, Topps Finest, Pacifi c
Dynagon and Upper Deck XL, among
others.
“No one wants (the autograph) from
an offensive lineman at an autograph
show, so I was excited to attend,” the TRI-
STAR show in early-June, he said.
“The quarterbacks have long lines;
the running backs have long line. But the
offensive lineman has one kid in his line,
and the kid is only there because the line
is so short,” he added with a laugh.
Mawae’s run on the card show circuit
has changed now that he has to add HOF
2019 to his autograph. Mawae is among
326 Hall of Famers, the 188 living mem-
bers.
“I was a fan of John Elway, Dan Ma-
rino, Joe Montana, Steve Young, people
like that,” Mawae said. “And then I got to
play against those guys.
“My fi rst NFL game was in Candle-
stick Park (in San Francisco), and Steve
Young was warming up with Jerry Rice. I
just stood there and watched them warm
up.
“I made it a point that, before those
guys retired, I wanted their autograph.”
He has those signatures, along with
Emmitt Smith and others.
He often traded helmets after his Pro
Bowl appearances.
“A lot of my (memorabilia) is in stor-
age and I’ve donated a ton of stuff to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame,” he said. “I
understand collecting and collectibles. It’s
a hobby for so many people and it’s a way
to teach your kids the love of the game.
But (collectibles) baffl e me, too.
“If you go into my house, you
wouldn’t even know I was a football
player – unless you go into a back closet
and start digging around.”
He doesn’t have a Football Shrine or
Man Cave.
That said, he admitted that he was a
bit awestruck at the TRISTAR show, such
as when he saw “Mean” Joe Greene.
“That’s Joe Greene ... everyone
remembers that Coca-Cola commercial
in addition to his Hall of Fame career,” he
said. ◆
Ross Forman is a freelance contribu-
tor to Sports Collectors Digest. He can be
reached at [email protected].