Six successes to report: David Emma (3/3), James Patrick (3/3), Danton Cole (3/3), Jeff Ballard (2/2), Stewart Cliburn (1/1), Mark Boyer (3/2), & Gill Fenerty (2/2)
David Emma won the 1991 Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate ice hockey player in the nation, while playing for Boston College. Emma would go on to play 34 games over five seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, and Florida Panthers. He scored 5 goals and notched 6 assists during his career.
After a successful collegiate career at the University of North Dakota, James Patrick represented Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. After the Olympics, Patrick signed his first professional contract on March 5, 1984 with the New York Rangers, and made his NHL debut two days later in Minnesota. Patrick scored his first NHL goal on March 17, 1984, in Philadelphia. He enjoyed ten productive seasons in New York before being traded to the Hartford Whalers and then to the Calgary Flames during the 1993–94 season before signing with the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent after the 1997–98 season.
Danton Cole was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 6th round in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He made made his NHL debut with the Jets during the 1989-90 season, scoring 2 points in 2 games. He played there for another 2 years before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning where Cole enjoyed his best season, scoring 43 points in 81 games during the 1993–1994 season. Cole was traded to the New Jersey Devils during 1994-95 and won the Stanley Cup.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Stew Cliburn in the fourth round of the 1977 MLB Draft out of Delta State University. He made his major league debut five years later as a September call-up for the California Angels. 1985 was Cliburn's best season, as he had a 9-3 record and a 2.09 ERA along with six saves. In 1988, his last season in the Majors, Cliburn had a 4-2 record and a 4.07 ERA working out of the bullpen in long relief.
Jeff Ballard played college baseball for Stanford University and was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 as one of Stanford's top pitchers, holding the all-time record in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched for more than 20 years. He played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1994 for the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1989, he ftied with Dennis Eckersley and Gregg Olson for sixth place in American League Cy Young Award voting.
In 1985, Mark Boyer was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts as a tight end and played for the Colts for 5 years. In 1990, he signed with the New York Jets as a free agent and played another 3 years. Mark was known as a "prolific blocker," helping Eric Dickerson lead the NFL in rushing in 1988 and the Jets to be a Top 5 NFL Rushing Team in 1990 and 1991. Solid hands helped him catch 170 passes for over 1,500 yards and 6 touchdowns through 114 career games.
After a career in the Canadian Football League, Gill Fenerty moved to his hometown to play for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL for the 1990 through 1993 seasons. He would play 31 games, rushing for 335 yards in 1990 and 477 in 1991, also catching 44 passes in the two years, as well as returning punts and kickoffs.
*Mailing addresses and relevant signing fees are posted on www.sportscollectors.net
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