1981 Donruss, Dave Rozema

#9 Dave Rozema

Here is the first '81 Donruss card, in the long line of '81 Donruss cards to come, that is of a player whose autograph I have not yet posted. This one features the former Tiger and Ranger, Dave Rozema.

Dave pitched for the Tigers for eight seasons as a starter and a reliever before finishing his final two seasons with Texas. His best season was his rookie campaign in 1977 when he went 15-7, with a 3.09 ERA and 92 strikeouts. He finished his career with a 60-53 record with 17 saves and a 3.47 ERA.

According to Dave's wikipedia page, he was selected as one of the "10 Greatest Characters in Detroit Tigers History" by Sports Illustrated in 2006. He was picked because he came off the bench for a brawl in 1982 and tried to deliver a flying karate kick, only to miss and tear eight ligaments in his knee and miss the remainder of the season. He also needed stitches that season after falling down on a flask that was in his back pocket. Other reasons he was chosen include shoving a beer glass into Alan Trammel's face that resulted in 47 stitches, washing his car with a Brillo pad, and missing a team bus because he overslept after judging a wet t-shirt contest. Seems like a colorful guy.

I sent this card to Dave at the beginning of November and I had it back about two weeks later.

'81 Donruss Tracker: 90/100