I’m a lifelong collector of sports cards and specialize in rare, autographed cards of BYU players in their BYU uniforms. Instead of just keeping these cardboard treasures to myself, in this video series entitled "BYU Cougar Cards Tell Stories" I'm opening up my collection and sharing them with you.
In this edition I'm sharing my 2001 autographed Danny Ainge card from the Fleer Autograph series and the story that it tells about passion breeding success.
A four-year starter at BYU, Ainge averaged 20.9 points per game throughout his illustrious career in Provo. During his dominant1980-81 season he averaged 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists and went on to win the Wooden Award as the nation's best player.
Ainge will always be remembered for leading BYU to the Elite Eight in 1981. As a six-seed BYU beat 11-seed Princeton then went on to upset three-seed UCLA and two-seed Notre Dame on Ainge's legendary coast-to-coast game winner. No BYU team has advanced further in the tournament than Ainge's Cougars.
He went on to have an outstanding 14-year NBA career that included an All-Star selection and two NBA titles with the Boston Celtics.
The word "passionate" is often associated with Danny Ainge, both as a hustling player who racked up floor burns and as a shrewd NBA general manager. The story this autographed card from my collection tells is that passion breeds success, something that Danny Ainge has shown by example going all the way back to his days as a BYU Cougar.