Ghost stars of training camps past

[Bobhaze]

Danny Coale WR 2012 had me all hyped.

Mac I remember the Danny Coale hype train.

 

[timb2]

I love this stuff. Thank you Bob.
Sometimes, I like to go to pro football reference and look through stats from past seasons. I always notice players that I either do not remember or some well known players that I totally forgot suited up for our team. Here are a few from the 80's. Note: these are regular season guys.....not training camp or pre season guys.

1984...totally forgot that Hall Of Famer Harold Carmichael was with Dallas.

1984.. WR Waddell Smith. Who?

1986.....WR Gordon Banks. Wore # 87. Actually started 5 games that year. Cannot place him. You?

and then....this guy was on the roster from '85 through 88. TE Todd Fowler. Wore # 46. Had 17 career receptions. When I think Dallas TE's I don't think Todd Fowler!

Waddell Smith CFL WR played with Warren Moon in Edmonton.

Gordon Banks USFL. Solid not special

Todd Fowler they envisioned he would be another Todd Christenson type TE even give him the same number # 46

 

[timb2]

Add Rogers Alexander

 

[dupree89]

each of you have a waaaay better memory than I have. holy moly.

 

[dupree89]

Waddell Smith CFL WR played with Warren Moon in Edmonton.

Gordon Banks USFL. Solid not special

Todd Fowler they envisioned he would be another Todd Christenson type TE even give him the same number # 46

thank you so much for responding. I appreciate it.

 

[maryquality]

Ahhh.....the past TC legends!! I've forgotten many of those on your list. Wonder who will be on the 2025 list!

 

[HungryLion]

Cool thread.

Side point. Woody Dantzler did have an amazing regular season highlight. Perhaps one of the greatest kick return touchdowns of all time. Remember that one?

 

[Bobhaze]

Cool thread.

Side point. Woody Dantzler did have an amazing regular season highlight. Perhaps one of the greatest kick return touchdowns of all time. Remember that one?

One of the best and most unlikely KO return TDs ever. He looked like a pin ball!

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Who are the ghost stars of training camps past? Players who were little known long shots to make the team that were praised as “having a great camp”, made some plays in pre-season games, then faded into history in either a year or two.

Here are just a few of the names of training camp heroes of the past whose star burned out quickly:

• Bo Morgan, RB (1997-98)
• Jeff Ogden, WR (1999)
• Woody Dantzler, RB (2002)
• Ross Tucker, G (2002)
• Phillip Tanner, RB (2012-14)
• Terrance Copper, WR (2004)
• Losaka Polite, RB (2004)
• Skyler Green, WR (2005)
• Isiah Stanback, WR 2007)
• Kevin Ogletree, WR (2009)
• Lucky Whitehead, WR (2015)
• Rico Gathers, TE (2016-17)
• Lance Lenoir, WR (2017)
• Jaquan Hardy, RB (2021)
• Dennis Houston, WR (2022)
• Ryan Flournoy, WR (2024)

All of these guys had “a great camp” and most if not all faded quickly into the roster history books. Whose name will eventually be added as one of the “Ghost stars of training camps past” this year? Who did I forget from the past?

I’ll Never forget the name Evan Oglesby and how dominate they said he was….

 

[rags747]

I love this stuff. Thank you Bob.
Sometimes, I like to go to pro football reference and look through stats from past seasons. I always notice players that I either do not remember or some well known players that I totally forgot suited up for our team. Here are a few from the 80's. Note: these are regular season guys.....not training camp or pre season guys.

1984...totally forgot that Hall Of Famer Harold Carmichael was with Dallas.

1984.. WR Waddell Smith. Who?

1986.....WR Gordon Banks. Wore # 87. Actually started 5 games that year. Cannot place him. You?

and then....this guy was on the roster from '85 through 88. TE Todd Fowler. Wore # 46. Had 17 career receptions. When I think Dallas TE's I don't think Todd Fowler!

ToddZilla was his nickname, played more rb with us. Landry wanted him at TE but Todd was not having it. Quite the career with the Raiders though!

 

[dsouth234]

I’ll never forget the summer we had with Justin Beriault.

I was trying to remember that guys name. Thank you for saving me a 20 minute internet search

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Cool thread.

Side point. Woody Dantzler did have an amazing regular season highlight. Perhaps one of the greatest kick return touchdowns of all time. Remember that one?

Damn I remember that but don’t remember it being this impressive. Wow.

 

[blueblood70]

Who are the ghost stars of training camps past? Players who were little known long shots to make the team that were praised as “having a great camp”, made some plays in pre-season games, then faded into history in either a year or two.

Here are just a few of the names of training camp heroes of the past whose star burned out quickly:

• Bo Morgan, RB (1997-98)
• Jeff Ogden, WR (1999)
• Woody Dantzler, RB (2002)
• Ross Tucker, G (2002)
• Phillip Tanner, RB (2012-14)
• Terrance Copper, WR (2004)
• Losaka Polite, RB (2004)
• Skyler Green, WR (2005)
• Isiah Stanback, WR 2007)
• Kevin Ogletree, WR (2009)
• Lucky Whitehead, WR (2015)
• Rico Gathers, TE (2016-17)
• Lance Lenoir, WR (2017)
• Jaquan Hardy, RB (2021)
• Dennis Houston, WR (2022)
• Ryan Flournoy, WR (2024)

All of these guys had “a great camp” and most if not all faded quickly into the roster history books. Whose name will eventually be added as one of the “Ghost stars of training camps past” this year? Who did I forget from the past?

don't Forget the Hard Knocks pass rush star, that offseason it was,

• Azur Kamara: A defensive end who showed flashes of potential during the preseason.

 

[blueblood70]

There was some guy in the Garrett era whose name escapes me... an edge rusher type... got a bunch of pressures and sacks and hype in the second half of preseason games and then IIRC didn't even make the team.

Good times.

• Azur Kamara: A defensive end who showed flashes of potential during the preseason.???

 

[dupree89]

ToddZilla was his nickname, played more rb with us. Landry wanted him at TE but Todd was not having it. Quite the career with the Raiders though!

you're thinking of todd christensen. and yes, what a career he had with raiders. wow.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

• Azur Kamara: A defensive end who showed flashes of potential during the preseason.???

No, I think this was earlier than that. Can't remember the DC. May even have been Ryan because he may have been a 34 OLB... or just an undersized Marinelli guy. Did some searches and couldn't find who I was thinking of.

 

[MarcusRock]

Can't remember if he had a good camp or not but people were plenty excited about the safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, or AOA as he was known.

 

[Bobhaze]

don't Forget the Hard Knocks pass rush star, that offseason it was,

• Azur Kamara: A defensive end who showed flashes of potential during the preseason.

This kid was in 2020 TC, got injured, then came back in 2021. He was shown on “Hard Knocks” with his mom (2021?)

Kamara actually made the team in 2021 and played in 9 games before being waived. He later played briefly in Carolina and KC, then a short swim in the Canadian football league.

Good one Blue!

 

[MarcusRock]

Mac I remember the Danny Coale hype train.

I remember one poster saying he thought he would catch 50 balls for us that year. He wound up being beat out by my pet cat Cole Beasley.

 

[HungryLion]

Damn I remember that but don’t remember it being this impressive. Wow.

It’s definitely burned on my brain. I must have watched it 100 times on highlights that week when it first happened.