NFL Player of the Day Promotion Ends in Houston

Johnny Titus, an NFL trading card collector from Houston, Texas, turned one lucky pack of NFL player trading cards into one fantastic grand prize: The chance for him and his family to spend a day with Houston Texans rookie running back Steve Slaton.

Titus, a long-time football card collector from Houston, is one of the more than 200,000 NFL card collectors who participated in the 2008 NFL Player of the Day contest, which was sponsored at more than 700 hobby shops nationwide. He is among the thousands who earned prizes, but as the grand-prize winner, Titus was the only one with the chance to spend a day with an NFL player.

Slaton attended a private party at the Titus family’s home Feb. 15 in Houston. After the party, the family took a limousine with Slaton to their favorite hobby shop – Sportscard Shack in Houston. There, the community joined Titus as winners, with Slaton spending an hour signing free autographs and posing for photos.

“I am thrilled for Johnny and his kids,” said Rory Lopez, owner of Sportscard Shack “They are all regular customers at my shop and are big football card collectors and Texans fans. I’m glad to be a part of their special day.”

Titus will also receive a $250 shopping spree to spend on NFL licensed products at Sportscard Shack.

Titus’ journey began when he uncovered the designated NFL Player of the Day from a pack of cards he purchased at the hobby shop. Each participating store selected a grand prize winner for a spot in the national sweepstakes in which the Texans fan proved to be the luckiest of the entrants. More than 100 collectors earned prizes in the national sweepstakes including autographed football and autographed NFL trading cards.

The 2008 NFL Player of the Day promotion included more than 700 hobby shops across the country. Players Inc, and NFL Properties, LLC, along with trading card licensees Donruss/Playoff, Topps and Upper Deck coordinated the promotion. This marks the eighth consecutive year that the NFL Player of the Day program has given an NFL card collector the chance to spend the day with an NFL player. Past players have included: AJ Feely, Maurice Jones-Drew, Chris Simms, Rudi Johnson, Donald Driver, Ed McCaffrey, Chad Pennington and Frank Wycheck.