Below is the greatest sports card collection of UMass alums who reached MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL. Along with a personal snapshot, I’ve included a ‘Fun Fact’ for each athlete.
MLB
Fun Fact: Ralph Lumenti recorded 1 win in his MLB career (5/8/58 vs. Detroit). In the victory, he pitched a strong 5.1 innings, and allowed just one run on four hits. The great Al Kaline went 0-for-2 against him in the bout.
Fun Fact: Ed won a total of 6 games in the Show, though one of them was a complete game shutout against the Kansas City Athletics on Sept. 15, 1964. In the masterpiece, Connolly surrendered just two hits, and struck out 12 batters.
In his career, Connolly fared well against Brooks Robinson, as the Hall of Fame third basemen went 3-for-15 against him and punched out twice. He also struck out the prior-mentioned Kaline a pair of times in five chances.
Fun Fact: Shea went 4-4 with a respectable 3.22 ERA in 40 career games out of the bullpen. He had 26 career strikeouts, 2 of which were against Willie Mays.
FUN FACT: Appeared in 82 games across 2 seasons. Hit 2 HR with a lifetime batting average of .242 in 149 at-bats. Hansen hit 5 career doubles, with one coming off of Fergie Jenkins, and another off of Nolan Ryan.
FUN FACT: Reardon led the league in saves during the 1985 MLB season (41), and won a World Series as a member of the 1987 Minnesota Twins. In 1992, he became the all-time saves leader with his 342nd save, surpassing Rollie Fingers (341). He was eventually eclipsed, and now ranks 13th all-time with 367. The acclaimed reliever made 4 All-Star teams across 16 seasons.
FUN FACT: 1 win and a 5.12 ERA in 38.2 innings out of the bullpen during his 2-year career. In his lone victory, Brown struck out Wade Boggs and Jim Rice in the same inning while hurling for the Baltimore Orioles.
FUN FACT: Logged 2,770 innings across an 18-year career…. Won the AL Cy Young Award in 1979 while pitching for the Baltimore Orioles. Member of the World Series-winning 1983 Baltimore Orioles.
Fun Fact: Dave pitched in the Bigs for 6 seasons. He struck Ken Griffey Jr. out on four separate occasions.
FUN FACT: 9 career appearances. 1 victory (a 17-inning thriller as a member of the Mets where he pitched a 1-2-3 inning (2 K) in the top of the 17th. New York won in the latter half of the inning on a Jeff Kent RBI double that plated Eddie Murray.
FUN FACT: 966 hits, 28 HR, and a lifetime batting average of .258 in his 12-year MLB career… DiSarcina made the AL All-Star team in 1995 and entered the exhibition game as a pinch runner for Cal Ripken Jr. in the bottom of the 7th inning. He once hit a home run off of Randy Johnson (9/23/1997).
Fun Fact: Ron played on 12 different teams during his 15-year MLB career, which is tied for 3rd all-time (with Mike Morgan, Matt Stairs, and Craig Kimbrel). Only Edwin Jackson (14), and Octavio Dotel (13) have competed on more ballclubs.
Fun Fact: Greg recorded 23 career hits. He shared the lineup with the iconic Jim Thome on the 2002 Cleveland Indians.
FUN FACT: Clark went for 1-for-11 in his MLB career. His lone base knock came against Clay Hensley of the San Diego Padres on June 28, 2006.
FUN FACT: 183.1 innings across 7 MLB seasons… Appeared in 65 games for the 2006 Atlanta Braves, which was the 3rd-most on the team. Paronto also appeared in Moneyball (2011) during the famous ‘Player Value’ scene.
FUN FACT: 4 career at-bats across 2 games (0-for-4, BB). Scored a run on a Chone Figgins triple (6/30/07). Shared the lineup with Hall of Famer, Vladimir Guerrero.
NBA
FUN FACT: Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Member, 7x All-NBA, 1980-81 NBA MVP, 1982-83 NBA Champion. Statue on UMass campus.
FUN FACT: Played in 203 NBA games across 4 years. Was teammates with UMass alum, Julius Erving on the 1978-79 and 1979-80 Philadelphia 76ers. Skinner’s career-high was 28 PTS (10/21/77 vs. New Jersey Nets).
FUN FACT: 2 starts in 66 career games across a pair of NBA seasons. Scored a career-high 14 PTS against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 27, 1995.
FUN FACT: 17-year NBA career… 2006-07 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 4x BLK Champ, 4x All-Defensive.
FUN FACT: Played 7 minutes as a freshman for UMass in the 1982-83 season before transferring to Fairfield. Appeared in 6 games for the 1990-91 Boston Celtics, a team that featured 3 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish). In his 6 NBA games, Wynder tallied 12 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.
FUN FACT: Appeared in 25 games across 2 NBA seasons… His career highs were as follows: PTS (6), REB (8), AST (1), STL (2), BLK (1).
FUN FACT: Appeared in 16 games during the 2007-08 NBA season (1 with GSW, 15 with MIA). Dropped a career-high 12 PTS in a Miami win vs. Atlanta on April 16, 2008.
FUN FACT: Played in 111 games across two NBA seasons… His career-high was 23 PTS (4/26/12 vs. New Jersey Nets).
FUN FACT: Played at UMass as a freshman (2016-17) before transferring to Houston… Dropped a career-high 15 PTS on 3/25/26 against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
NFL
FUN FACT: Served as the backup QB for Fran Tarkenton on the 1962 Minnesota Vikings.
FUN FACT: Greg was selected 11th overall in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft, higher than any UMass football player in draft history. A prolific running-quarterback, he rushed for 530 yards in 1971, which is the most in a single season by a Detroit Lions QB.
FUN FACT: 2x Pro Bowl (1968. 1971)… Morin played 10 seasons for the Cleveland Browns, catching 271 balls for 4,208 Rec Yds and 18 Rec TDs. His season-high for Rec Yds was 792 (1968). When Morin retired, he had the franchise record for receptions and receiving yards by a TE.
FUN FACT: 24 receptions for 362 yards and 1 Rec TD in 74 career games… Though he recorded 3 punt return touchdowns, Schubert’s lone receiving touchdown came during his rookie season while playing for the New England Patriots in 1974 (21-yard Rec TD on a pass from Jim Plunkett).
FUN FACT: Son of New York Yankees legend, Yogi Berra… Appeared in 14 games for the 1974 Baltimore Colts. Berra, who was listed as a WR, did not record any offensive stats, but returned 16 punts and 13 kick-offs. His longest kickoff return was 54 yards.
FUN FACT: Led the Arizona Cardinals in Rush Yds in 2002 (834), 2003 (830), and 2005 (451). Across 6 NFL seasons, Shipp rushed for a total of 2,197 yards, and scored 11 Rush TD, and 3 Rec TD.
FUN FACT: Appeared in 12 games for the Kansas City Chiefs (2010, 2011). Though he didn’t record any receptions at wide receiver, Horne had 1 rush for 5 yards in his NFL career (in a 34-3 loss to the New England Patriots on 11/21/11… Tom Brady threw 2 touchdown passes to Rob Gronkowski).
FUN FACT: 3 receptions for 30 receiving yards across 14 games for the 2008 Miami Dolphins… London caught 4 balls for 38 yards in Miami’s Wild Card loss to Baltimore on January 4, 2009.
FUN FACT: Appeared in 3 games for the 2012 Philadelphia Eagles. Though Igwenagu didn’t record any offensive stats during his NFL career, he was credited with a tackle on special teams in the 3rd quarter of a game against the New York Giants (12/23/12).
FUN FACT: Rushed the ball 23 times for a total of 76 yards across two seasons for the New York Giants.
FUN FACT: 1x Pro Bowl, 1x Super Bowl Champion (2011 New York Giants). Caught a 2-yard TD pass from Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLVI.
FUN FACT: 51 starts in 111 career games. Appeared in all 16 games on 4 separate occasions (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015).
FUN FACT: Appeared in 2 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 (3 snaps on offense, and 15 on special teams).
FUN FACT: 117 Rec, 1,397 Rec Yds, and 8 Rec TD in 66 career games. Sharpe’s career-high for Rec Yds in a single game was 101 (vs. LAC on 10/21/18).
FUN FACT: 33 Rec, 447 Rec Yds, and 3 Rec TD in 43 career games. Consensus All-American + Finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2018.
FUN FACT: 4 career INTs in 77 games… Rodgers recorded hist first pick-six on 9/21/25 (intercepted a pass from Jake Browning of the Cincinnati Bengals and returned it for an 87-yard TD). Later in the first half, he had a 66-yard fumble return TD, becoming the first player in Vikings franchise history to score multiple defensive touchdowns in a game. He then forced another fumble before the break, becoming the first player in NFL history to record a pick-six, fumble-six, and two forced fumbles in a single game. Rodgers’ outstanding play in the contest earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
NHL
FUN FACT: 11 points in 124 career games as a defenseman.
FUN FACT: 118 games across 5 NHL seasons… 17 career points (8 goals, 9 assists).
FUN FACT: 1 assist in 2 career NHL games.
FUN FACT: 85 career games… Kostka netted his first NHL goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 19, 2013.
FUN FACT: 7 career games in the NHL. 1 block, 7 hits.
FUN FACT: 13-year NHL career… Scored 2 goals in the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals.
FUN FACT: 6 goals and 10 assists in 54 career games… Alex Ovechkin earned the primary assist on 2 of his goals.
FUN FACT: Irwin played in 461 games across 11 NHL seasons. He had 93 total points (25 goals, 68 assists). He competed in the 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final.
FUN FACT: 285 points across 11 NHL seasons… 2x Cup Winner (2015-16 Pittsburgh Penguins, 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins). Scored the OT winner in Game 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals.
FUN FACT: 325 points in 695 career games… Was named an All-Star in the 2023-24 season and finished with a career-high 60 points (37 goals, 23 assists) as a member of the Anaheim Ducks.
FUN FACT: 111 blocks, and 141 hits in 107 games… 12 assists across 5 NHL seasons.
FUN FACT: 106 blocks and 67 hits in 115 games… *Member of the 2021 NCAA National Championship team.
FUN FACT: 21 points in 81 career games.
FUN FACT: 325 points in 655 games… Finished 12th for the James Norris Memorial Trophy in the 2022-23 season. Montour won a Stanley Cup in 2024 as a member of the Florida Panthers.
FUN FACT: 26 points in 109 games. 2 game-winning goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2024-25 season.
FUN FACT: Won 2 Stanley Cups (2012, 2014) as a member of the Los Angeles Kings, Won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2011-12, Awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy twice (2013-14, 2017-18) as the goalie with the fewest goals allowed. His 410 career wins as a goaltender ranks 12th all-time.
FUN FACT: 2-2 in 4 career starts… Murray’s last victory (1/8/24 vs. MIN) was a 23-save shutout. *Member of the 2021 NCAA National Championship team.
FUN FACT: Blocked 29 shots in 29 games for the New York Rangers in the 2025-26 season.
FUN FACT: 2019-20 Calder Memorial Trophy winner (best rookie), 2021-22 Conn Smythe Trophy winner (MVP in the Stanley Cup Playoffs), 2x James Norris Memorial Trophy (best defenseman), 1x Cup Winner (2021-22).
FUN FACT: 115 blocks in 99 career games. *Member of the 2021 NCAA National Championship team.
FUN FACT: 1 assist in 7 career games.
FUN FACT: 11 points in 19 games as a defenseman.
FUN FACT: 91 hits in 55 career games. *Member of the 2021 NCAA National Championship team.
FUN FACT: Appeared in 12 games for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2025-26 season… His brother is teammate, Cale Makar.
FUN FACT: 920 blocks in 490 career games… Scored a career-high 23 points (7 goals, 16 assists) for the San Jose Sharks in the 2025-26 season.
FUN FACT: 314 games across 11 NHL seasons… Scored a goal as a member of the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Final.
FUN FACT: Appeared in 2 games for the Los Angeles Kings during the 2025-26 NHL season.