The 1994 Upper Deck football card set may not blow you away with overwhelming nostalgia.
In fact, you'd be forgiven if you didn't remember much about it at all...
The hobby was going through a huge downturn.
And many collectors had given up on collecting altogether.
Yet, this set still has great things worth remembering.
For starters, you'll find three Hall of Fame rookies in the 330-card checklist.
And the imagery is as fantastic as you'd expect from an Upper Deck product.
Plus, dozens of Hall of Famers and superstars are scattered throughout the small but loaded checklist.
And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
1994 Upper Deck #7 Marshall Faulk Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50
After a stellar collegiate career that included a 386-yard rushing game and a Heisman finalist selection, 21-year-old running back Marshall Faulk declared for the NFL Draft.
And the Indianapolis Colts were more than happy to offer him employment, drafting him with the second pick of the 1994 NFL Draft.
As an explosive dual threat, Faulk started all 16 games of his rookie year, immediately boosting the Indianapolis offense.
In 1993, the Colts finished dead last in rushing offense, totaling just 1,288 yards and an abysmal four touchdowns on the ground.
Faulk pretty much outdid that by himself in 1994, as the budding superstar racked up 1,282 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
And his 522 receiving yards were simply a bonus to an already decent Colts passing attack.
To cap off his incredible debut, Faulk won the Pro Bowl MVP and the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Faulk almost singlehandedly improved a lowly Colts team from 4-12 to a respectable 8-8.
However, a .500 record wasn’t enough to win the AFC East or earn a Wildcard spot.
Still, things looked much brighter in the RCA Dome.
Faulk spent five seasons in Indy before finishing the last seven of his Hall of Fame career in St. Louis, where he struck the Super Bowl gold in 1999.
1994 Upper Deck #25 Bryant Young Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45
The San Francisco 49ers finished the 1992 and 1993 seasons with the NFL's best offense under then-offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan.
But they also came up short in the NFC Championship in both seasons.
With Shanahan and all the key pieces back on offense for the 1994 season, it was time to tighten things up on defense.
The 49ers replaced defensive coordinator Joe McPherson with Ray Rhodes.
They went nuts on the free agent market, signing big-name vets like Deion Sanders, Gary Plummer, Ken Norton and Rickey Jackson.
And they also looked to Bryant Young to shore things up on the line, selecting the defensive tackle out of Notre Dame with the 7th pick of the 1994 NLF Draft.
Young settled in perfectly, starting all sixteen games at left defensive tackle.
With 45 solo tackles and six sacks, Young finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting with roughly 21% of the vote.
But his bigger prize was a Super Bowl ring after San Francisco routed the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
Bryant would finish as a four-time Pro Bowler in fourteen Hall of Fame seasons with the Niners.
1994 Upper Deck #22 Isaac Bruce Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40
Isaac Bruce became synonymous with the "Greatest Show on Turf," the moniker given to the St. Louis Rams' high-powered offenses from 1999 to 2001.
Over a sixteen-year career, Bruce built a reputation as one of the game's most dynamic wideouts of all time.
Today, he sits in fifth place on the all-time receiving yards list.
And it all started with the 1994 NFL Draft.
After finishing 23rd in passing offense in 1993, the Rams drafted Bruce in the second round with the 33rd pick.
Surprisingly, his Hall-of-Fame career didn't start off as hot as you'd think.
Yes, his first interception of his career was a 34-yard touchdown.
However, with Flipper Anderson and Jessie Hester entrenched as starters, Bruce saw limited playing time.
Appearing in twelve games with no starts, Bruce reeled in 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
One of Bruce's obvious struggles was his catch percentage of 47.7%, well below his career mark of 57.9%.
But he didn't let it drag him down.
And his "struggles" didn't last long.
Bruce would set career highs with 119 receptions and 1,781 receiving yards in his sophomore 1995 season.
1994 Upper Deck #129 Barry Sanders
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40
Never has a season this brilliant ended this badly.
Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders was in a different stratosphere in 1994.
His 1,883 rushing yards stood as the fourth-highest single-season total in NFL history and set a new franchise record.
He accounted for nearly 42% of Detroit’s yards from scrimmage, and his 5.7 yards per carry led the league by a full yard.
It seemed like Sanders broke into the open field every time he touched the ball.
Even when opposing defenses stacked the box, he juked and slipped through them to dizzying effect.
The Detroit Lions’ bottom-five defense nearly wasted Sanders’ Offensive Player of the Year (and MVP runner-up) campaign.
Luckily, the Lions rode a late-season four-game winning streak to a 9-7 record and a Wild Card berth.
And then…nothing.
The rival Packers game-planned Sanders to absolute perfection, holding him to an unreal -1 yards on 13 carries.
No one did that to the game’s best running back, but somehow they did.
Detroit mustered just 175 yards of offense with Sanders indisposed and fell 16-12 at Lambeau.
1994 Upper Deck #157 Emmitt Smith
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
The Dallas Cowboys had an ingenious plan for reigning NFL MVP Emmitt Smith in 1994.
Give him the ball more.
A lot more.
Come hell or high water, Smith obliged.
He went blow-for-blow with Barry Sanders in one of the most entertaining back-and-forth showcases of rushing excellence you'll ever see.
He constantly bailed out Troy Aikman during one of the most challenging years of his career.
He even brushed off a separated shoulder to upend the rival Giants for the division title in Week 17.
"We see him walk off the field holding his arm, and we think he's hurt," Giants linebacker Michael Brooks said. "But he still ran through us."
Smith ran through everybody in 1994, logging an NFL-leading 368 carries for 1,484 yards and an NFL-best 21 rushing touchdowns.
His 22 combined receiving/rushing TDs also led the league, and his 1,825 yards from scrimmage placed third.
Smith aggravated a strained left hamstring in the Wild Card Round against Green Bay, limiting him to just seven carries.
His status was doubtful for the team's Divisional Round clash with San Francisco.
Who were they kidding?
Smith was always going to play.
Showing no sign of wear, the star halfback rushed 20 times in defeat for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
1994 Upper Deck #205 Jerry Rice
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
For whatever reason, Jerry Rice and crew couldn't crack the Dallas Cowboys code, losing back-to-back NFC Championships to them in 1992 and 1993.
That changed in 1994.
Rice led the league in receiving yards (1,499) and receiving yards per game (93.7) for the second consecutive season and finished second in receiving TDs (13).
By season's end, Rice nearly outdid the other six San Francisco wide receivers and tight ends who combined for 1,777 receiving yards.
Along with MVP quarterback Steve Young, Rice led the high-powered 49ers offense to a 13-3 record.
Would the third time be a charm for San Francisco in the NFC Championship against Dallas?
Rice recorded just two catches on eight targets for 36 yards, but he made one count for a score as San Francisco won 38-28.
And for the first time since the 49ers dismantled the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV in 1989, Rice geared up for another ring.
Rice had three touchdowns on 148 receiving yards that game.
No one would have guessed he'd outdo himself against the San Diego Chargers in XXIX.
Yet, he did.
Barely.
Rice was electric in the 49-26 blowout, scoring three touchdowns with one more receiving yard (149) than during his fireworks show five years prior.
1994 Upper Deck #8 Willie McGinest Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
The New England Patriots won 19 games from 1989 to 1993, averaging a shade under four victories per year.
In 1994, the Pats went 10-6 for a Wild Card berth under head coach Bill Parcells to officially leave a half-decade of pain behind them.
One of the keys to New England's sudden resurgence was its draft domination.
The Pats hit on prospect after prospect to restock the roster.
And one of the most important selections of the bunch came in the '94 Draft.
Selected fourth overall out of USC, All-American defensive end/linebacker Willie McGinest was an instant fit for an improving New England defense.
He played all sixteen games (seven starts), amassing 43 tackles (29 solo), two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 4.5 sacks.
In the team's 20-13 Wild Card Round loss to Cleveland, the 6-foot-5 wrecking ball tied for second on the team with seven tackles and notched one of New England's two sacks.
From All-Rookie performer to a franchise standard, McGinest was a stalwart of a Patriots dynasty that won three Super Bowls in his twelve years with the team.
1994 Upper Deck #133 Joe Montana
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
Before 1993, the Kansas City Chiefs had yet to play in an AFC Championship Game.
And then, Joe Montana changed all that.
The San Francisco 49ers legend came to KC via trade in the '93 offseason and immediately boosted Kansas City from playoff participant to legit contender.
The 11-5 Chiefs won their first division title since 1971 and soared past Pittsburgh and Houston to reach the conference title game.
In the last year of a two-year deal, Montana seemed destined to lift the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl appearance.
Instead, Kansas City's offense played hide-and-seek, alternating big-time explosions with listless performances on the way to a 9-7 finish.
Montana played well in his final year, completing 60.6% of his passes for 3,289 yards with 16 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
His 1.8% INT rate was the best in the NFL.
On the other hand, the 38-year-old quarterback looked wooden in the pocket.
He struggled to outrun pressure and finished the year with his worst passer rating (83.6) since 1986.
KC squeaked into the playoffs at 9-7, giving Montana one last chance at a playoff run.
It looked good for three quarters against Miami.
In the fourth, Montana hit a wall as the Dolphins scored 17 unanswered to oust KC, 27-17.
1994 Upper Deck #136 Dan Marino
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
Miami Dolphins fans had high hopes for the 1993 season as Dan Marino and crew looked poised for another trip to the AFC Championship or beyond.
But things crashed quickly.
Marino's season ended horrificly in Week 5 on the road at Cleveland when he tore his Achilles tendon.
Miami ended the year with a 9-7 record in second place in the AFC East, but it wasn't enough for a playoff spot.
With Marino back in 1994, the Dolphins were locked in for another deep playoff run.
And though Marino needed a special shoe on his right foot after recovery, you wouldn't have noticed by his play.
Riding a stat line that boasted 4,453 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, he looked like his old self and won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award.
And with a 10-6 record, the Dolphins finished atop the AFC East.
The stars finally appeared to be aligning for Miami.
But, after a 27-17 victory over Kansas City in the Wild Card round, the season ended in yet another heartbreak for Dolphins fans.
Leading by 21-6 at halftime in the Divisional Round, the eventual AFC Champion San Diego Chargers dug in and pulled off a stunning 22-21 win at Jack Murphy Stadium.
1994 Upper Deck #171 Ronnie Lott
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
The firs
1994 Upper Deck #218 John Elway
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
The firs
1994 Upper Deck #250 Brett Favre
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
If the 1994 Green Bay Packers had been better in one-score contests, they'd have run away with the NFC North.
Instead, Green Bay lost four critical one-score games that dropped them into Wild Card positioning at 9-7.
It was a baffling fate for a seeming Super Bowl contender that finished 4th in scoring offense and 5th in scoring defense.
It was also bewildering when you consider how great Brett Favre was all season long.
In 1993, Favre threw a league-worst 24 interceptions against 19 touchdowns.
In 1994, he nearly doubled his touchdown throws (33) while cutting his picks down to a respectable fourteen.
It was a much better year than his '92 and '93 Pro Bowl campaigns, even if it didn't end with a free trip to Hawaii.
Favre finished the regular season third in the NFC in passing yards (3,882), second in passer rating (90.7), and second in passing TDs.
However, Green Bay's obvious faults were too much to overcome in January.
Favre managed the team's 16-12 Wild Card win over rival Detroit well enough.
It didn't go so well in the next round, as Favre (18-of-35, 1 INT) and the defense folded in an embarrassing 35-9 loss at Dallas.
1994 Upper Deck #277 Troy Aikman
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
New Dallas Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer inherited a dynasty fresh off its second straight Super Bowl win.
He also inherited a quarterback who was dealing with a rash of injuries.
Troy Aikman suffered a brutal concussion in the previous year’s NFC Championship Game win over San Francisco.
He later said that he couldn’t recall playing in the game.
In 1994, the toll was obvious.
Aikman had his worst year since 1990, completing 64.5% of his passing attempts for 2,676 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
His 84.9 passer rating was just over 14 points less than his tally in 1993.
Luckily for the 12-4 Cowboys, Emmitt Smith existed.
Dallas finished a top-five running game that helped to minimize the up-and-down nature of its passing attack.
Division champs for a third straight year, Dallas opened their bid for a threepeat with a 35-9 annihilation of Green Bay.
Aikman was great in the win, hitting on 23-of-30 passing attempts for 337 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick.
The tables turned one week later.
Dallas fell behind 24-7 to the Niners, forcing Aikman to air it out.
His 380 yards and two touchdowns look good in retrospect.
But, it was his three interceptions that derailed the defending champs in a 38-28 road loss.
1994 Upper Deck #302 Deion Sanders
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15
It was go time for Prime Time in 1994.
The 26-year-old sensation stole a career-high 38 bases in 92 games split between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.
It was perhaps his most effective season in the Major Leagues.
His athletic peak wasn't contained to baseball, either.
After signing a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, the All-Pro graduated from #1 cornerback to the best defensive player in the NFL.
Sanders picked off six passes in fourteen regular-season games and led the NFL with a jaw-dropping 303 INT return yards and three pick-sixes.
He added two picks in San Francisco's three-game Super Bowl march.
While he didn't register a punt or kick return for the first time in his career, Sanders' earth-shaking presence in the Niners' defensive backfield more than made up for it.
He was a stolen-base artist.
He was an NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
And somehow, some way, he found time to release a rap album aptly titled "Prime Time."
Sanders ruled the sports world in 1994.
And it was fascinating to watch.
1994 Upper Deck #310 Reggie White
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15
Before Reggie White, the Green Bay Packers had a below-average defense with an even worse pass rush.
That all changed in 1993 when White moved from Philly to Wisconsin.
From 1994 to 1997, Green Bay finished no worse than fifth in scoring defense.
The "Minister of Defense" was what the Packers' congregation needed to reach new heights.
Still, 1994 was not White's most productive individual season, at least from a numbers standpoint.
The Second-Team All-Pro failed to register double-digit sacks for the first time in his decade-long career thus far (8.0).
His 49 combined tackles were also a new career low.
However, the 33-year-old defensive end was still just as valuable as ever.
His teammates thrived as double teams came his way.
And when he initiated pressure against the pass, it opened plenty of lanes for everyone to finish it.
Take Green Bay's stifling 16-12 Wild Card win over Detroit, for example.
White registered just one tackle and a sack.
However, his mere presence broke the Lions' offense beyond repair.
White was more than just statistics.
He shifted the entire field just by stepping onto it.
1994 Upper Deck Football Cards In Review
Though it may only consist of 330 cards, the 1994 Upper Deck football set doesn't come up short when it comes to star power.
There are dozens of Hall of Famers inside, including huge names like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, to name a few.
And three of those Hall of Famers (Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Bryant Young) are rookies.
So this set is certainly not lacking in big names.
It also contained a couple of decent subsets:
- Star Rookies (#1 - 30)
- Heavy Weights (#31 - 40)
Still, it is simply overlooked because of the time period during which it debuted.
The hobby was reeling in the early 1990s, and not even another fantastically-designed product from Upper Deck could save it.
Eventually the hobby would recover.
Yet this set remains one of the many victims of the fallout of the hobby bubble burst of the early 1990s.