• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Memorabilia News / Lots Of Sole: Auction Includes LT’s Cleats From Super Bowl XXV

Lots Of Sole: Auction Includes LT’s Cleats From Super Bowl XXV

August 16, 2015 By Bob D'Angelo

Collectors now have a chance to own some really big shoes, whose soles once belonged to a player who was the heart and soul of the New York Giants.

getPartThe white, size 13 Nike/Pro cleats worn by Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor during Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium is part of SCP Auctions’ Mid-Summer Classic online auction, which runs through August 22.

Bidding for the cleats, which show considerable game wear, grass stains and chunks of lime from the field, opened at $3,000 on August 5. By Friday afternoon, the price had risen to $4,833.

Taylor’s former teammate Gary Reasons is the consignor of the cleats, which will have a letter of provenance from Reasons included in the auction lot.

“Lawrence was a guy who elevated the game because of his athleticism, size and ability,” said Reasons, 53, who is president of Pro Athletes Group, a merchant services provider. “If he’s not the best, he’s one of the top five defensive players of all time, and I don’t say that lightly.”

Reasons’ locker was next to LT’s in Tampa, and after the Giants held on for a thrilling 20-19 victory against Buffalo — clinched when Bills’ placekicker Scott Norwood pushed a potential game-winning 47-yard field goal attempt wide right on the game’s final play — Taylor left the cleats in front of his locker.

LTshoes1“I was packing my bag — I was one of the last people still in the locker room — and Lawrence came back to his locker,” Reasons said. “He threw the shoes down and looked at me and said ‘I guess I won’t need these anymore.’”

Taylor was flying to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl, which utilized AstroTurf for its playing field.

Reasons continued to pack and also tossed Taylor’s cleats in the bag. When he got home, he put the bag into his closet. Opening it several months later, he realized that nestled among his size 14 cleats were Taylor’s beaten up shoes. Even the laces were still intact.

“After a while I forgot I had them,” Reasons said. “Then one day I opened it and said, ‘hey, these aren’t mine.’ I realized they were Lawrence’s.”

And they stayed in the closet until this year.

front
Lawrence Taylor was at the peak of his career when the Giants went to Super Bowl XXV in Tampa. This is a 1990 Topps card of the Hall of Fame linebacker

Super Bowl XXV was an emotional time in our country’s history. The United States had just begun fighting the Gulf War in Kuwait, and security was tight at Tampa Stadium.

“It was a little bit different,” Reasons said. “We didn’t have that extra week; we flew right from San Francisco to Florida. We had a party on the plane because we knew we wouldn’t have time once we landed.

“But it was euphoric. Winning the NFC Championship was a big deal because it got us to the Super Bowl. And when we got there, we took care of business.”

A crowd of 73,813 fans braved the metal detectors and pat-downs on Super Sunday. So did the players.

“Security had us come in early and we had to be wanded,” Reasons said. “We weren’t any different than any of the fans.”

I was a member of the hometown Tampa Tribune sports copy desk that night, and my job was to act as a gatekeeper back at the office, making sure our desk knew what sidebars would be filed and checking in with writers to make sure they sent the stories on time so we could meet our deadlines. It was a tense, yet exciting time.

As the two 13-3 teams prepared to square off, anticipation for a classic was high. Nobody was disappointed.

Singer Whitney Houston gave a stirring rendition of the national anthem during the pregame show.

“She did sing it,” Reasons said. “I was about 10 yards away from her and she really belted it out.

“It was amazing. You could feel that emotion.”

As Houston finished singing, F-16 jets from the 56th Tactical Training Wing at nearby MacDill Air Force Base streaked across the sky above the stadium. The Giants and Bills then played one of the most memorable Super Bowls as the game celebrated its silver anniversary.

reasonsphoto
Harry Reasons in a 1989 Topps card. The linebacker was Lawrence Taylor’s teammate from 1984 to 1991.

The Giants, who had allowed the fewest points (211) in the NFL during the 1990 regular season, had to stop Jim Kelly and the Bills, who piled up the most points (428).

The Giants played their usual ball-control offense and even churned out a Super Bowl record 9-minute, 29-second drive that covered 75 yards in the third quarter.

“We tried to keep the ball out of their hands,” Reasons said.

It was just enough to give the Giants a victory, thanks to Norwood’s miss at the end. For the second time in five years, the Giants had hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy under Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, whose staff included future head coaches Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin.

Reasons, who called defensive signals along with Harry Carson, played a key role in getting the Giants to Super Bowl XXV, rumbling 30 yards on a fake punt midway through the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park.

fakepunt
Gary Reasons (55) executed a fake punt during the NFC Championship Game, running through a huge hole and helping the Giants rally to secure a spot in Super Bowl XXV.

Trailing 13-9, the Giants lined up to punt on fourth-and-2 in their territory just short of midfield. However, Reasons took the snap and rumbled 30 yards inside the 49ers’ 25, setting up the fourth of Matt Bahr’s five field goals.

Reasons said he had told Parcells earlier that the “play was there,” and it became even easier when the 49ers’ Harry Sydney did not report on special teams, leaving San Francisco with just 10 men on the field.

“Parcells gave me the green light,” Reasons said. “I told him it was there earlier, and when I saw it again I audibled and took the snap. I ran right through the hole where Sydney was supposed to be.  You might say I put the weight of the whole season on my shoulders with that call.”

CBS television analyst John Madden was impressed.

“Good turn in, turn out. Boom, what a hole there,” he said on the broadcast. “The only guy there is the safety, who was the return man, John Taylor, and he makes a pretty good tackle.”

“I’ve always said that John Taylor was the greatest open field tackler in history,” Reasons laughed.

The Giants eventually prevailed on Bahr’s last-second field goal to win 15-13 and punch a ticket to Tampa.

While Reasons said most players keep mementos from their football career, he never considered himself much of a collector. However, his “most cherished” piece of memorabilia is a Super Bowl XXV Silver Anniversary collectors’ edition helmet produced by Riddell.

“I bought it prior to the game,” Reasons said. “I had the whole team and coaching staff sign it before we played the Bills.

“To me, it’s an awesome piece, my most cherished piece of memorabilia. I display that in the center of my office.”

But Reasons had no need to keep Lawrence Taylor’s cleats, so he decided putting it on the block was the way to go.

“When you look at mementos, this (the cleats) is something that belonged to one of the best defensive players ever in one of his crowning moments,” Reasons said.

SCP Auctions’ Terry Melia said the cleats could top five figures; with nine days left, bidding is halfway there.

“First and foremost, they’re game-used and worn by one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history,” Melia said. “The fact that they were worn in a Super Bowl — and a significant one at that — makes it an even more sought-after item.”

Last week, Reasons told the New York Daily News he doesn’t believe Taylor will want the shoes back.

“I’m not worried about that,” Reasons laughed. “It’s been almost 25 years and he hasn’t called looking for his shoes yet.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

My Cause, My Cleats: NFL Players’ Special Shoes to be Auctioned Don Drysdale collectionDon Drysdale Career Collection Coming to Auction Game-worn Reggie Jackson uniform 1974 AthleticsJackson, Jordan, Munson Jerseys Head to Auction Tony Gwynn auction itemsTony Gwynn Memorabilia Heading for Auction Game used Jonathan Lucroy game worn jerseyBrewers Authentics Proves Dirty Can Be Delightful

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Sports Memorabilia News Tagged With: authentic memorabilia, football memorabilia, game used, game worn, Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants football, NFL, scp auctions, Super Bowl XXV

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Consignments Wanted – Meet Huggins & Scott at the Philly Show This Weekend
  • Heritage Auctions Icons Photography Auction Ends October 12, 2023
  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Baseball, Football & Non-Sport Cards Auction Ending Sept. 28, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window