If you think about it, that first year TI was usually of a scrubeenie, not a star, so who would want it? Probably did not generate much interest from fans so most of the surviving examples would be in press archives and those were routinely thrown away after a time.
Definitely an area in need of more study and much more respect in the hobby. Pinning them down is a challenge.
Basketball is even more fun than this because a lot of the big players had team issues in college. How cool would it be to own a Jordan UNC team issue? I know there is one but it is mega-rare and mega-pricey when it comes up. Best I can do is his rookie year Bulls TI:
