SOLD 1971 O-Pee-Chee Merl Code #105 Montreal Alouettes

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Merl Code #105 Montreal Alouettes Speed, brains, and versatility make for an unforgettable CFL defensive back, and this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Merl Code #105 Montreal Alouettes card highlights a true scholar athlete who defied stereotypes. Merl Code Was A Top Student In Mathematical Engineering and Merl Fit De Brillantes Etudes En Genie, as the pink cartoon panel proudly declares with a diagram showing Straight A, emphasizing that this former North Carolina A and T Aggie was selected to the Coaches Association All American team while excelling in engineering studies, a remarkable combination for any era. This versatile speedster played quarterback at high school and some at college before converting to cornerback where he became an excellent receiver on defense and a dangerous return man, a path detailed in both English and French on the reverse. Engaged by the Alouettes by telephone while still at North Carolina A and T, Code's story reflects how Montreal scouted Historically Black Colleges and Universities for overlooked stars in the 1960s. Listed as Import 6 feet and 195 pounds Cornerback and Americain 6 feet and 195 pounds Secondaire de ligne exterieure, Code is shown here in the classic green Montreal home jersey with the white and orange trim. The 1971 O-Pee-Chee set captures this transitional Alouettes era with its bold red borders and bilingual backs, making each card a cross border history lesson. this copy exhibits moderate age with good overall eye appeal, top left corner has a soft touch with minimal white, bottom corners show slight rounding common to sleeve stored examples, red border shows mostly solid color with only tiny edge chips at bottom, centering is about 60 to 40 left to right favoring the left and 65 to 35 top to bottom favoring the bottom, surface has no creases, back tan stock shows light uniform toning and clean print without major staining. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with full English and French biography and O-Pee-Chee Printed In Canada designation. Grade is conservative due to centering and corner softness. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4