SOLD 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL #78 Bobby Thompson Vintage Saskatchewan Roughriders EX 6

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL #78 Bobby Thompson Vintage Saskatchewan Roughriders EX 6 Speed has always been the great equalizer in Canadian football, and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the early 1970s the fastest man on the field was often Bobby Thompson. This listing is the 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL #78 Bobby Thompson, the Oklahoma Sooner speedster who gave Ron Lancaster one of his favourite deep targets and gave Riders fans a decade of highlights. Thompson was born on January 16, 1947, played college football at the University of Oklahoma, and joined the Roughriders in 1969, where the 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set lists him as a running back. His arrival was immediate and electric. In his 1969 rookie season Thompson rushed for 467 yards and caught 45 passes for 891 yards, tying the legendary Hugh Campbell for the team lead in receptions, and he led the West in kickoff return yardage with 600 yards at a sparkling 30.0 yard average. The big plays came in bunches, his longest receptions in his first five seasons measured 85, 94, 97, 91 and 94 yards, and in 1971 he set a Roughriders record that still stands with a 115 yard kickoff return touchdown against the BC Lions. In 1973 he posted a career high 737 rushing yards, and across his time in green he scored 37 touchdowns, 31 of them through the air. He later played two seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions before a 1977 return to Regina, and the Roughriders enshrined him in their Plaza of Honour in 2007. this example presents well-centered with even white borders on the front, sharp corners with only light edge wear typical of raw 1970s card stock, and no creases, wrinkles or surface marks visible in the scan. This is the Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, printed in English and French on a predominantly black reverse with white lettering and green accents, and it is not a puzzle back. The EX 6 grade reflects a well-preserved raw card with strong colour, a clean unmarked reverse and fine eye appeal for a card now in its mid-fifties. For collectors of speed, Sooners fans and Rider loyalists, this is a lively and affordable piece of Prairie football history. Grade Estimate: EX 6