1970 O-Pee-Chee Granville Liggins #96 UPI National College Lineman of the Year Calgary Stampeders VG-EX 4

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Granville Liggins #96 UPI National College Lineman of the Year Calgary Stampeders VG-EX 4 Granville Liggins charges straight at the camera in this muscular portrait of pursuit, and this 1970 O-Pee-Chee Granville Liggins #96 preserves the Calgary Stampeders defensive lineman at full sprint with number 51 on his chest and the CKXL Boosters Club sign glowing on the stadium wall behind him. Known universally as Granny, Liggins arrived in Canada with one of the most decorated college resumes of his generation, and collectors searching for a 1970 O-Pee-Chee Granville Liggins #96 are buying a piece of Oklahoma Sooners royalty as much as a piece of the Calgary defense. This example carries strong color, a clean face and the kind of moderate wear that keeps vintage black-back cards affordable. O-Pee-Chee of London, Ontario printed the 1970 CFL series with its signature black backs, lime green cartoon panels and bilingual English and French text, and this card carries a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, not a puzzle back. The card bio notes that Liggins was named National College Lineman of the Year by UPI, the capstone of an All-American season at Oklahoma in 1967, and although the Detroit Lions drafted him in the tenth round in 1968 he chose the Canadian route instead. In Calgary he settled in at right defensive tackle beside left tackle John Helton with Wayne Harris at middle linebacker, forming the crushing interior of a defense that led the entire CFL in fewest points allowed in 1971 and battered Toronto in the 14-11 victory at the 59th Grey Cup. That 1971 championship remains the defining achievement of this roster, and Liggins's role in the defensive front was central to a unit that made life miserable for Joe Theismann and the Argonauts all afternoon in Vancouver. Beyond the statistics, Liggins embodied the international flavor of the Stampeders' dynasty, a Tulsa-born Oklahoman who became a folk hero in Calgary and whose nickname and personality made him one of the most quoted players in the club's locker room. For collectors his cards are doubly appealing because the running pose photograph is among the most energetic in the set, showing the stadium turf, the painted lines and the empty stands in sharp period detail. the front presents glossy surfaces and vivid reds with only light corner blunting at the tips and clean white borders, while centering runs approximately 60/40 left to right which is comfortably within vintage norms. The reverse shows moderate edge chipping along the top and bottom borders with the side edges remaining comparatively clean, and the black background carries light scuffing that is typical for the issue but never distracting. No creases, wrinkles, writing or stains appear in either scan, and the corners remain intact with only soft rounding under magnification. The conservative estimate below acknowledges the border chipping on the dark back while giving full credit for the excellent front eye appeal and solid structural integrity. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4