1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler #61 Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Michigan CFL Card EX 5

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler #61 Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Michigan CFL Card EX 5 Set builders who missed the first copy rarely get a second chance, which is what makes this second, fresher example of the 1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler #61 such a welcome find for anyone assembling a Winnipeg Blue Bombers or vintage CFL run. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL issue was a modest 115 card release printed in Canada, styled after the 1969 Topps NFL design, and every card carries the classic Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back, printed in English and French on black stock with green cartoon accents, and it is not a puzzle back. Gabler's reverse bills the IMPORT at 6 feet 2 inches and 195 pounds out of the University of Michigan, and the story it hints at is genuinely good: a Royal Oak, Michigan product who started at quarterback for the Wolverines in 1965, then crossed into the CFL and threw for 1,659 yards as a Toronto Argonauts rookie in 1966. He grew into one of the league's steadier passers, throwing for 2,057 yards in 1967 and tucking in 458 rushing yards at 6.4 per carry in 1968, and when asked about the Canadian game he explained the adjustment plainly, noting that the three down rules force a quarterback to put the ball in the air more but that the rules compensate. Traded from Toronto to Winnipeg for Dave Raimey in August 1969, he delivered 2,288 passing yards in blue and gold, keeping the Bombers competitive during the rebuild that followed the Grey Cup dynasty of 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962. Because he finished the 1970 season in Hamilton after a late September move, this #61 stands as his only O-Pee-Chee card as a Blue Bomber, a neat quirk of timing that collectors of both franchises appreciate. His career line of 13,080 passing yards and 61 touchdowns, plus 1,777 rushing yards, compares favorably with many better remembered passers of the era, and his passing in February 2025 has quietly lifted demand for his small checklist, which includes this card and the green bilingual cartoon noting that Wally played in the Big Grey Game. this example presents sharper corners than its sheet mate with only light touches at the tips and one slightly softened bottom corner, faint wear along the top edge, a clean glossy photo surface free of creases or wrinkles, centering that favors the top slightly, and a bold black bilingual reverse with crisp print and a faint tan smudge near one edge that does not affect the text. Against conservative raw grading standards the total package lands a clear notch above the typical survivor of this set. For shoppers searching a 1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler card in presentable shape, this is the copy to build around. Grade Estimate: EX 5