1972 O-Pee-Chee CFL Pierre Desjardins #18 Montreal Alouettes VG-EX 4

Description

1972 O-Pee-Chee CFL Pierre Desjardins #18 Montreal Alouettes VG-EX 4 Own a card of a Grey Cup champion captain with this 1972 O-Pee-Chee CFL Pierre Desjardins #18 Montreal Alouettes single, featuring the veteran tackle in his green number 63 jersey under the iconic ALOUETTES banner of the 1972 design. Pierre Desjardins was a Quebec born non-import who played his college football at the University of Wyoming before returning home to anchor the Alouettes' line, and he was co-captain of the 1970 Montreal team that stunned the football world by winning the Grey Cup over the Calgary Stampeders at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, just one year after the franchise had posted one of the worst records in the league. The bilingual back lists him at six feet and 240 pounds, describes him as a graduate of the Scholarship Camp program, an inspirational and aggressive leader on the field, and a top business executive off it, with the cartoon panel captioned A Real Leader showing him directing his teammates. Desjardins was a multiple time all-star and later became a respected businessman and community figure in Montreal, and he remains a proud example of French Canadian excellence in the CFL. This card comes from the 132-card 1972 O-Pee-Chee CFL set, printed in Canada with blue and green bilingual backs marked O. P. C., and the Alouettes subset is especially popular with Quebec collectors seeking cards of the 1970 championship core. this copy is one of the sharper cards in the group. The front shows light rounding to all four corners with no fraying, very minor chipping to the blue border along the top edge, and a clean, glossy photo with strong green and blue colour. Centering is shifted slightly toward the upper left but well within acceptable range for the issue. The back is bright and clean with crisp text, no writing, no stains, and light corner wear consistent with the front, and no creases or wrinkles were detected in either scan. Taking into account the light but visible corner wear typical of this set, I am conservatively estimating this raw card at VG-EX 4, with a reasonable chance it could grade a notch higher in hand. A meaningful piece for Montreal Alouettes collectors, Wyoming Cowboys alumni fans, and anyone building the 1972 O-Pee-Chee CFL set. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4