1972 O-Pee-Chee Mike Blum #10 Hamilton Tiger-Cats CFL

Description

1972 O-Pee-Chee Mike Blum #10 Hamilton Tiger-Cats CFL For fans who love hard nosed defensive football, this 1972 O-Pee-Chee Mike Blum #10 Hamilton Tiger-Cats CFL card delivers a direct hit of nostalgia from the Tiger-Cats 1972 Grey Cup season. Known throughout the league as Bloomer, Mike Blum built his reputation on rough, tough, aggressive football that made him a fan favorite in Hamilton and a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Playing his college ball at Northern Michigan and standing out as a Canadian import who embraced the Canadian game, Blum played with the Calgary Stampeders before joining the Hamilton Tiger Cats and becoming an All-Star linebacker. In 1971 he was part of a defense that helped Hamilton reach the finals, and in 1972 he continued to anchor the second level alongside veterans like Bob Krouse and Angelo Mosca. The back of this card captures his style perfectly, describing him as known for his rough tough aggressive football who has played with the Calgary Stampeders, the Toronto Argonauts and finally the Hamilton Tiger Cats. The front of the card is classic 1972 O-Pee-Chee with the bright yellow Tiger-Cats border framing a close up portrait of Blum in his number 70 jersey, his mustache and intense gaze giving collectors a true sense of the era. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French text, cartoon titled An Aggressive Linebacker, printed in Canada, not a puzzle back, making it a distinct Canadian issue versus the American Topps counterpart. Front shows 60/40 centering left to right with the yellow border slightly wider on the right, corners are sharp to the naked eye with only slight softening on the upper left under magnification, edges are clean with virtually no chipping, surface has no creases, no wrinkles and retains original gloss, photo contrast is good for this set, back shows even light brown toning with vibrant blue and green inks, no writing or discoloration, corner wear is minimal and consistent with careful handling. A solid example that will upgrade most raw team sets and appeals to collectors who appreciate defensive standouts from the early seventies. Grade Estimate: EX-MT 6