1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL #80 Bruce Bennett 1966 Grey Cup Champion Saskatchewan Roughriders EX 5

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL #80 Bruce Bennett 1966 Grey Cup Champion Saskatchewan Roughriders EX 5 Some athletes carry a resume so versatile that it reads like fiction, and Bruce Bennett was exactly that kind of player. This listing is the 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL #80 Bruce Bennett, the Saskatchewan Roughriders safety who doubles as one of the most interesting two-way athletes in the 115 card 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL issue. Bennett honed his craft at the University of Florida, where he played both safety and quarterback, earned all-SEC honours in 1964 and 1965, intercepted 13 passes over three seasons, and finished as a first-team All-American in 1965. He signed with Saskatchewan in 1966 and stepped straight into the starting safety role as a rookie, helping the Green and White win their first Grey Cup championship that same season with a 29-14 victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders. His quarterbacking instincts surfaced in a famous October 1966 game when an injured Ron Lancaster left the field and Bennett stepped behind centre to engineer an 11-11 tie against Winnipeg, scoring on a one yard sneak. He made his only CFL start at quarterback days later, completing seven of eleven passes including a touchdown toss. In 1972 Bennett etched his name into the record book with a 112 yard interception return against Calgary, still the longest in Roughriders history. He passed away in January 2021, remembered as one of the elite defensive backs in team history. measured from the scan, this example is slightly off-center left to right with a modestly wider border on one side, light corner rounding and minor edge chipping consistent with raw vintage stock, and no creases or wrinkles 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 conservative EX 5 grade reflects the slightly off-center front and light corner and edge wear, with strong colour and a clean unmarked reverse supporting the estimate. For Florida Gators fans, Grey Cup historians and Roughriders collectors alike, this is a superb mid-range card from a beloved set. Grade Estimate: EX 5