1970 O-Pee-Chee Ken Sugarman #25 BC Lions VG 3

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Ken Sugarman #25 BC Lions VG 3 Alex Collect is pleased to offer this vintage 1970 O-Pee-Chee Ken Sugarman #25 BC Lions VG 3 trading card, capturing a true stalwart of the Canadian Football League. Manufactured in London, Ontario by O-Pee-Chee, the 1970 CFL series is an essential vintage set prized for its iconic layout, bold typography, and bilingual presentation that honours Canada's rich sporting heritage. Ken Sugarman was the quintessential offensive lineman, combining size, intelligence, and rugged determination across nine seasons with the British Columbia Lions. An All-American standout at Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington, Sugarman was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1964 NFL Draft before signing with the BC Lions, where he played a pivotal role in the franchise capturing its first-ever Grey Cup championship in 1964. Sugarman developed into one of the most respected blockers in the CFL, earning four consecutive Western Division All-Star selections from 1968 to 1971 and league-wide CFL All-Star honours in 1970. Off the gridiron, Sugarman served the community as an elementary school teacher, embodying the hardworking spirit of the era's CFL stars who balanced professional athletics with positive community leadership. His consistent dominance in the trenches allowed the Lions to establish one of the league's most respected rushing and passing attacks throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. Linemen of his caliber rarely received the spotlight of skill position players, but their contributions were the absolute foundation of championship football in the Pacific Northwest. His enduring reputation as a premier lineman and community hero makes this vintage card a cherished addition to any Canadian sports archive and an essential building block for a 1970 CFL master set. This card features an authentic Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back printed in Canada with English and French biographical text and cartoons, rather than a puzzle back. Centering is solid at approximately 50/50 left-to-right and 52/48 top-to-bottom, presenting the sideline portrait of Sugarman in sharp focus. However, the front surface exhibits a noticeable vintage surface scratch that affects the gloss and eye appeal, which dictates the conservative raw grade of VG 3. The corners exhibit moderate vintage softening and rounding at the tips, particularly at the bottom-left and top-left corners, with light white cardstock showing. The edges show typical vintage paper fiber roughness and minor edge chipping along the border perimeter. The reverse side is clean with dark green typography, charming schoolteacher cartoon illustration, and clean unblemished card stock, representing an affordable vintage collectible for CFL historians and BC Lions devotees. Grade Estimate: VG 3