1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler #61 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Quarterback CFL Card VG-EX 4

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler #61 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Quarterback CFL Card VG-EX 4 Few vintage cards tie Big Ten tradition to Canadian football as neatly as this 1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler #61, which shows the Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback in his white number 12 jersey, ball cocked to throw, posing against the empty grandstand of old Winnipeg Stadium for one of the most collectible CFL issues of the early 1970s. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set ran to just 115 cards, borrowed its clean layout from the 1969 Topps NFL design, and was printed entirely in Canada, which is why every example carries the classic Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back rendered in white and green ink on black stock, printed in both English and French, and it is not a puzzle back. Gabler's bilingual reverse lists the IMPORT at 6 feet 2 inches and 195 pounds out of the University of Michigan, notes that he was traded from Toronto, recalls that he broke several records during his college days, and adds that Pegs fans rely heavily on Wally's performance. The history holds up: Gabler started at quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines in 1965, opened his CFL career with Toronto in 1966 by passing for 1,659 yards and rushing for 373 more, and was traded to Winnipeg in August 1969 for Dave Raimey. He answered by throwing for 2,288 yards in a Bombers uniform that season, giving the franchise a steady arm as it rebuilt after the dynasty years that produced Grey Cup titles in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962. This card proved to be his only O-Pee-Chee issue as a Blue Bomber, because by late September 1970 he had moved on to Hamilton, where he filled in for the injured Joe Zuger, quickly mastered the Tiger Cat offence and helped drive the club to a first place finish. Across seven CFL seasons he threw for 13,080 yards and 61 touchdowns while adding 1,777 rushing yards and 11 scores on the ground, and his passing in February 2025 has brought renewed attention to his short, charming checklist. The green cartoon panel on the bilingual back even quips that Wally joua dans la grosse ligue, that Wally played in the big league, exactly the kind of two language flavor that makes these O-Pee-Chee reverses so loved. this copy shows rounded corner tips with visible whitening that is heaviest at the top left corner, light chipping along the top and left edges, a bright and unmarked photo surface with original gloss remaining, and centering that drifts slightly toward the top of the card, while the black bilingual reverse stays bold and clean with only light corner touches. Measured conservatively against vintage grading standards there are no creases or wrinkles, but the corner and edge wear holds this example below EX-MT territory. Collectors chasing 1970 O-Pee-Chee Wally Gabler #61 for a Bombers team set, a Michigan quarterback collection or a broader run of vintage CFL football cards will find this an honest, attractive and fairly priced example. Grade Estimate: VG-EX 4