1970 O-Pee-Chee Willie Bethea #24 Hamilton Tiger-Cats EX 5

Description

1970 O-Pee-Chee Willie Bethea #24 Hamilton Tiger-Cats EX 5 Celebrate one of the toughest runners in Tiger-Cats history with this 1970 O-Pee-Chee Willie Bethea #24 Hamilton Tiger-Cats EX 5 available through Alex Collect. The front portrait shows Bethea in his number 16 jersey staring intensely ahead, a fitting image for a fullback renowned for punishing tacklers and falling forward for extra yards. The deep blue sky background contrasts beautifully with the dark jersey and gold striped sleeves, while the white lower border carries his name, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Fullback title, and the iconic leaping tiger logo. This is the better of the two Bethea copies from this sheet, displaying the kind of crisp color and clean borders that vintage football buyers covet. The 1970 O-Pee-Chee CFL set is a landmark Canadian release that continues to win new fans more than five decades later. Its 115 card checklist spans all league teams with simple elegant white fronts and unforgettable black backs that feature bilingual English and French write ups plus a distinctive green cartoon panel personalized to each player. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French text and a green cartoon panel, not a puzzle back, with the PRINTED IN CANADA imprint that confirms its domestic origin. Hamilton cards are perennially popular because the Tiger-Cats combined star power with blue collar toughness, and Bethea embodied that identity perfectly during the clubs 1960s dynasty period that carried into 1970. Bethea's legacy is remarkable and adds deep meaning to this card. A Trenton, New Jersey native who played collegiately at Rider University and is listed on the card with Patterson Miners roots, he spent his entire eight year CFL career with Hamilton from 1963 to 1970. He helped the Tiger-Cats win three Grey Cups in 1963, 1965 and 1967, rushing for 3,919 yards on 781 carries for a superb 5.01 yard average with 21 touchdowns, which ranked third most in Hamilton history at the time of his retirement. He added 145 receptions for 1,800 yards and nine touchdowns, earned East Division All-Star honours in 1967, and was later named to the Ticats Wall of Honour in 2012. Known as one of the toughest and hardest hitters in the CFL, a reputation echoed on his card back, he passed away in January 2024 at age 85, prompting tributes across the league. Owning his late career 1970 card is a fitting tribute to an all time Ticats great. front centering is approximately 60/40 left to right and 55/45 top to bottom with intact white borders and sharp focus, colors are rich with strong contrast between jersey, sky and gold trim, corners show only light touches with pinpoint whitening, edges are clean with minimal toning, back number 24 roundel is vivid and text is fully legible, black stock shows light edge chipping with small white specks along the edges but no major flaking, green cartoon panel noting him as one of the most underrated players is bright and unmarked, no creases, wrinkles, surface indentations or writing visible. The conservative grade estimate explanation supports EX 5 because the card presents as excellent overall with only minor age related handling, ideal for a raw vintage star with strong eye appeal. Grade Estimate: EX 5