1971 O-Pee-Chee Bob Houmard #50 Edmonton Eskimos

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Bob Houmard #50 Edmonton Eskimos Add power football to your vintage collection with this 1971 O-Pee-Chee Bob Houmard #50 Edmonton Eskimos card, a tough short yardage back who became a fan favorite in Edmonton. The 1971 O-Pee-Chee issue is beloved by Canadian collectors for its unmistakable red borders, on field photography, and fully bilingual backs that include fun cartoon facts in both languages. The set captures the CFL during a rugged, run heavy era when fullbacks and tailbacks shared the load and every yard was earned in the trenches. Bob Houmard, nicknamed Hause, brought exactly that workhorse mentality. A 6 foot 3, 230 pound import running back from Ohio University, Houmard came to the Eskimos via the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Montreal Alouettes, as noted on his card back which states Bob had not played for the Als before being traded. In 1970 he had a breakout season, gaining 810 yards in 194 carries and scoring 8 touchdowns, providing the perfect complement to Jim Thomas and Terry Swarn in a deep Eskimos backfield. His pose in the number 35 uniform, kneeling on the field with fists ready, perfectly captures the no nonsense style of seventies football. For Ohio Bobcats collectors, Blue Bombers and Alouettes historians tracing player movement, and Edmonton team collectors, this is a key common with a great story. The 1971 season itself was memorable for Eskimos fans as the club continued to build toward its future Grey Cup dominance, and Houmard was part of that foundation. This is a Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back featuring the cartoon fact about his time before being traded and full English and French career summary. Front centering is very nice at about 55/45 both directions, with bright blue sky and vivid green and yellow uniform colors. Corners are sharp with only minimal softening at the top right, much better than average for this chipping prone set. Edges show almost no chipping on the red border, retaining a clean frame. The back is clean tan cardboard with even toning, no creases, no wrinkles, and crisp black printing. There is no staining or writing, and the card has a solid flat feel. We assign a conservative raw grade of EX 5 to EX-MT 6 range based on the sharpness and centering, leaning to EX 5 for safety. Searching for 1971 O-Pee-Chee Bob Houmard #50 Edmonton Eskimos will bring you to this attractive, well preserved example ready for your binder or display. Grade Estimate: EX 5