1971 O-Pee-Chee Tom Wilkinson #37 BC Lions CFL Hall of Fame Vintage Football Card

Description

1971 O-Pee-Chee Tom Wilkinson #37 BC Lions CFL Hall of Fame Vintage Football Card This 1971 O-Pee-Chee CFL card captures Tom Wilkinson during his lone season with the BC Lions, a brief stop on his way to becoming one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Canadian Football League history. Card number 37 in the celebrated 132-card 1971 O-Pee-Chee set, it shows Wilkinson listed as quarterback for the British Columbia Lions, a position he would parlay into a Hall of Fame career over 15 CFL seasons. Wilkinson played his college football at the University of Wyoming before joining the Toronto Argonauts in 1967, where he spent four seasons and led the team in passing in 1969 with 2,041 yards. The back of this card notes that Wilkie came to the Lions in an off-season trade after three years with the Argonauts. His time in Vancouver lasted just the 1971 season before he was picked up by the Edmonton Eskimos in 1972, where he would achieve legendary status. Over ten seasons in Edmonton, Wilkinson never missed a game, completed 1,613 passes for 22,579 yards and 154 touchdowns, and led the Eskimos to eight Grey Cup appearances, winning five championships including four straight from 1978 to 1981. He was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 1974 and earned CFL All-Star honors in 1974, 1978, and 1979. Wilkinson shared quarterback duties with Warren Moon during the Eskimos dynasty years and was the first player honored on the Edmonton Wall of Honour at Commonwealth Stadium in 1982. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1987. This card represents a unique and relatively short chapter in Wilkinson's career, making it a sought-after piece for Lions collectors and Hall of Fame completeness builders alike. The front features the classic red border design with the Lions logo and his position as Quarterback. The reverse is a genuine Canadian O-Pee-Chee bilingual back with English and French text, including the whimsical cartoon noting that Tom is in the insurance business. It bears the O-Pee-Chee copyright and Printed in Canada and is not a puzzle back. The card displays moderate corner wear with softening at all four tips, most noticeably at the top left and bottom right. The red borders show light surface handling and minor edge friction but no significant chipping or loss of ink. The image is well-centered with perhaps a slight shift toward the left, and the photo area is free of scratches, creases, or print defects. The reverse is clean and unmarked with no pen writing, stamp marks, or paper loss, though the natural age toning of the vintage cardboard is evident. No creases or wrinkles are present. A conservative raw grade estimate of EX 5 reflects the corner softening and handling while acknowledging the strong color, clean surface, and absence of any structural damage. Grade Estimate: EX 5