Bill Bourke (23 July 1882 – 13 November 1932)[1] was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2]
Bourke had the distinction of topping Richmond's goal-kicking in their first two VFL seasons, in 1908 and 1909, with 25 and 20 goals respectively.[3][4] He along with family members was a strong Collingwood supporter and actually first tried to play for Collingwood. Upon being denied a game as a Magpie he decided to play with Richmond who were just entering the VFL. He retired after just two seasons to drive a taxi as it paid more than his wage as a footballer. He later ran a boot factory, which employed many league footballers and was the largest in the southern hemisphere at the time. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1932 leaving a family of six children behind.[5]
References
- ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. Melbourne. 14 November 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 21 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5.
- ^ Lovett, Michael (2004). AFL 2004 - The Official Statistical History Of The AFL. AFL Publishing. ISBN 0-9580300-5-7.
- ^ AFL Tables: Bill Bourke
- ^ The Age,"Love, football, war, tragedy: A tale worth telling", 17 September 2011, Carolyn Webb
External links
- Bill Bourke's playing statistics from AFL Tables