Bill Morris (Australian rules footballer)
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Bill Morris | |||
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Personal information | |||
Date of birth | 24 April 1921 | ||
Date of death | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. | ||
Place of death | Malvern East, Victoria | ||
Original team(s) | Old Scotch / Melbourne Seconds | ||
Height/Weight | 188 cm / 86 kg | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
1942–1951 | Richmond | 140 (98) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1951 season.
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Career highlights | |||
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William "Bill" Morris (24 April 1921 – 25 May 1960) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL), mostly during the 1940s. He played much of his football beside Jack Dyer as a knock ruckman.
Morris started his career with the Melbourne reserve team but before he could make an impression he decided to join the army. He returned to football in 1942 and was traded to Richmond[1] and made his senior debut that year. In 1945 he won the first of his three Best and Fairest awards, the others coming in 1948 and 1950.
Morris won the Brownlow Medalist in 1948, joining Stan Judkins as the only Richmond player to win the Medal at that time. He polled well in other Brownlow Medal nights, finishing equal second in 1946 and equal third in 1950. He was a regular Victorian interstate representative, playing a total of 15 games and captaining the state in 1950. He was also captain of Richmond, leading the club in 1950 and 1951.
At the end of the 1951 season Morris left Richmond and joined VFA Club Box Hill as captain-coach. He captain-coached Box Hill from 1952 to 1954, winning the Club's Best and Fairest each season. He played 58 games for Box Hill and scored 101 goals.
Morris's story is perhaps the most tragic of all Brownlow Medallists; in 1960 he committed suicide at the age of 38.[2]
In 2002 Morris was inducted into the Richmond Hall of Fame and he is also a member of their official 'Team of the Century', being named in the forward pocket. He is also a member of Box Hill's official 'Greatest Ever Team' as announced in 2000, selected as first ruck.
On 1 June 2009, Morris was inducted to the AFL Hall of Fame.[3]
References
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- Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
- Richmond Football Club – Hall of Fame
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External links
- Bill Morris's statistics from AFL Tables
Awards | ||
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Preceded by | Brownlow Medallist 1948 |
Succeeded by Roy Wright & Bill Hutchison |
Preceded by | Richmond Best and Fairest winner 1945 |
Succeeded by Jack Dyer |
Preceded by | Richmond Best and Fairest winner 1948 |
Succeeded by Geoff Spring |
Preceded by | Richmond Best and Fairest winner 1950 |
Succeeded by Des Rowe & Roy Wright |
- Pages with reference errors
- Use dmy dates from November 2010
- 1921 births
- 1960 deaths
- Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)
- Box Hill Football Club coaches
- Box Hill Football Club players
- Brownlow Medal winners
- Jack Dyer Medal winners
- Old Scotch Football Club players
- People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne
- Richmond Football Club players
- South Sydney Football Club players
- Sportspeople who committed suicide
- Suicides in Victoria (Australia)