Jack King (footballer, born 1879)

John King (15 January 1879 – 25 June 1965) was an Australian rules footballer who was recruited from the Rutherglen Football Club and played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

Jack King
Personal information
Full name John King
Date of birth (1879-01-15)15 January 1879
Place of birth Rutherglen, Victoria
Date of death 25 June 1965(1965-06-25) (aged 86)
Place of death Rutherglen, Victoria
Original team(s) Rutherglen
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1904 St Kilda 8 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1904.
Career highlights
  • Inducted into the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame
  • Played in 11 O&MFL Premiership with Rutherglen
  • 2003 – Rutherglen – Team of the Century
  • 2008: O&MFL Hall of Fame
  • Played in 11 O&MFL Premierships
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family edit

One of the nine children of the vigneron Daniel King (1827-1903),[2] and Ellen King (1844-1923), née Slattery,[3] John King was born at Rutherglen, Victoria on 15 January 1879.

King was the older brother of James Bernard "Jim" King (1873-1929), the former South Melbourne and St. Kilda player, and of Christopher King (1883-1980), winner of the 1908 Stawell Gift.

Football edit

King played an incredible 26 years of senior football in the Ovens and Murray Football League, playing in 11 premierships with Rutherglen and was inducted into the O&MFL – Hall of Fame in 2008.[4]

Professional athlete edit

Sprinter edit

Starting off an official handicap of 13 yards, he was a finalist in the 1907 Stawell Gift. With the field on their marks, he broke twice and was penalized another two yards. He came fourth.[5]

Coach edit

King, who "had a cinders track [on his Rutherglen farm] that replicated the exact gradient of the rise at Stawell",[6] become a four-time Stawell Gift winning athletic coach: his younger brother, Chris King (1908), Clarrie Hearn (1929), Frank Bradley (1937), and Jack Hayes (1954).[7] He also "helped" the 1952 winner, Lance Mann;[8] and, later, convinced dual Stawell Gift winner (1966 and 1967) Bill Howard to take up professional running in 1964.[9]

Stawell Gift's Hall of Fame edit

King was inducted into the Stawell Gift – Hall of Fame.[10]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 481. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  2. ^ Death of Mr. D. King, Sen., The Rutherglen Sun and Chiltern Valley Advertiser, (Friday, 24 July 1903), p.2.
  3. ^ Rutherglen, The Advocate, (Thursday, 22 March 1923), p.33.
  4. ^ "Hall of Fame - Jack King - 2008". Ovens and Murray FNL. O&MFNL.
  5. ^ Stawell Easter Gift, The Numurkah Leader, (Friday, 5 April), p.4.
  6. ^ Bill Howard's Stawell Gift, 1966, The Age, 15 April 2006.
  7. ^ Stawell Gift To Hayes, Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate, (Tuesday, 20 April 1954), p.3).
  8. ^ Just a Veteran, THe Barrier Miner, (Saturday, 14 March 1953), p.2.
  9. ^ "1966 - Bill Howard's Stawell Gift". The Age. 15 April 2006 – via Trove Newspapers.
  10. ^ "Stawell Gift – Hall of Fame". Stawell Gift. Stawell Gift.

External links edit