Leonard James "Len" Mills (8 February 1898 – 16 May 1965) was an Australian rules footballer who played with West Torrens in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and St Kilda and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Len Mills | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Leonard James Mills | ||
| Date of birth | 8 February 1898 | ||
| Place of birth | Hyde Park, South Australia | ||
| Date of death | 16 May 1965 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Springfield, South Australia[1] | ||
| Original team(s) | West Torrens | ||
| Height | 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) | ||
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1929 | St Kilda | 2 (3) | |
| 1930 | Hawthorn | 8 (17) | |
| Total | 10 (20) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1930. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Mills lied about his age and enlisted to serve in 1915 aged 16 years and nine months. He served in France and returned to Australia in 1919.[2]
Mills, at 203 cm, is believed to have been at the time, the tallest ever VFL player.[3] He was a member of the 1924 West Torrens premiership team and counts games in that's years Hobart Carnival amongst his six interstate appearances.[4]
He played with New Town, a Tasmanian club, in 1926.[4] The next two seasons were spent back at West Torrens.[4]
Already 31 by the time he joined St Kilda in 1929, Mills kicked three goals on his VFL debut, against Fitzroy at Junction Oval.[5] The following season he kicked 17 goals from eight appearances for Hawthorn, which was enough to finish second in the club's goal-kicking behind Bert Hyde.[5]
References edit
- ^ "Leonard James Mills". Find a Grave.
- ^ "Discovering Anzacs:Leonard James Mills". National Archives of Australia.
- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5.
- ^ a b c Devaney, John. "Len Mills Profile". AustralianFootball.
- ^ a b "AFL Tables: Len Mills". afltables.com.
 | This Australian rules football biography of a person born in 1898 is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |