Bulldogs By the Numbers

[Jam Donuts]

I can remember when Jack Collins had the Footscray Sports Depot in Nicholson Street. I bought my first ever cricket bat there after working a few weekends with my dad painting houses. A Stuart Surridge.

Jack was a mate of my Dad's and when i needed some good wicketkeeping gloves at age 14 or 15 off we went to Jack's sports shop, ended up with gloves, bat, pads the full kit basically, also ended up playing at Footscray the next weekend thanks to Jack's input, great guy.

[Nuggety Back Pocket]

Jack was a mate of my Dad's and when i needed some good wicketkeeping gloves at age 14 or 15 off we went to Jack's sports shop, ended up with gloves, bat, pads the full kit basically, also ended up playing at Footscray the next weekend thanks to Jack's input, great guy.

Jack was one of three brothers to wear the RWB jumper. Charlie Sutton said that Whitten and Collins were the two best players he had seen at Footscray. Decided not to play for Victoria on one occasion and to the annoyance of the state selectors decided to play instead for Footscray against Carlton and promptly kicked 9 goals. Jack was also a very good District cricketer with Footscray.

[merantau]

Kevin Jackman spent four seasons with us from #65 to #68. He wore #42 in his first year but thereafter wore #7. He played 33 games and in his second season won our goalkicking with 28 goals.
Ex Tottenham Tech Kevin was a handy rover and goal sneak.

[Grantysghost]

This series is fantastic thanks @merantau. Really enjoying the trip down memory lane. My first memories are of the Geoff Jennings/Ian Hampshire era, I had a hand knitted Michael Egan number 10 jumper courtesy of Mum that I wore proudly in those days.
Never forget 85 and being part of the cheer squad, not only for the making of the Swan Lager ad for Brad Hardie but as my first taste of finals as a 9 year old. Even had the spray painted red white and blue hair to go with the white Eastcoast jeans cheer squad jumper. Beating North in that 85 semi still one of my great dogs memories.

Edit : YouTube hey. This is the ad! We were all asked to carry on like we had won the flag, a completely absurd notion in those days (well for me!) out at Waverley...must have been one of the finals but I can't recall.

[merantau]

I was at Princes Park for Hardie's debut game against Carlton. Allen Daniells and Michael Ford also appeared for the first time. We had a big win - 5 goals - and I thought, "This is gunna be a good year." We had some great players in that side.
Don't think I ever saw that ad. YouTube is a mighty resource.

[merantau]

1966 saw the debut of another member of the famous Spargo family - Ricky, son of Bob, younger brother of Bob jnr.
Ricky wore #36 for three years before taking over #7 for his last three.
He inherited the Spargos' fast twitch muscles and was a pacy rover/half forward/winger who played 64 games and kicked 65 goals.
Ricky ran 5th in the 1974 Stawell Gift Final.
The Spargo family was the first to produce VFL/AFL footballers over four generations when Charlie, great grandson of Bob, turned out for Melbourne.

I acknowledge and thank those on Wickipedia who conducted the following research into the remarkable Spargo family.

"Bob Spargo Sr.

LanguageDownload PDFWatchEdit

Robert Henry "Bob" Spargo (7 July 1913 – 14 May 1994) was a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

Bob SpargoPersonal informationFull nameRobert Henry SpargoDate of birth7 July 1913Date of death14 May 1994 (aged 80)Original team(s)RiversidesHeight175 cm (5 ft 9 in)Weight69 kg (152 lb)Playing career1YearsClubGames (Goals)1934–41Footscray65 (6)1942Melbourne2 (0)Total67 (6)

1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1942.

Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

FamilyEdit

The son of Luke Spargo and Rena Ann Spargo, née McHenry, Robert Henry Spargo was born on 7 July 1913. He married Dorothy Annie "Dot" White (1913-2016) in 1938.

FootballEdit

Spargo's two sons Bob Jr and Ricky also both played for Footscray Football Club. His grandson Paul and great-grandson Charlie both played for Melbourne Football Club.[2]

AthleteEdit

Spargo was an accomplished professional athlete who was placed 3rd in both the 1936 and 1940 Stawell Gift finals.[3] In 1936 he was 3rd off 9¾yds to Roy McCann and in 1940 he was 3rd off 8yds to Alex Reid.

NotesEdit

^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2009). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (8th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 786. ISBN 978-1-921496-00-4.^ "Four-gen footy family: Young Dee to make history". AFL NSW / ACT. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2018.^ Morris, Tom (21 November 2017). "AFL draft 2017: Charlie Spargo a pocket rocket that looms as fourth generation VFL/AFL player". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2018.

Watt, Gary (2008). Stawell Gift Almanac 1st ed. Legacy Books.

External linksEditBob Spargo Sr.'s playing statistics from AFL Tables


This Australian rules football biography of a person born in 1913 is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Last edited 1 year ago by DannyS712".

[merantau]

In 1974 rover Ray Huppatz arrived and stayed for four seasons playing 66 games in the #7 for 74 goals. In '78 he went to North for a futher two seasons. He played his best football with us.
Recruited from SA club Woodville he won their B&F four times in eight seasons. Standing 170cm and weighing 70kg he was small but game.
A serious knee injury saw him miss most of '79 at North.
He returned to Woodville and retired in 1984 after playing 265 games of senior football and kicking 403 goals.

[merantau]

Round 1, 1978 saw the arrival of Doug Hawkins in the #7 which he carried for 17 seasons and 329 games in which he booted 216 goals.

One of the greatest Bulldogs of all time and an absolutely admired player across the football community, he hailed from the renowned Braybrook Football Club whose record, as a source of brilliant footballers, is without equal.

Although of average physique (180cm 79kg) Hawk had tremendous core strength and skills on both sides of his body. He was exceptionally difficult to out body in one on ones. He could run all day and made the outer wing at Footscray his own. A big occasion player his performance in the 1985 Final series was absolutely memorable and he won the B&F that year.

An exceptionally gifted player he showed his versatility when in 1991 he was played as a small forward and won the Club goal kicking with 38 goals. In 1992 he followed up kicking 42 goals.

He captained us from '90 to '93 and was selected as Vice Captain in the Bulldogs Team of the Century.

In 2004 he was elected to the AFL Hall of Fame and in 2014 he was awarded Legend status at the Western Bulldogs.

Doug's contract was not renewed after '94 so he went to Fitzroy where he played 21 games and kicked 11 goals - all up a 350 game career which netted 227 goals and an ocean of admiration.

[merantau]

This pretty much nails it re Dougie. Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/iSxwwQsTvfY

[Twodogs]

And so to our current #6, Bailey Smith. He debuted in 2019 and has strung together 41 games averaging 20.5 possessions.

Has the attitude and attributes to travel far in this game and be considered, in the future, alongside the greats who've worn the #6.

20.5 games a year, 20.5 disposals a game. Maybe we should give him #20.5?

[Twodogs]

You have to be a bit of a freak winning a Brownlow twelve years after you've debuted and winning a Coleman in each of your fourteenth and fifteenth seasons kicking over 100 in each.

Bernie is in the Hall of Fame for his Brownlow, 2 X Colemans and 6 X leading club goalkicking awards...

Unlike Kelvin Templeton mumble, gripe who has exactly the same record even though he played half as many games and for almost a decade less! just sayin'.

[Mofra]

This pretty much nails it re Dougie. Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/iSxwwQsTvfY

Shame the cameras didn't capture more of his games.
Even compared to players of today he might still be the best "one-handed" player to ever play for the Bulldogs - in marks and off the deck.

[Twodogs]

This series is fantastic thanks @merantau. Really enjoying the trip down memory lane. My first memories are of the Geoff Jennings/Ian Hampshire era, I had a hand knitted Michael Egan number 10 jumper courtesy of Mum that I wore proudly in those days.
Never forget 85 and being part of the cheer squad, not only for the making of the Swan Lager ad for Brad Hardie but as my first taste of finals as a 9 year old. Even had the spray painted red white and blue hair to go with the white Eastcoast jeans cheer squad jumper. Beating North in that 85 semi still one of my great dogs memories.

Edit : YouTube hey. This is the ad! We were all asked to carry on like we had won the flag, a completely absurd notion in those days (well for me!) out at Waverley...must have been one of the finals but I can't recall.

By law Brad was too young to be allowed to drink beer on TV. He was under the age of 25 when they filmed the ad. So they famously ended the ad with him toasting all the people who didn't win the Brownlow.

[merantau]

Season 1993 saw the arrival of 18 year old Scott West and the start of a magnificent 16 year 324 game 104 goal career
He wore #14 for his first two years but thereafter wore #7.

From the very beginning he showed that touch of class and endeavour that marked him as a special talent. I saw him kick six straight in a dazzling performance against Essendon at home; it was his 5th game!

Scott was the mother of all "in and under" players.. A player of immense courage and competitiveness. There was no pack he wouldn't back in to, no scrimmage he wasn't a part of. He was a tremendous tackler and could run all day. He had great handball skills and great awareness. Certainly one of the top midfielders of his era.

Seven times Bulldogs B&F, 5 times All Australian, twice Brownlow runner-up, third place once, first player to record 400 handballs in a season, Bulldog Team of the Century - and the list goes on. A truly outstanding Bulldog.

[merantau]

In his own words:

https://youtu.be/ILKAKnwFojM