Bob Davis (Australian rules footballer)

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Bob Davis
Personal information
Full name Robert Davis
Date of birth (1928-06-12)12 June 1928
Place of birth Golden Point, Victoria
Date of death Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Place of death Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Original team(s) Clunes (CHFL)/ Golden Point (BFL)
Height/Weight 183cm / 91kg
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1948–1958 Geelong 189 (141)
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1956–1965 Geelong 116 (72–39–5)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1958 season.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1965.
Career highlights

Robert "Bob" Davis (12 June 1928 – 16 May 2011) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Playing career

Nicknamed "Woofa",[1] Davis was recruited from Golden Point in the Ballarat Football League and played with the Geelong Football Club in the VFL from 1948 to 1958,[1] generally as a half-forward flanker.

At 183 cm (6 feet) in height, Davis was noted for his pace and tenacity. He was one of the fastest players in the League at the time,[2] and was known in the press as "The Geelong Flyer",[3] named after the express train that ran from Melbourne to Geelong in only 55 minutes.[4]

Davis represented Victoria on 13 occasions,[3] as well as the captaining Geelong from 1955–1958.[1] He played in two premierships for Geelong, in 1951 and 1952.[1] He also coached the club, first in 1956, and then from 1960 to 1965,[5] which included coaching Geelong to the VFL premiership in 1963, defeating Hawthorn.[1]

In 1952, after playing only 51 games for Geelong, Davis was offered a coaching job with the South Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League.[2] He moved to Adelaide for the start of the 1952 season, but after Geelong refused to clear him,[6] he returned to Geelong in time for the sixth game of the season,[7] and remained there for the remainder of his career.[8]

Post-playing career

During his career, Davis was a popular character off the field, with his much-imitated flamboyant voice – in particular the phrase "fair dinkum unbelievable", which has been imitated many times in the football world, usually with humorous but respectful intent. He appeared on many television shows in the 1970s and '80s, including World of Sport and League Teams with Lou Richards and Jack Dyer.[5]

He died in hospital on 16 May 2011 after a long battle with illness in his last months.[1] Before the Carlton-Geelong game later that week they held a minute's silence.

Clunes Football Club Davis's original club scrapped their traditional Black and White for a one off tribute game post his death. They donned Geelong style jerseys for 1 game, and displayed both clubs logos and the name Bob Davis on the back.

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by Geelong Football Club captain
1955–1958		 Succeeded by
Neil Trezise
Preceded by Geelong Best and Fairest
1957		 Succeeded by
John O'Neill
Preceded by Geelong Football Club coach
1960–1965		 Succeeded by
Peter Pianto
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