Bill Bourke (footballer, born 1882)
Australian rules footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bill Bourke (23 July 1882 – 13 November 1932)[1] was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2]
Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia
Middle Park, Victoria
| Bill Bourke | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cigarette card of Bourke in 1910 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | William Bourke | ||
| Born |
23 July 1882 Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Died |
13 November 1932 (aged 50) Middle Park, Victoria | ||
| Original team | Collingwood Trades | ||
| Position | Full Forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1908–1909 | Richmond | 32 (45) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1909. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Bourke had the distinction of topping Richmond's goal-kicking in their first two VFL seasons, in 1908 and 1909, with 25 and 20 goals respectively.[3][4] He along with family members was a strong Collingwood supporter and actually first tried to play for Collingwood. Upon being denied a game as a Magpie he decided to play with Richmond who were just entering the VFL. He retired after just two seasons to drive a taxi as it paid more than his wage as a footballer. He later ran a boot factory, which employed many league footballers and was the largest in the southern hemisphere at the time. He died suddenly of a heart attack in 1932 leaving a family of six children behind.[5]
