Allan Belcher (2 December 1884 – 2 July 1921) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played with and coached

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL). He was the brother of South Melbourne player

Vic Belcher Victor George Belcher (24 August 1888 – 3 January 1977) was an Australian rules footballer, coach and umpire in the (then) Victorian Football League. Early life and family Belcher was born at Hall's Track (now known as Lebrina) north ...

. Belcher started his career with Collingwood but it was with Essendon that he established himself as one of the premier ruckmen in the league. Known as "King Belcher" formed a combination in the ruck with

Fred Baring Frederick Albert Baring (15 December 1890 – 10 December 1961) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1900s. In 1997 he was named at fullback in Essendon's official ...

and

Ernie Cameron Ernest James "Ginger" Cameron (20 February 1888 – 16 December 1946) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was a premiership player for the club in 1911. A rover, nicknamed "Ging ...

, culminating in premiership success in 1912. He was captain-coach of Essendon in 1910 and represented

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

at interstate football in patches during his career. From

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

he captained the club and again in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

but it would be his final season, a broken toe forcing him to retire. On 2 July 1921 – just two years after his last VFL game – Belcher succumbed to general paralysis in the Kew Hospital for the Insane. His once-robust frame had wasted away to just 57 kg by the time of his passing.

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* * 1884 births 1921 deaths Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club Premiership players Essendon Football Club coaches Collingwood Football Club players Brunswick Football Club players One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players Australian rules footballers from Tasmania People from Brunswick, Victoria {{AFL-bio-1884-stub