Ernest Ferdinand Grecian, best known as Barney Grecian (18 November 1871 – 2 June 1919), was an Australian rules football player.

Early life

Grecian was born in Geelong,

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 ...

in 1872.

Playing career

Grecian joined in the

Victorian Football Association 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 ...

(VFA) at the end of 1892, and made his debut in 1893. He played two VFA premierships with Essendon before moving to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in 1896, and joining in the West Australian Football Association (WAFA - now WAFL), where he captained premiership-winning teams in 1897 and 1899. Between 1896 and 1900, he played 65 matches for West Perth. His state league career ended when he transferred in 1900 to Coolgardie to work in the post office.

Death

In 1919 Grecian was hospitalised with

athlete's heart Athletic heart syndrome (AHS) is a non-pathological condition commonly seen in sports medicine in which the human heart is enlarged, and the resting heart rate is lower than normal. The athlete's heart is associated with physiological cardiac ...

. He died on 2 June 1919 and was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

Honours

In 2004 Grecian was inducted in the

West Australian Football Hall of Fame The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise and enshrine those who have made a significant contribution to Australian rules football in Western Australia. People eligible for inclusion are players, coaches, umpires, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grecian, Barney 1871 births 1919 deaths West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees West Perth Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Geelong Essendon Football Club (VFA) players Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery