William John Griffiths (5 April 1879 – 16 October 1928) 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

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

and

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

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). Griffiths played his early football at Essendon Town, 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 ...

. He appeared eight times for Fitzroy in the

1903 VFL season The 1903 VFL season was the seventh season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 2 May until 12 September, and comprised a 17 ...

but was not selected in the finals.AFL Tables: Bill Griffiths
/ref> The following year he took the field with South Melbourne and played eight games in his first season and one more in 1905. Griffiths was a field umpire for one league game in 1911 and a boundary umpire in 19 games between 1911 and 1913. After retiring from football, Griffiths kept active as a district cricketer and spent some time with the

St Kilda Cricket Club St Kilda Cricket Club is a cricket club playing in Victorian Premier Cricket, the elite club cricket competition in Melbourne, Australia.The club's home ground is the St Kilda Cricket Ground, more commonly known as Junction Oval. History The ...

. He was a member of the Elsternwick second eleven when he was killed in 1928, while practicing. A ball had struck him on the head as he was attempting to take a catch and he suffered a skull fracture. He was taken to

The Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original site ...

but died soon after.'' The Argus''
"Cricketer And Footballer – Death of W. Griffiths"
18 October 1928. p. 14

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, Bill J 1879 births 1928 deaths Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Fitzroy Football Club players Sydney Swans players Essendon Association Football Club players Australian Football League umpires Sport deaths in Australia Accidental deaths in Victoria (state) Cricket deaths People from Flemington, Victoria