Robert Charles Atkinson (29 October 1913 – 25 December 2006) 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 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) and

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).

Family

Atkinson's father Percy played for

Norwood Football Club Norwood Football Club, nicknamed the Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club competing in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) in the state of South Australia. Its home ground is Coopers Stadium (Norwood Oval), which is ...

in the South Australian competition, while his brother

Ted TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

played for

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...

and his son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

played with

Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy, the club was a member of the Vi ...

Football

A defender, Atkinson made his senior football debut for the

Coburg Football Club The Coburg Football Club, nicknamed the Coburg Lions, is an Australian rules football club based in Coburg, a northern suburb of Melbourne, and currently playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL). It is based at Coburg City Oval since 191 ...

in the VFA in 1935. He became a star player at the club over the following seven years, and was a member of the club's losing 1941 grand final team. When the VFA went into recess, Atkinson crossed to the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...

on a wartime permit, and played there for three years from 1942 until 1944, stepping up as club interim captain in 1944. After the wartime permits system concluded, Atkinson returned to Coburg as captain in 1945, leading the club for two seasons; he played a total of 116 games for Coburg across his career. He was cleared to Northcote in 1947, and played one season there before switching to country football with St. James in the Benalla Tungamah Football League, playing in their 1948 premiership.

Honours

He was selected in the back-pocket of Coburg's "Team of the Century".

References

External links

Bob Atkinson
a
Blueseum

Sources

* Atkinson, G. (1982) ''Everything you ever wanted to know about Australian rules football but couldn't be bothered asking'', The Five Mile Press: Melbourne. .

External links

R Bob "Bomber" Atkinson, ''The VFA Project''.
* *
Bob Atkinson, ''Boyles Football Photos''.
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Carlton Football Club players Coburg Football Club players 1913 births 2006 deaths {{AFL-bio-1913-stub