Robert Francis "Choc" Bignall (14 March 1922 – 11 August 2013), commonly referred to as Bob Bignall, was an Australian
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player who was the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
captain at the
1956 Olympic Games 1956 Olympics refers to both:
*The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
*The 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport even ...
held in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia.
Bignall started his career in 1939 and played over 400 matches in
NSW
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, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
for
Corrimal
Corrimal is a northern suburb of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Corrimal's CBD is situated on the Princes Highway, and several streets adjacent to it. The main shopping centres are Lederer Corrimal and Corrimal Park Mall ne ...
Rangers,
Woonona
Woonona () is a northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney. It is served by Woonona Station on the South Coast (Illawarra) Line, and by the Princes Highway.
The suburb has a strip of commerce along the highway ...
, North Shore and South Coast United as a defender before going onto represent both NSW and national sides as captain in the 1950s.
He was inducted to the Football Federation of Australia Hall of Fame in 1999.
Playing career
Bignall played for North Shore in 1945, then the Corrimal Rangers from 1950 to 1953 and for South Coast United in 1960 and 1961. All clubs were part of the NSW Division 1.
He was a small stature man that had lightning speed and tenacious will to win.
International career
Bignall played 8 matches for the
Australian national team between 1954 and 1956, and he was the 127th player to debut for his nation against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
on 28 August 1954. He became the 16th captain of the national team against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in Sydney on 24 September 1955. He was also the captain for both of the
1956 Summer Olympic games
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
.
Later life and death
After retiring from soccer, Bignall became a greyhound trainer.
Bignall died 11 August 2013 at the age of 91.
References
External links
*Obituary i
Goal Weekly*Obituary a
Football South Coast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bignall, Bob
1922 births
2013 deaths
Australian men's soccer players
Australia men's international soccer players
Olympic soccer players for Australia
Footballers at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Men's association football fullbacks
Soccer players from Wollongong