Cecil Alfred Ruddell (23 May 1917 – 10 December 1990) 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

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) during the 1940s. Ruddell was a key player in Essendon's defence in what was a strong decade for the club, just once in his nine seasons did they miss out on the finals. Usually a fullback, it was in that position that he played in the Bomber's

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

and

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

VFL premiership sides. Ruddell also played in Essendon's losing VFL grand finals in

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

and the two

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

grand finals! He filled in as coach of Essendon for a game in 1945 and another the following season. An ankle injury ended his VFL career. He was later captain-coach of

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

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 ...

in 1950, playing eight games. Ruddell played 49 first eleven games for Fitzroy Cricket Club between 1937/38 and 1941/42. Ruddell also served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II.

External links

*
Cec Ruddell's profile
at the Essendon Football Club

References

1917 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club Premiership players Essendon Football Club coaches Northcote Football Club players Camberwell Football Club players Camberwell Football Club coaches 1990 deaths Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players {{AFL-bio-1917-stub