Cyril John Connell

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(6 June 1899 – 25 October 1974) was an Australian university registrar and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer and administrator. His son Cyril Connell Jr. also went on to become a successful rugby league footballer in his era. Connell was born in Sydney,

New South Wales ) , 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 ...

and in his youth he fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, serving with the Australian Imperial Force in France. In 1922 he was of the first Queensland team to defeat New South Wales. After retiring from the football field Connell also served as an administrator for the Queensland Rugby League. Connell's time as registrar of the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

is thought to have contributed significantly to the University's growth in the 1950s and 1960s. This earned him the honour of Commander (civil) of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1965. In 2000 Connell was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league.

References

External links

Cyrill Connell at the Online Dictionary of Australian BiographiesQueensland Representatives at qrl.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connell, Cyrill 1899 births 1974 deaths Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian military personnel of World War I Australian rugby league players Eastern Suburbs Tigers players Fortitude Valley Diehards players Queensland rugby league team players Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Sydney Academic staff of the University of Queensland