Francis Gerald Crapper (22 May 1911 – 8 February 1991) 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 North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Crapper was a prolific full-forward for Eaglehawk in the Bendigo Football League (BFL), who had two stints at North Melbourne. Two brothers, Fred and Harry, played briefly at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and Melbourne respectively. He had come to the attention of North Melbourne scouts in 1930 when he became the first player in history to kick over 100 goals in a BFL season. Crapper was then signed by North Melbourne but would only play three games for them in

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

before returning to Eaglehawk.AFL Tables: Frank Crapper
/ref> Crapper beat his own BFL record in 1932 when he kicked 129 goals. He bettered that effort in 1933 with 154 goals in the home and away season and 165 after finals. Both those tallies remain a league record. The forward made a return to North Melbourne in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

and kicked 10 goals from his six appearances. He finally kicked a big haul for his VFL club in the sixth round of the 1936 season, with nine goals against St Kilda. His eventual season tall of 29 goals was second only to

Dudley Cassidy Dudley Cassidy (15 October 1912 – 2 July 2003) was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia se ...

at North Melbourne. Over the next three years he managed only five more games but did put in another memorable performance, kicking eight goals against Footscray on his 26th birthday. Despite his efforts he still finished on the losing team, as he had after his nine-goal haul from the previous season. Crapper served in the second World War.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crapper, Frank 1911 births 1991 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) North Melbourne Football Club players Eaglehawk Football Club players Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers