Gordon Richard Bowman (10 February 1927 – 14 September 2013) 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 for

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 ...

and

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

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). Bowman, originally from East Malvern, was a member of Melbourne's 1948 premiership team as a half forward flanker. He joined a struggling Hawthorn side in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

and remained with the club until the end of the

1951 VFL season The 1951 VFL season was the 55th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 21 April until 29 September, and comprised an ...

. In the 1950s he played in Tasmania with Sandy Bay where he captained the club for seven years, including a premiership in 1952. Such was his impact at the club that in 2001 Bowman was named as one of Sandy Bay's official 'Best 25 Players'. Bowman also captained the Tasmanian state side during this period. Later, Bowman transferred to Queensland side Mayne where he played for five seasons for two premierships before a final move in 1967 to New South Wales side Newtown, where he played in their 1967 and 1968 premierships, retiring aged 42 after the 1969 Grand Final which Newtown lost. Bowman is the only known Australian rules player to have played in premiership sides in four different states.Atkinson, p. 72.

References

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. . *Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

External links

*
DemonWiki profile
1927 births 2013 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Melbourne Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club players Sandy Bay Football Club players Mayne Australian Football Club players Newtown Australian Football Club players Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame inductees Sandy Bay Football Club coaches Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players {{AFL-bio-1920s-stub