Leonard James Gardner (1927 – 3 August 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 ...

player and umpire. He played for in the

Western Australian National Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WANFL) during the 1940s and 1950s before becoming a WANFL umpire.

Playing career

Gardner made his debut for in 1942 and played 113 matches in two stints with the club between 1942 and 1951. He was a member of East Perth's 1944 premiership-winning team.

Umpiring career

In 1952 he was nominated as a WANFL umpire and began officiating the same year. After a match between East Perth and in 1955, he was attacked by an angry mob of East Perth supporters unhappy with their team losing. He was smuggled out of the ground by police. He took charge of four WANFL grand finals, in 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1961.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Len 1927 births East Perth Football Club players West Australian Football League umpires 1990 deaths Date of birth missing Australian rules footballers from Western Australia