Doug Bigelow
Encyclopedia
Douglas "Doug" Bigelow was an Australian rules football
er who played 148 senior games for the Essendon Football Club
from 1947 to 1956.
, at Essendon's home ground, Windy Hill
. He went on to play 148 games for Essendon from 1947 to 1956.
He played in the "drawn" 1948 Grand Final, but was not selected for the "Grand Final Replay" the following week. He played in the losing Essendon Grand Final team in 1951
.
He played in the highly talented 1952 Essendon Seconds Premiership team that beat Collingwood
Seconds 7.14 (56) to 4.5 (29):
Excluding the senior games that some had already played (or would go on to play) with other VFL clubs, the members of the Essendon 1952 Seconds Premiership Team played an aggregate total of 1072 senior games for Essendon Firsts.
Bigelow also played in the Essendon Finals teams of 1953, which lost to Footscray
5.11 (41) to 6.13 (49), and of 1955, which lost to Geelong
7.11 (53) to 9.7 (61).
He was Acting Captain of the Essendon team on three occasions in 1956.
He was a strong, tough, dogged and tenacious defender, who also played in the ruck from time to time with great success. His great strength always gave him a great advantage at the boundary throw-ins.
,
He coached the Victorian Football Association team Coburg Tigers
from 1957 until 1961.
He also coached at his original club, Bentleigh, in 1963.
He served on the Essendon Football Club Committee from 1964 to 1976, having also served in 1954 and 1956 (whilst still a player).
, Thorold Merrett
, Doug Heywood
, and Tony Ongarello
, Bigelow featured in various football shows on ABC Television
.
He also worked for many years as a radio commentator on Melbourne's 3LO
and, later, on Melbourne's 3AW
.
commentator.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played 148 senior games for the Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
from 1947 to 1956.
Career
Recruited from Bentleigh Football Club, he played his first match in round 11 of the 1947 season, against MelbourneMelbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, at Essendon's home ground, Windy Hill
Windy Hill, Essendon
Windy Hill is an Australian rules football ground located in Essendon, a northwestern suburb of the Melbourne metropolitan area....
. He went on to play 148 games for Essendon from 1947 to 1956.
He played in the "drawn" 1948 Grand Final, but was not selected for the "Grand Final Replay" the following week. He played in the losing Essendon Grand Final team in 1951
1951 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1951.-Premiership season:In 1951, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...
.
He played in the highly talented 1952 Essendon Seconds Premiership team that beat Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Seconds 7.14 (56) to 4.5 (29):
| Essendon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Backs | Alan Thaw Alan Thaw Alan Thaw was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the VFL during the late 1940s and early 1950s.... |
Jack Knowles Jack Knowles Jack Knowles is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .Jack Knowles was a full back pocket in the losing Essendon team against Melbourne in the 1957 VFL Grand Final.-External links:*... |
Doug Bigelow |
| H/Backs | Brian Paine | John Ramsay | Bob Taylor |
| Centre Line | Keith McIntosh | Hugh Morris Hugh Morris (footballer) Hugh Morris was a Welsh footballer who played for Manchester City, Sheffield United and Grimsby Town in the 19th century. He gained three caps for the Welsh national team.-Playing career:... |
Alby Law |
| H/Forwards | Greg Sewell Greg Sewell Gregory G. "Greg" Sewell was an Australian rules footballer and assistant coach for Essendon in the Victorian Football League . He was educated at University High School from 1950 to 1951, where he was a schoolmate of Alan Aylett.- Recruit :Sewell had been recruited from the local side, the Monash... |
Bill Snell | Ray Martini |
| Forwards | Brian Gilmore | Ken Reed | Stan Booth Stan Booth Stan Booth was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League during the 1950s.Booth was a rover and often rested on the half forward flank, contributing over a goal a game for Essendon... |
| Rucks/Rover | Allan Hird (c/c) | Geoff Leek Geoff Leek Geoff Leek was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL from 1951 to 1962.- First senior match :... |
A. Taylor |
| Reserves | Mal Pascoe Mal Pascoe Malcolm L. "Mal" Pascoe is a former Australian rules footballer and coach.He played 94 senior VFL games for the Essendon Football Club from 1953 to 1958, and played 177 senior TANFL games for the Hobart Football Club from 1959 to 1966.... |
Ian Monks | |
Excluding the senior games that some had already played (or would go on to play) with other VFL clubs, the members of the Essendon 1952 Seconds Premiership Team played an aggregate total of 1072 senior games for Essendon Firsts.
Bigelow also played in the Essendon Finals teams of 1953, which lost to Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
5.11 (41) to 6.13 (49), and of 1955, which lost to Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
7.11 (53) to 9.7 (61).
He was Acting Captain of the Essendon team on three occasions in 1956.
He was a strong, tough, dogged and tenacious defender, who also played in the ruck from time to time with great success. His great strength always gave him a great advantage at the boundary throw-ins.
Retirement
His last game for Essendon was in the first (1956) VFL night football series, held at the end of the 1956 home-and-away season, under floodlights, at Lake Oval, at Albert ParkAlbert Park, Victoria
Albert Park is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Albert Park had a population of 5827....
,
He coached the Victorian Football Association team Coburg Tigers
Coburg Tigers
Coburg Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club based in Coburg, a northern suburb of Melbourne, and currently playing in the Victorian Football League. Coburg have an alignment in place with the AFL's Richmond Football Club which saw the Coburg club change its...
from 1957 until 1961.
He also coached at his original club, Bentleigh, in 1963.
He served on the Essendon Football Club Committee from 1964 to 1976, having also served in 1954 and 1956 (whilst still a player).
Media
Almost from the inception of Australian television (November 1956), along with Percy BeamesPercy Beames
Percy James Beames was an Australian rules footballer with Melbourne and first-class cricketer at state level for Victoria. He later became a distinguished journalist, covering both sports for Melbourne's The Age until 1976....
, Thorold Merrett
Thorold Merrett
Thorold Merrett is a former Australian rules footballer, who played in the Victorian Football League, .From Victorian town Cobden, Merrett was a small sized footballer who was a keen Richmond fan who wanted to play league football for his beloved side...
, Doug Heywood
Doug Heywood
Douglas 'Doug' Samuel Heywood was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League during the 1940s and early 1950s before becoming a noted sports commentator....
, and Tony Ongarello
Tony Ongarello
Tony Ongarello is a former Australian rules footballer of Italian heritage who played with Fitzroy in the VFL.He is believed to be the last player in the league to have scored a goal from a Place kick...
, Bigelow featured in various football shows on ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
.
He also worked for many years as a radio commentator on Melbourne's 3LO
774 ABC Melbourne
774 ABC Melbourne is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. Originally known by its callsign 3LO, it began transmission on 13 October 1924 – Melbourne's second radio station after 3AR.-History:...
and, later, on Melbourne's 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
.
commentator.