Bob Rush (Australian footballer)

Robert Thomas Rush (9 October 1880 – 13 March 1975) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Bob Rush
Bob Rush in 1910
Personal information
Full name Robert Thomas Rush
Date of birth (1880-10-09)9 October 1880
Place of birth Richmond, Victoria
Date of death 13 March 1975(1975-03-13) (aged 94)
Place of death Northcote, Victoria
Original team(s) CBC Parade
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1899–1908 Collingwood 143 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1908.
Career highlights
  • 2× VFL premiership player: 1902, 1903
  • VFL premiership coach: 1930
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Roger Robert Rush (1856-1941),[1] and Mary Rush (1856-1943),[2] née Berry,[3] Robert Thomas Rush was born at Richmond, Victoria on 9 October 1880.[4]

Wife

He married Eileen Mary Maguire on 28 November 1911.[5]

Siblings

Four of his seven brothers also played VFL football (They are the only set of five brothers to play in the VFL/AFL):[6]

Football

Rush was a pacy defender and played mainly on a half back flank, although he was also used in the back pockets. He was a member of Collingwood's 1902 and 1903 premierships.

Administrator

After retiring as a player, Rush continued to serve Collingwood in a variety of roles over the years, including committeeman, assistant secretary and treasurer.[7] He eventually resigned from his last official position, that of committeeman, in mid-1950,[8] as a consequence of the controversy that ensued over the appointment of Bervin Woods as coach of the First XVIII.[9]

In 1930, Rush performed match day coaching duties to lead the club to its fourth consecutive premiership, filling in for Jock McHale who was ill – although, following a decision by AFL historians in 2014, McHale is now credited as Collingwood's sole coach in the game for the purposes of coaching statistics.[10]

He is credited with having coined the Collingwood club motto of Floreat Pica ("May the Magpies Prosper").[11]

Australian National Football Council

Rush was president of the Australian National Football Council from 1935 to 1946, heading the body that was in charge of the laws of Australian football.

Death

He died on 13 March 1975.[12]

See also

Footnotes
  1. Deaths: Rush, The Argus, (Monday, 19 May 1941) p.4; Mr. Roger Robert Rush, The Advocate, (Thursday, 29 May 1941), p.24.
  2. Deaths: Rush, The Argus, (Thursday, 6 May 1943), p.2; Mrs. Mary Rush, The Advocate, (Thursday, 20 May 1943), p.18.
  3. Marriages: Rush—Berry, The Leader, (Saturday, 8 November 1879), p.28.
  4. Births: Rush, The Age, (Saturday, 16 October 1880), p.1.
  5. Marriages: Rush—Maguire, The Argus, (Saturday, 13 January 1912), p.13.
  6. Pearce, Linda (6 May 2001). "The Houliclan". The Age. p. 14. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  7. Collingwood Tribute to R.T. Rush, The Age, (Thursday, 30 June 1949.
  8. Beames, Percy, "Collingwood Dispute: Committee Resigns, Election on June 28', The Age, (Wednesday, 24 May 1950), p.24.
  9. Spaull, R., "Bervin Woods - Five Days as Coach of Collingwood", Boyles Football Photos, 30 January 2015.
  10. Courtney Walsh (31 October 2014). "No fudge: AFL insists Mick Malthouse celebration will be by the numbers". The Australian. Melbourne, VIC. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  11. Bernard, J. & Mason, L., "R.T. Rush Trophy - the runner up", Collingwood Media, 9 October 2015.
  12. The Age, (Friday, 14 March 1975), p.22.

References
  • Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0
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