Michael Bowden (footballer)

Michael John Bowden OAM (21 March 1947 – 11 April 2020) was an Australian rules football player and Indigenous advocate. Bowden played 59 matches for the Richmond Football Club in the VFL between 1967 and 1971. Following his playing career he became an educator in the Northern Territory and a passionate advocate for Indigenous communities, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Michael Bowden
Bowden playing for Richmond in the VFL
Personal information
Full name Michael John Bowden
Date of birth (1947-03-21)21 March 1947
Date of death 11 April 2020(2020-04-11) (aged 73)
Original team(s) St Kevin's College
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 94 kg (207 lb)
Position(s) Ruck-rover
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1967–1971 Richmond 59 (20)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1971.
Career highlights
  • VFL premiership player: 1969
  • VFL reserves premiership captain: 1971
  • Richmond reserves captain: 1970-71
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Football career

Bowden attended St Kevins College where he won the school's 1964 best and fairest and at the same time played for the Richmond under 19s program before quitting to study as a priest at Corpus Christi College.[1][2] He left the seminary after two years and returned to Richmond, where he made his senior league debut in round 8 of the 1967 season, playing as a ruck-rover.[1]

Bowden was a premiership player in 1969, after leading the league with 194 handballs that season.[3]

He was appointed the club's reserves-grade captain the following season and lead that team to a reserves premiership in the 1971 season.

Post-football career, family and illness

Bowden became a teacher, and eventually principal, of remote community schools for Indigenous Australian students in the Northern Territory.[4] He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the Indigenous community of the Northern Territory in January 2020.[5]

Bowden had three sons who went on to play for Richmond in Sean, Joel and Patrick. Two more sons, Rhett and Kane, played for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the VFA.[1]

Bowden suffered from motor neuron disease in later life and died from the affliction on 11 April 2020.[3]

VFL statistics
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1967 Richmond 1172369309920-0.30.49.94.314.12.9-
1968 Richmond 11153916014630638-0.20.610.79.720.42.5-
1969 Richmond 11206418519437987-0.30.29.39.719.04.4-
1970 Richmond 11124310011821855-0.30.38.39.818.24.6-
1971 Richmond 1155018254310-1.00.03.65.08.62.0-
Career[6] 59 20 19 532 513 1045 210 - 0.3 0.3 9.0 8.7 17.7 3.6 -


References
  1. Greenberg, Tony (11 April 2020). "Vale Mike Bowden". Richmond Football Club website. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  2. Rhett Bartlett and Trevor Ruddell. "Michael Bowden". Tigerland Archive. Rhett Bartlett and Trevor Ruddell. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  3. "Tigers flag hero passes away after battle with MND". afl.com.au. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. "Footy here furthered indigenous causes" (PDF). NT News. 26 January 2020. p. 8.
  5. "Honour Citation". Australian Honours Search Facility. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  6. "AFL Tables – Michael Bowden – Stats – Statistics". AFL Tables. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  • Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
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