Wally Johnson

Walter Simon Johnson (1 September 1887 – 9 October 1962) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

For the American football and wrestling coach, see Wally Johnson (American football).

Wally Johnson
Personal information
Full name Walter Simon Johnson
Date of birth (1887-09-01)1 September 1887
Place of birth Collingwood, Victoria
Date of death 9 October 1962(1962-10-09) (aged 75)
Place of death Parkville, Victoria
Original team(s) Abbotsford
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Position(s) Centre half back
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1907–1916 Fitzroy 175 (83)
1919 Fitzroy 15 (0)
Total 190 (83)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1914 Victoria 2 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1919.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 1914.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Thomas Henry Johnson (1866-1915),[1] and Eliza Caroline Johnson (1863-1949),[2] née Thomas,[3] Walter Simon Johnson was born in Collingwood on 1 September 1887.[4] He died on 9 October 1962.[5]

Football

Having initially tried to play with Collingwood,[6] Johnson made his debut for Fitzroy in 1907 and finished the year as the club's joint best and fairest winner. He played most of his career at half back but played up forward for his first three seasons, topping Fitzroy's goal-kicking in 1908 with 27 goals.

A member of their premiership side in 1913, the following season Johnson represented Victoria at the Sydney Carnival. In 1916 he was appointed club captain and led the side to the premiership, defeating Carlton in the grand final. Fitzroy had actually finished the home and away season in last position; but, because of the war, only four teams were competing, and all qualified for the semi finals.

For the next two years Johnson lived in the United Kingdom, where he worked in a munitions factory,[7] before returning to Australia for one last season in 1919.

After retiring as a Fitzroy player,[8] he was appointed captain-coach of the Ballarat Imperial Football Club in 1924.[9] He retired before the 1926 season commenced and took up umpiring.[10]

Footnotes
  1. Deaths: Johnson, The Argus, (Tuesday, 2 November 1915), p.1; About People, The Age, (Tuesday, 2 November 1915), p.5.
  2. Deaths: Johnson, The Argus, (Saturday, 16 July 1949), p.14.
  3. Marriages: Johnson—Thomas, The (Melbourne) Leader, Saturday 26 April 1884), p.42.
  4. Births: Johnson, The (Melbourne) Leader, (Saturday, 10 September 1887), p.42.
  5. Deaths: Johnson, The Age, (Thursday, 11 October 1962), p.17.
  6. "W. JOHNSON". The Australasian. CVII (2, 783). Victoria, Australia. 2 August 1919. p. 26 (TOWN EDITION). Retrieved 25 May 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Presentation to Players, The Herald, (Monday, 6 November 1916), p.9; Champion Footballers Indulge in Other Sports: Wally Johnson, The Winner, (Wednesday, 15 November 1916), p.8.
  8. Football, The Age, (Friday, 16 April 1920), p.12; 'Kickero', "Footballers Look Forward to a Brisk and Busy Season", The (Melbourne) Herald, (Friday, 16 April 1920), p.3.
  9. Coach for Imperial, The Ballarat Star, (Monday, 14 April 1924), p.2; Wally Johnson as Coach, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Monday, 14 April 1924), p.2.
  10. Men and Incidents in Ballarat Football, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 21 April 1926), p.12.

References
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