Douglas "Doug" Bigelow
1928 births | 1996 deaths | australian rules footballers | essendon bombers players
birthplace = originalteam = Bentleigh Football Club heightweight = 184 cm (6' 0½"), 96 kg dead = 1996 deathdate = deathplace = debutdate = June 28, 1947 debutteam = Essendon debutopponent = Melbourne debutstadium = Windy Hill playingteams = Essendon (1947-1956)
}} Douglas "Doug" Bigelow (July 17, 1928 – 1996) is a former Australian rules footballer who played 148 senior games for the Essendon Football Club from 1947 to 1956.
- 148 games, 27 goals
- Bentleigh F.C. (1963)
- Essendon Grand Final Team: 1948 (“drawn” match only), 1951.
- Essendon Football Club Life Member: 1956
- Essendon Football Club Committee: 1954, 1956, 1964-1976
}} Douglas "Doug" Bigelow (July 17, 1928 – 1996) is a former Australian rules footballer who played 148 senior games for the Essendon Football Club from 1947 to 1956.
Career
Recruited from Bentleigh Football Club, he played his first match in round 11 of the 1947 season, against Melbourne, 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 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 a strong, tough, dogged and tenacious defender, who also played in the ruck from time to time with great success.
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 Park,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: 1954, 1956, 1964-1976, having also served in 1954 and 1956 (whilst still a player).
He went on to become a well-respected media commentator.
References
- Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872-1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-959-17402-8
- 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
External links
Category: 1928 births Category: 1996 deaths Category: Australian rules footballers Category: Essendon Bombers players
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