William James Pearson (11 June 1922 – 6 December 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1940s.[1]
| Bill Pearson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | William James Pearson | ||
| Date of birth | 11 June 1922 | ||
| Place of birth | Carlton, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 6 December 2010 (aged 88) | ||
| Original team(s) | La Mascotte (EDFL) | ||
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Centreman | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1945–47 | Essendon | 51 (24) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1947. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Pearson served in the Australian Army during World War II, seeing active duty as an AIF gun layer in the New Guinea jungle.[2]
Pearson was recruited from La Mascotte and in just his third league game kicked four goals to help his club defeat Carlton by 100 points. He was the centreman in the Essendon premiership side of 1946 and finished tenth in that season's Brownlow Medal count with 13 votes, the most by an Essendon player.
A knee injury in 1947 ended Pearson's career when a series of operations, five in total, weren't enough to allow him to play again.[3]
References edit
- ^ Premiership player Bill Pearson passes away Archived 19 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "World War II Roll: William James Pearson". Department of Veterans Affairs.
- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2002). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (4th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 513. ISBN 1-74095-001-1.
External links edit
- Bill Pearson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
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