Richard Randolph Grigg (8 June 1885 – 12 November 1972) was an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Victorian Football League, now Australian Football League.

Dick Grigg
Cigarette card of Grigg in 1909
Personal information
Date of birth 8 June 1885
Place of birth Bellarine, Victoria
Date of death 12 November 1972(1972-11-12) (aged 87)
Place of death North Geelong, Victoria
Original team(s) Drysdale
Debut Round 1, 7 May 1904, Geelong vs. Collingwood, at Victoria Park
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1904–14; 1921 Geelong 194 (64)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1921.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family edit

The son of Thomas Tobias Grigg (1851–1930),[1] and Katherine Douglas Grigg (1854–1946), née Williamson,[2][3] Richard Randolph Grigg was born at Bellarine, Victoria on 8 June 1885.[4] One of his brothers, Norman Cecil Grigg (1893–1945), also played VFL football with Geelong.

He married Lyla Daphne Calhoun (1888-1957), at the Cairns Memorial Presbyterian Church, in Melbourne, on 19 June 1915.[5][6][7] They had three children.

Football edit

 
Geelong Football Team (1909).
Grigg is third from right, middle row.
 
Enthusiast's Letter to the Editor
The Herald, 21 September 1934.[8]

Grigg was a brilliant utility who was skilled in all facets of the game. He was a brilliant high mark and possessed fine anticipation, great style, and plenty of dash. He was regarded as one of the VFL's most accomplished and fairest players.

Geelong (VFL) edit

Grigg played 130 consecutive matches between 1904–14, a Geelong record that stands as of 2023. After seven years out of VFL circles, he made a brief comeback to play the final two matches of 1921, at the age of 36. He was a captain for two matches.[citation needed]

Best and Fairest edit

He won Geelong's Best and Fairest award four times: 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1914.[9][10]

Representative football edit

He represented Victoria in interstate matches on nine occasions.[11]

Geelong's "Team of the Century" edit

He was named in Geelong's Team of the Century.

Geelong's "Hall of Fame" edit

In 2007 he was elevated to legend status in the Geelong Hall of Fame.[12]

Death edit

He died at North Geelong, Victoria on 12 November 1972.[13]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Deaths: Grigg, The Age, (Tuesday, 18 February 1930), p. 1.
  2. ^ Marriage: Grigg—Williamson, The Geelong Advertiser, (Tuesday, 14 August 1877), p. 1.
  3. ^ Deaths: Grigg, The Argus, (Wednesday, 3 July 1946), p. 16.
  4. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Births Registration no.15380/1885.
  5. ^ Birth: Calhoun, The Geelong Advertiser, (Tuesday, 18 June 1888), p. 2.
  6. ^ R. Grigg's Wedding, The Geelong Advertiser, (Friday, 25 June 1915), p. 2.
  7. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Deaths Registration no.22058/1957.
  8. ^ 'Enthusiast', "Best Ever in Victoria (Letter to the Editor)", The (Melbourne) Herald, (Saturday, 22 September 1934), p. 30.
  9. ^ Oates, Stacey (27 January 2015). "New discovery places Grigg on top".
  10. ^ Lannen, Danny, "Dick Grigg joins Garry Hocking in Geelong Cats' Record Book a century after his best and fairest win", The Geelong Advertiser, 26 January 2015.
  11. ^ Holmesby & Main (2002), p. 249.
  12. ^ Shields, Jason (2 July 2007). "Cats honour past legends". Archived from the original on 13 October 2012.
  13. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Deaths Registration no.26786/1972.

References edit

  • Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2002), The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: Every AFL/VFL Player since 1897 (4th ed.), Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. ISBN 1-74095-001-1

External links edit