John L. Leedham (20 May 1928 – 30 May 2020) was an Australian rules footballer who is the vice captain of and ruck-rover in the official Tasmanian Football Team of the Century. He is also a 'legend' in the state's Football Hall of Fame.
Leedham, nicknamed 'John L', always played with his socks down and was known to be a colourful character on the field. He was brought up in Campbell Town and started his football career at North Launceston in 1946, aged 17. Playing as a centre half forward, Leedham was a member of NTFA premiership teams in 1946, 1948, 1949 and 1950 as well as three Tasmanian State Premierships. He was almost poached by the Melbourne Football Club in 1948 but a knee injury stopped him from making his debut in the VFL.[1]
After 124 games with North Launceston, including a stint as captain-coach, Leedham crossed to TFL club North Hobart. He coached North Hobart from 1954 to 1959 and steered them to a premiership in 1957.
Leedham represented Tasmania at the 1947, 1953 and 1958 interstate carnivals. In 1953 he was named in the inaugural All-Australian side, the only Tasmanian, and in the 1958 Melbourne Carnival he captain-coached the state to famous wins against South Australia and Western Australia.
References edit
- ^ "LEEDHAM NOT FOR NORTH L'TON". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. CVII, no. 14. Tasmania, Australia. 29 March 1948. p. 10. Retrieved 18 November 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
External links edit
- John Leedham at AustralianFootball.com