Jack Pickford (footballer)

Wilfred Hilary "Jack" Pickford, ISO (18 April 1904 – 6 July 1971) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

Jack Pickford
Pickford in May 1925
Personal information
Full name Wilfred Hilary Pickford
Date of birth (1904-04-18)18 April 1904
Place of birth Mildura, Victoria
Date of death 6 July 1971(1971-07-06) (aged 67)
Place of death Launceston, Tasmania
Original team(s) Hawthorn Juniors
Height 174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 81 kg (179 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1922–24 Hawthorn (VFA) 11 (0)
1925–28 Hawthorn 55 (3)
1929–31 Brighton (VFA) unknown
1932 Melbourne 2 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1932.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Pickford was born in Mildura to Alfred Pickford and Lillian Mabel Short, but his family moved to Melbourne after his father died in 1909. He attended Swinburne Technical College where he excelled in sports, including captaining the football team.[2]

Pickford played eleven games with Hawthorn in Victorian Football Association (VFA) over the period 1922–1924.[3] In the middle of the 1924 season he transferred to Hawthorn Juniors and played in the losing Grand Final team in the Junior Competition.[4] It was during this period that Pickford started being referred to as "Jack" (presumably derived from the Hollywood star of the time, Jack Pickford).

Pickford rejoined Hawthorn as they entered in VFL competition in 1925.[5] He played in their first ever VFL match and appeared consistently through their first four seasons in the League. He was selected as part of a League representative team in 1927.

In 1929 Pickford transferred to VFA club Brighton where he played for three seasons. In 1932 he joined Melbourne and appeared in two games for them towards the end of the season.

Pickford graduated from Swinburne Senior Technical College (now Swinburne University of Technology) as a civil engineer in 1938 and later worked for the Civil Aviation Authority. In 1969 he was awarded an Imperial Service Order for his work as First Assistant Director-General of Civil Aviation.[6] He died while visiting Launceston in Tasmania in July 1971.[7]

References
  1. Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2009). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (8th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-00-4.
  2. "The Swinburnian" (PDF). June 1923. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  3. Gordon, Harry & Michael. One For All: the story of the Hawthorn Football Club. ISBN 978-1-921332-83-8.
  4. "JUNIOR LEAGUE". The Argus. Melbourne, Vic: National Library of Australia. 31 July 1924. p. 5.
  5. "NOTES TROM THE CLUBS". The Argus. Melbourne, Vic: National Library of Australia. 3 April 1925. p. 6.
  6. "Wilfred Hilary PICKFORD". Australian Government.
  7. "ENGAGEMENTS, MARRIAGES, BIRTHS, DEATHS". The Age. Melbourne, Vic: Google News Archive. 7 July 1971. p. 19.
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