Albert Thurgood

Albert Thurgood
Personal information
Full name Albert John Thurgood
Date of birth (1874-01-11)11 January 1874
Place of birth North Melbourne, Victoria
Date of death 8 May 1927(1927-05-08) (aged 53)
Place of death Prahran, Victoria
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 76 kg (168 lb)
Position(s) Centre half-forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1892–1894 Essendon (VFA) 057 (183)
1895–1897 Fremantle (WAFA) 048 (128)
1899–1902, 1906 Essendon (VFL) 046 0(89)
Total 151 (400)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1906.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Albert John Thurgood (11 January 1874 – 8 May 1927) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Western Australian Football Association (WAFA).

He is considered one of the great champion players of the VFA and VFL and possibly the longest place kick of any code in history.[1] Described as "an ideal footballer", he usually played at centre-half-forward; but his skill and versatility enabled him to be switched to any position on the ground.[2] He has been described as the “first icon of Australian Rules football”.[3]

  1. ^ Atkinson, Graeme, ed. (1989). 3AW Book of Footy Records. Melbourne, Victoria: Magenta Publishing. p. 66. ISBN 1-86321-009-1.
  2. ^ ""BEST ALL-ROUND FOOTBALLER"". The Argus. Melbourne. 11 July 1934. p. 15. Retrieved 30 May 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ ”Albert Thurgood: The Champion of Champions,” AFL Record, 17 September, 2010, pp 38-42