John Thompson (Australian footballer, born 1938)

John Thompson
Personal information
Full name	John Laurence Thompson
Date of birth	(1938-06-21)21 June 1938
Place of birth	Benalla, Victoria
Date of death	11 February 1999(1999-02-11) (aged 60)
Place of death	Queensland
Original team(s)	Benalla
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	76 kg (168 lb)
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1959–1963	Richmond	65 (0)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1963.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

John Laurence Thompson (21 June 1938 – 11 February 1999)[1] was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Career

Thompson, a centre half-back originally from Benalla, was on a permit from Ararat when he came to Richmond in the 1959 VFL season and made three league appearances.[2] The following year Ararat cleared him to Richmond, on the agreement that he would cleared back if he didn't become a regular member of the side.[2] He was however able to cement a spot in the team and played 62 more games for Richmond, over four years, which included a stint as vice captain.[3][4] During his time at Richmond, Thompson had a full-time job in Ararat and had to travel 500 miles to train.[5][6]

After leaving Richmond, Thompson was captain-coach of Mortlake in the Hampden Football League and got the club into a grand final in 1966, which they lost to Warrnambool.[7][8] He led Mortlake to another grand final in 1967 and they were again unable to get the win, this time going down to Terang.[9][10]

Later life

Thompson worked in the legal profession and also had involvement in the racing industry.[11]

He died on 11 February 1999, aged 60.[11]

References

1. "John Thompson - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
2. "Whitten to Have Training Test". The Age. 7 April 1960. p. 14. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
3. "John Thompson - Games Played". AFL Tables. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
4. "Hayden Has Hard Run at Richmond". The Age. 3 July 1963. p. 18. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
5. Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
6. "Tigers Sign Top Recruit". The Age. 1 October 1963. p. 19. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
7. "Warrnambool set for flag, but Mortlake is keen". The Age. 30 September 1966. p. 20. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
8. Hobbs, Greg (3 October 1966). "Power finish by Warrnambool". The Age. p. 24. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
9. "Hampden rivals clash". The Age. 29 September 1967. p. 22. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
10. Hobbs, Greg (2 October 1967). "Terang takes flag in tame match". The Age. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
11. "1999review.html". Footystats. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2015.

External links

• John Thompson's playing statistics from AFL Tables