Photos by Competition and Team
Geelong is a port town 75km to Melbourne’s West. The town’s wealth came from the it’s importance as a port for the inland gold rush in the 1850’s and then as the central port for the farming centres in Victoria’s Western District.
Geelong Football Club was formed in 1859 and is one of the oldest clubs in Australia. Geelong became the most successful country club participating in the VFA where it won seven premierships. Geelong was one of the original clubs to break away from the VFA in 1897 when the new VFL was formed.
The nickname, the ‘Cats’ came about in 1923 after a cartoonist Sam Wells suggested that a black cat was needed for luck, and maybe it works as, under captain/coach Cliff Rankin, Geelong won it’s first VFL premiership in 1925. In the following inter-war years Geelong performed well and was a regular finals competitor. The Cats’ won two more flags in 1931 and 1937. The 1937 premiership against Collingwood often appears in lists of the greatest VFL games ever.
The Second World War had a dramatic influence on the club’s fortunes and Geelong had to pull out of the VFL in 1942 and the club did not play the 1942 and 1943 seasons. The clubs return in 1944 brought the wooded spoon and the club rebuilt the team through the rest of the 1940s.
From 1950 to 1956 the club were finalists each year and won two more premierships 1951 and 1952. 1951 also saw the Ford Motor Company (based in Geelong) become a major club sponsor.
A stint at the bottom of the ladder in 1957-58 was following in 1963 by Geelong’s sixth VFL premiership, the last one the club would win for over 40 years, finally broken by AFL premierships in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
Geelong Team Photos
Reference_ Geelong Captains
Reference_ Geelong Coaches
Reference_ Geelong Best and Fairest
Reference_ Geelong Leading Goal Kicker
Reference_ Geelong Team of the Century
http://afltables.com/afl/afl_index.html
Kardinia Park, Geelong (After 1941)
1937 Grand Final
Another "Football flashback" THE CLASSIC GRAND FINAL OF 1937. (1950, September 9). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 12 Supplement: The Argus Week-End Magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22902895
AFL Tables - Geelong
http://www.flickr.com/groups/geelongfc/
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/forums/geelong-total-footy.26/
Table of contents
Introduction
1950 Argus Badges
Geelong is a port town 75km to Melbourne’s West. The town’s wealth came from the it’s importance as a port for the inland gold rush in the 1850’s and then as the central port for the farming centres in Victoria’s Western District.
Geelong Football Club was formed in 1859 and is one of the oldest clubs in Australia. Geelong became the most successful country club participating in the VFA where it won seven premierships. Geelong was one of the original clubs to break away from the VFA in 1897 when the new VFL was formed.
The nickname, the ‘Cats’ came about in 1923 after a cartoonist Sam Wells suggested that a black cat was needed for luck, and maybe it works as, under captain/coach Cliff Rankin, Geelong won it’s first VFL premiership in 1925. In the following inter-war years Geelong performed well and was a regular finals competitor. The Cats’ won two more flags in 1931 and 1937. The 1937 premiership against Collingwood often appears in lists of the greatest VFL games ever.
The Second World War had a dramatic influence on the club’s fortunes and Geelong had to pull out of the VFL in 1942 and the club did not play the 1942 and 1943 seasons. The clubs return in 1944 brought the wooded spoon and the club rebuilt the team through the rest of the 1940s.
From 1950 to 1956 the club were finalists each year and won two more premierships 1951 and 1952. 1951 also saw the Ford Motor Company (based in Geelong) become a major club sponsor.
A stint at the bottom of the ladder in 1957-58 was following in 1963 by Geelong’s sixth VFL premiership, the last one the club would win for over 40 years, finally broken by AFL premierships in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
Team Name and Jumpers
Geelong Advertiser 10 Aug 1923 P6 Black Cats Are Lucky
Black Cats Are Lucky |
Geelong Advertiser 26 Jun 1925 P8 Meow
Meow |
Sam Wells Cats Cartoon - Herald Newspaper - Source: Reproduction in Geelong Football Club Collection
|
Sam Wells Cats Cartoon - Herald Newspaper - Source: Reproduction in Geelong Football Club Collection
|
Cgwil003 013 Geelong - Source: Australian Rules Football Cards
Team Photos
Photos by Charles Boyles
Photos by Unknown/Other Photographers
Geelong Team Photos
Player Photos
Lists
1933 Giant League and Association Colours
Reference_ Geelong Captains
Reference_ Geelong Coaches
Reference_ Geelong Best and Fairest
Reference_ Geelong Leading Goal Kicker
Reference_ Geelong Team of the Century
Results during Charles Boyles Work Period 1925-63
For more extensive results (and source data for this table), seehttp://afltables.com/afl/afl_index.html
Home Grounds
Corio Oval, Geelong (Prior to 1941)Kardinia Park, Geelong (After 1941)
Interesting News Stories
1937 Grand Final
Another "Football flashback" THE CLASSIC GRAND FINAL OF 1937. (1950, September 9). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 12 Supplement: The Argus Week-End Magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22902895
External Links
Wikipedia - Geelong Football ClubAFL Tables - Geelong
http://www.flickr.com/groups/geelongfc/
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/forums/geelong-total-footy.26/