Bill Proudfoot
William Henry Proudfoot was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in both the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Family
The son of James Proudfoot, and Isabella Proudfoot, née McLean, William Henry Proudfoot was born at Kilmore, Victoria on 11 June 1868.He married Evelyn Crewther, in Kyneton, Victoria on 3 October 1900. They had one child, a son, Stanley Gordon Proudfoot.
Bill is the uncle of Collingwood player Norm Crewther, and the third great uncle of the former Federal Member for Dunkley and current State Member for Mornington, Chris Crewther MP.
Football
Collingwood (VFA)
A solidly built fullback, Proudfoot was a member of Collingwood's inaugural (1892) VFA side. He played in the team's first VFA match, against Carlton, at Victoria Park, on 7 May 1892 he kicked the only goal of his extended VFA and VFL career.He was the first-ever Collingwood player to represent Victoria, when he was selected to play against South Australia, at the MCG on 21 July 1894.
25 July 1896
The Collingwood vice-captain and real-life police constable Proudfoot was involved in an infamous incident during a game for Collingwood against North Melbourne on 25 July 1896 when a riot occurred at full-time, with the spectators invading the field, and North Melbourne supporters attacking both the umpire, former Carlton and VFA representative footballer Jack Roberts, and a number of the Collingwood players:While attempting to stop the umpire from getting injured, Proudfoot was badly beaten in the melee:
In the process of the official VFA investigation into the assault on Roberts goal-umpire Wallace gave evidence that a "North Melbourne barracker" had "threatened to put a knife into him".
On 6 August 1896, one Samuel Fenton, "a powerfully-built man", was charged with assaulting Proudfoot, was found guilty, and was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment.
3 October 1896
Proudfoot was full-back for the Collingwood team that defeated South Melbourne in the 1896 VFA premiership match, Collingwood's last match in the VFA.Collingwood (VFL)
Following the formation of the Victorian Football League in 1897, Proudfoot played for Collingwood, against St. Kilda, at Victoria Park, on 8 May 1897, in the team's first-ever match of the VFL's first season.1899 season
At the end of the 1899 season, in the process of naming his own "champion player", Reginald Wilmot the football correspondent for The Argus, selected a team of the best players of the 1899 VFL competition:From those he considered to be the three best players — that is, Condon, Hickey, and Pleass — Wilmot selected Pat Hickey as his "champion player" of the season.
Proudfoot was Collingwood captain in 1898 and also had the role for the latter half of 1899 and in 1901. Proudfoot played in Collingwood's first two VFL premiership winning sides; in 1902 and 1903.
30 June 1900
Proudfoot played at full-back in the match against Geelong, at Victoria Park on 30 June 1900 under the assumed name of McKenna. The newspaper match reports go along with the deception, and speak only of McKenna; with "Markwell's" report in The Australasian noting that "McKenna" was one of Collingwood's best players. In its match report, The Sportsman of Melbourne noted that Collingwood's McKenna was "a new back from Castlemaine". In speaking of Collingwood's best players on the day, Reginald Wilmot noted that, "McKenna ... did excellent work"; and a Collingwood-region newspaper noted the same relationship:1903
In February 1903, Thomas O'Callaghan the Fifth Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police issued the following notification in the Victorian Police Gazette:As a consequence of the commissioner's ban, he played in the 1903 Semi Final and Grand Final under the assumed name of "Bill Wilson".
Policeman
Proudfoot served as a member of the Victorian Police Force from 1888 till 1926, when he retired with the rank of Superintendent, and was in charge of the Ballarat police district.6 June 1908
On 6 June 1908, Proudfoot was on police duty at the Brunswick Street Oval at the match between Fitzroy and Essendon. Fitzroy was beaten by four points, 5.12 to 5.8, in a torrid match from which four players were reported: Essendon ruckman Allan Belcher for striking Fitzroy's Norm McLennan; Essendon's Jim Martin for "general rough play"; Fitzroy's Bob Smith for "disputing umpires decisions"; and Fitzroy ruckman Bill Walker for striking Essendon's Mike Londerigan. The VFl tribunal met on 10 June 1908, and found all four players guilty, suspending Belcher, Martin, and Walker for four matches each, and "reprimanding" Smith.The Fitzroy supporters, very upset at both the umpiring of Lardie Tulloch and the injury to George Holden attempted to mob the Essendon players as they returned to the Essendon rooms at the end of the match. Field umpire Tulloch had already been assaulted twice in the 1908 season by angry VFL spectators after a match: the Geelong v. Melbourne match, at the Corio Oval on 16 May 1908, and the St Kilda v. Carlton match, at the Junction Oval on 27 June 1908.
The Essendon ruckman, Allan Belcher, was particular target of the mob's attention; and it was only because of the specific protection of Proudfoot that Belcher was able to reach the Essendon rooms unscathed. The Essendon team, under a police guard, was eventually able to escape the mob, via the tennis court on the Clifton Hill side of the ground, and reach their waiting transport.