Allan Faulkner La Fontaine (5 December 1910 – 14 August 1999) was an Australian rules footballer who played with and coached

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL).

Private life

La Fontaine was born at the country town of Eskdale, Victoria. While still a youngster his parents, Cyrelle and Beatrice, brought the family to

where they settled in the suburb of Footscray. He had three brothers, Claude, Lionel and Donald. La Fontaine attended St Joseph's CBC North Melbourne (later

St Joseph's College, Melbourne St Joseph's College Melbourne was a Roman Catholic secondary college which opened early in 1903 and closed at the end of 2010. It was part of the Association of Edmund Rice schools, founded and run in the tradition of the Christian Brothers. Be ...

) from 1925–29 where he earned the title Captain of College three years in a row; 1927, 1928 and 1929. At school he made his mark as both an excellent athlete, handball player and footballer. In 1930 he went on to complete his secondary education at St Kevin's College, Melbourne before proceeding to university where he was eventually granted Bachelor of Science in 1946. La Fontaine enjoyed a variety of activities which included boxing, cricket and in 1936 working as a seaman on an oil tanker bound for America. In July 1940, La Fontaine married Mary Williams at St Patrick's Cathedral. During World War II, he served as a Flying Officer with the RAAF between 1942 and 1945, and he saw action in New Guinea and the nearby islands. Two of his brothers served in the Australian Army during the same conflict. On his return he took up his trade as an industrial chemist and analyst in a Melbourne business. La Fontaine died in Sydney in August 1999 and is buried in Macquarie Park Cemetery.

Football career

Recruited to the Old Paradians by its founder Lou Arthur, La Fontaine vindicated the transport magnate's faith by booting an incredible 156 goals in the football club's inaugural season of 1929. His football career changed dramatically when he was later recruited from University Blacks. In his last year (1933) as an amateur he kicked a record 197 goals for the season. He was considered a brilliant amateur

full-forward Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals. The Coleman Medal is awarded to the player, often a full-forward, who has kicked the most goals in an Australian Football League seaso ...

, and was to earn his fame playing with the Melbourne Football Club as a centreman. He was appointed captain of Melbourne in 1936. He led the club to their hat-trick of premierships in 1939, 1940 and 1941. La Fontaine went on to coach Melbourne from 1949 until 1951. In 1996 La Fontaine was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.Hall of Fame – Players

References

Sources

*
Second World War Nomonal Roll: Flying Officer Allan Faulkiner La Fontaine (119471).

External links

*
''Boyles Football Photos'': Allan LaFontaine (sic).

''Demonwiki'': Allan La Fontaine.
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Fontaine, Allan Melbourne Football Club players Melbourne Football Club coaches Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II 1910 births 1999 deaths Australian people of French descent Melbourne Football Club captains Australian rules footballers from Melbourne University Blacks Football Club players People educated at St Kevin's College, Melbourne Royal Australian Air Force officers Melbourne Football Club Premiership players Three-time VFL/AFL Premiership players People from Footscray, Victoria Military personnel from Melbourne University of Melbourne alumni People educated at St Joseph's College, Melbourne