Robert Thomas Rush

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(9 October 1880 – 13 March 1975) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL).

Family

The son of Roger Robert Rush (1856–1941), and Mary Rush (1856–1943), née Berry, Robert Thomas Rush was born at

Richmond, Victoria Richmond is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Yarra Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. Richmond recorded a population of 2 ...

, on 9 October 1880.

Wife

He married Eileen Mary Maguire on 28 November 1911.

Siblings

Four of his seven brothers also played VFL football (they are the only set of five brothers to play in the VFL/AFL): * William Leopold "Leo" Rush (1890–1983), who played with

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 1911, and with Richmond in 1912. * Bryan Joseph Rush (1893–1982), played with Collingwood in 1913 and 1914. * Gerald Vincent Rush (1895–1988), played with

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

in 1920. * Kevin Patrick Rush (1901–1984), played with Richmond in 1923 and 1924.

Football

Rush was a pacy defender and played mainly on a half-back flank, although he was also used in the

back pocket Vulfpeck is an American funk/soul music, soul band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2011. Founded by multi-instrumentalists Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss, and bassist Joe Dart, the band has released four extended plays, six studio a ...

s. He was a member of Collingwood's

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's ...

and

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 10 – The Aceh Sultanate was fully annexed by the Dutch forces, deposing the last sultan, marking the end of the Aceh War that have lasted for al ...

premierships.

Administrator

After retiring as a player, Rush continued to serve Collingwood in a variety of roles over the years, including committeeman, assistant secretary and treasurer. He eventually resigned from his last official position, that of committeeman, in mid-1950 as a consequence of the controversy that ensued over the appointment of Bervin Woods as coach of the First XVIII. In

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

, Rush performed match-day coaching duties to lead the club to its fourth consecutive premiership, filling in for

Jock McHale James Francis "Jock" McHale (12 December 1882 – 4 October 1953) was an Australian rules football player and coach for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League in a marathon career that extended from 1903 to 1949. He is t ...

who was ill; however, following a decision by AFL historians in 2014, McHale is now credited as Collingwood's sole coach in the game for the purposes of coaching statistics. He is credited with having coined the Collingwood club motto of ''Floreat Pica'' ("May the Magpies Prosper").

Australian National Football Council

Rush was president of the

Australian National Football Council The Australian National Football Council (ANFC) was the national governing body for Australian rules football in Australia from 1906 until 1995. The council was a body of delegates representing each of the principal leagues which controlled the ...

from 1935 to 1946, heading the body that was in charge of the

laws of Australian football The laws of Australian rules football were first defined by the Melbourne Football Club in 1859 and have been amended over the years as Australian rules football evolved into its modern form. The Australian Football Council (AFC), was formed i ...

Death

He died on 13 March 1975, aged 94, and was buried at

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of five Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other ...

.''The Age''
(Friday, 14 March 1975), p. 22.

Footnotes

References

* Ross, J. (ed), ''100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported'', Viking, (Ringwood), 1996.

External links

* * *
Bob Rush: ''Boyles Football Photos''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Bob 1880 births 1975 deaths Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Collingwood Football Club players Collingwood Football Club premiership players Collingwood Football Club coaches Collingwood Football Club administrators Australian rules football administrators VFL/AFL premiership players People from Richmond, Victoria Burials at Melbourne General Cemetery 19th-century Australian sportsmen Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire