Gordon Ogden (14 February 1909 – 23 August 2001) was a professional athlete and 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

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 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 dual Essendon premiership player and coach Percival Gordon Ogden (1886-1967), and Mary Kathleen Ogden (1886-1963), née Gaynor, Gordon Francis Ogden was born in

Northcote, Victoria Northcote () is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Darebin Local government areas of Victoria, local go ...

on 14 February 1909. His brother, Terence William John Ogden (1911-1935) played VFL football for both Melbourne and Carlton. He married Patricia deVere Kelly (1911-1958) on 4 June 1934 at Clifton Hill. They had four daughters.

Athlete

A talented professional sprinter, Ogden won the 1936 Nyah Gift.

Footballer

Ogden was recruited from Northcote CYMS. He played at Melbourne as a

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 ...

specialist and represented the VFL five times during his career. After appearing in losing Preliminary Finals at the end of the

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

and 1937 seasons, Ogden left Melbourne. He initially signed a deal to be playing coach of

Victorian Football Association 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 ...

club

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

in 1938, but instead went to country club Warracknabeal after receiving a better offer. The following year, he signed as captain-coach of VFA club Williamstown, at the time a financially troubled club that had been very weak on-field. Although 'Town had won only twice in

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

, Ogden steered them to a flag in

1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...

and captain-coached Williamstown from 1939 to 1941, although he missed half of the latter season due to injuries, illness, business commitments and a two-match suspension. He captain-coached Williamstown Seconds in 1944 when that competition resumed after the war recess and also played a further 7 senior games in 1945 to finish up with 56 appearances and one goal. In 1947 Ogden joined the VFL senior list of umpires, umpired 14 VCFL matches and was emergency field umpire for a single VFL match. He returned as a non-playing coach of Williamstown in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

, serving two seasons and leading the club to another premiership in 1949 with a 3-point victory over Oakleigh in Ron Todd's last appearance for the Seagulls. He was overlooked for the coaching position in 1950 and eventually ended up coaching Yarraville from 1951-55. The Eagles had been last in the previous three seasons, but under Ogden they developed so well as to reach a Grand Final in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

, only to be thrashed by ten goals against a powerful Port Melbourne combination. For the following season it was generally thought Yarraville's prospects were extremely good, but apart from a five-game winning streak mid-season the Eagles were extremely disappointing in 1954, and

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

was no different. Ogden planned to retire from coaching the Eagles at the end of that season, and did not change his mind although the Yarraville committee attempted to re-appoint him for

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

.Fiddian, ''Where Eagles Flew'', p. 62 Ogden returned to Melbourne, and served as assistant coach to

Norm Smith Norman Walter Smith (21 November 1915 – 29 July 1973) was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After more than 200 games as a player with and , Smith began a twenty-year coaching career, in ...

from 1962 until the end of the

1965 VFL season The 1965 VFL season was the 69th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 17 April until 25 September, and comprised an ...

; and, also, served as coach of the Melbourne Reserves from 1963 to 1965.

Recognition

In 2014 he was one of 51 former players, officials and volunteers who were announced as inaugural inductees into the Williamstown Football Club's Hall of Fame.

Footnotes

References

*Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.

External links

* *
Gordon Ogden, at ''Demonwiki''.

Gordon Ogden, at ''The VFA Project''.

Gordon Ogden, at ''Boyles Football Photos''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogden, Gordon 1909 births Australian male sprinters Melbourne Football Club players Williamstown Football Club players Williamstown Football Club coaches Yarraville Football Club coaches Australian rules footballers from Melbourne 2001 deaths People from Northcote, Victoria Sportsmen from Victoria (state) 20th-century Australian sportsmen