Kevin Longbottom (23 December 1940 – 13 January 1986) was an Aboriginal Australian professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1960s. Longbottom was known by the nickname "Lummy" and was renowned for his long-range goal kicking, sometimes even kicking goals from further than the halfway line. A large, barrel-chested man, he won a premiership with the

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...

in 1967, and played on the 1965 team that were runners up. He played Fullback for most of his career. Longbottom initially forced his way into first grade when full-back

Darrel Chapman Darrel Barrie Chapman (September 11, 1937 - October 9, 1992) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. Playing career Originally from Kempsey, New South Wales, Chapman attended St John's College, Woodlawn, o ...

became injured. He kicked a

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...

in South Sydney's win over Canterbury in the 1967 Grand final that should have resulted in a 14–10 win. His three long range penalty goals in the 1965 Grand Final are still regarded as possibly the longest kicks ever attempted at the

Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...

. Longbottom was a fine golfer, but is better remembered as a famous caddie to many professional golfers including

Bruce Devlin Bruce William Devlin (born 10 October 1937) is an Australian professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer. Early life Devlin was born in 1937 in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. His parents, Jess and Artie, moved to Gou ...

Bob Shearer Robert Alan Shearer (25 May 1948 – 9 January 2022) was an Australian professional golfer and golf course architect. Early life and amateur career Shearer was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He won the 1969 Australian Amateur, having been a jo ...

and American

Tommy Bolt Thomas Henry Bolt (March 31, 1916 – August 30, 2008) was an American professional golfer. He did not join the PGA Tour until he was in his thirties, but he went on to win 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1958 U.S. Open. He played in the Ryder ...

.''The Age'': Thunder as Tommy Finishes. 16 October 1978 Longbottom died from chronic liver disease in 1986 at the age of 45.

References

1940 births 1986 deaths Australian rugby league players Indigenous Australian rugby league players Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs players 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1940s-stub