Eric Excell Ford (21 July 1904 – c. 1986) was a rugby union player who represented Australia.
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| Birth name | Eric Excell Ford[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 21 July 1904[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Launceston, Tasmania[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | c. 1986[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St Joseph's College[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Jack Ford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ford, a wing, was born in Launceston, Tasmania and claimed a total of 7 international rugby caps for Australia. His brother Jack was also an Australian rugby union representative player. The elder brother of perhaps the more famous Jack Ford, Eric Ford was himself a star for both New South Wales and Australia in his own right.
Family and early life
editEric Ford was the son of a publican father who died when Eric was only six years of age, when the family had to move to Sydney. He began his early football career playing Australian Rules but switched to rugby when he and his brothers Jack and Percy went to St. Joseph's College at Hunters Hill in Sydney. They all had the unique benefit of learning the game from the remarkable Brother Henry.[3]
Rugby career
editOn leaving school, with his brothers, he joined the Glebe-Balmain Club and was a member of the club's 1925 Sydney Premiership winning team. He was first selected for New South Wales in 1926. Troubled by frequent knee problems throughout his career, he nevertheless played on without demur and in 1929 won the New South Wales Rugby Union Sprint Championship.[3]
Eric Ford was selected for the 1927–28 Waratahs tour of the British Isles, France and Canada and appeared in all five internationals. Like brother Jack, he was an intuitive 'reader' of the game, coupled with a fine positional sense which allowed him to always be on hand to finish in fine style any break which had been made. He was good under the high ball and had splendid hands.[3]
He played his last two Tests in 1929 when the Australians won all three games against the All Blacks. Eric Ford, a modest man and quiet achiever, additionally played 68 first grade games for his club and featured in two premiership finals.[3]
Recognition
editQuiet and reserved, he was one of the great achievers in the famous 1927-28 Waratah tour to Great Britain, France and North America, with a total of 15 tries from 21 matches, equalled only by the great Cyril Towers.[3]
Personal
editFord married Gwen Hartigan on 4 February 1937.[4] Hartigan was a daughter of railways commissioner Thomas J. Hartigan and sister of tennis champion Joan Hartigan.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Scrum.com player profile of Eric Ford". Scrum.com. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ^ Howell pp226
- ^ a b c d e "Historical Wallabies Player Profile". www.aru.com.au. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "Social News and Gossip". The Catholic Press. No. 2143. New South Wales, Australia. 11 February 1937. p. 8. Retrieved 9 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
Published sources
edit- Howell, Max (2006) Born to Lead - Wallaby Test Captains (2005) Celebrity Books, New Zealand
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