| Barry Davis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | (1943-09-15)15 September 1943 | ||
| Died | 22 May 2024(2024-05-22) (aged 80) | ||
| Original team | Essendon High School | ||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Weight | 87 kg (192 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1961–1972 | Essendon | 218(65) | |
| 1973–1975 | North Melbourne | 71(54) | |
| Total | 289 (119) | ||
| Coaching career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
| 1978 – 1980 | Essendon | 67 (30–36–1) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1980. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Barry Davis (15 September 1943 – 22 May 2024) was anAustralian rules footballer who played in theVictorian Football League (VFL) withEssendon andNorth Melbourne, before coaching his original team between 1978 and 1980. He was a three-time premiership player.
In the summer of 1961, Barry Davis and a school friend were asked to train with Essendon in a bid to play in the Under-19s. Davis impressed observers and he was asked to participate in pre-season practice matches that included players from the main list. He played in the Reserves for round 1 of the 1961 season. Recruited fromEssendon High School, Davis made his debut withEssendon Football Club in the VFL in the second round of 1961; Davis played off thehalf-back line and was quite a prolific ball-gathering player. Davis never played with the under-19s even though he was eligible.[1]
Davis went on to play 218 games and kick 65 goals for the club, winning theBombers' best and fairest award three times – in 1968, 1969 and 1971. He captained the side in 1970 and 1971, and he also played in the teampremierships in1962 and1965. He was named in Essendon's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.[2]
Moving toNorth in 1973 under the VFL's short-lived "10-year rule", which allowed players with ten years' service at one club to move to another club without a clearance,[3] Davis wonNorth Melbourne's best and fairest in his first year at North. He went on to captain the Roos' first-ever premiership side in1975, his final VFL season. He had played 71 games and kicked 54 goals for North before retiring. He was also named in North Melbourne's Team of the Century.[4]
Davis coached his original clubEssendon as senior coach from 1978 to 1980; he replacedBill Stephen, who was sacked as Essendon Football Club senior coach at the end of the1977 season.[5] Davis coached Essendon with a 30-win, 36-loss and 1-draw record.[6] He resigned at the end of the1980 season because Essendon under Davis did not make the top five on the ladder and therefore missed out of the finals.[7] He then made way forKevin Sheedy, who replaced Davis as Essendon Football Club senior coach and coached the club until the end of the 2007 season, for a record total of 27 years.[8][9]
In 2002, an Essendon panel ranked him at 15 in theirChampions of Essendon list of the 25 greatest players ever to have played for Essendon.
Davis died on 22 May 2024, at the age of 80.[10]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks | ||
# | Played in that season's premiership team |
| Led the league after finals only |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 1961 | Essendon | 32 | 17 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1962# | Essendon | 32 | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1963 | Essendon | 32 | 18 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1964 | Essendon | 32 | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1965# | Essendon | 32 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 23 | 149 | 61 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | 1.9 | 12.4 | 5.1 | — |
| 1966 | Essendon | 32 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 275 | 30 | 305 | 82 | — | 0.1 | 0.1 | 13.8 | 1.5 | 15.3 | 4.1 | — |
| 1967 | Essendon | 32 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 292 | 32 | 324 | 72 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 17.2 | 1.9 | 19.1 | 4.2 | — |
| 1968 | Essendon | 32 | 22 | 1 | 8 | 394 | 87 | 481 | 136 | — | 0.0 | 0.4 | 17.9 | 4.0 | 21.9 | 6.2 | — |
| 1969 | Essendon | 32 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 446 | 90 | 536 | 134 | — | 0.9 | 0.9 | 23.5 | 4.7 | 28.2 | 7.1 | — |
| 1970 | Essendon | 32 | 19 | 17 | 23 | 382 | 85 | 467 | 101 | — | 0.9 | 1.2 | 20.1 | 4.5 | 24.6 | 5.3 | — |
| 1971 | Essendon | 32 | 19 | 11 | 23 | 400 | 62 | 462 | 132 | — | 0.6 | 1.2 | 21.1 | 3.3 | 24.3 | 6.9 | — |
| 1972 | Essendon | 32 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 376 | 34 | 410 | 106 | — | 0.1 | 0.1 | 17.1 | 1.5 | 18.6 | 4.8 | — |
| 1973 | North Melbourne | 32 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 466 | 67 | 533 | 89 | — | 0.9 | 0.9 | 22.2 | 3.2 | 25.4 | 4.2 | — |
| 1974 | North Melbourne | 32 | 24 | 21 | 16 | 461 | 92 | 553 | 113 | — | 0.9 | 0.7 | 19.2 | 3.8 | 23.0 | 4.7 | — |
| 1975# | North Melbourne | 32 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 503 | 106 | 609 | 102 | — | 0.5 | 0.5 | 20.1 | 4.2 | 24.4 | 4.1 | — |
| Career | 289 | 119 | 123 | 4121 | 708 | 4829 | 1128 | — | 0.4 | 0.6 | 18.7 | 3.2 | 22.0 | 5.1 | — | ||