Stuart Spencer (footballer)

Infobox afl player | firstname = Stuart
lastname = Spencer




birthdate = birth date|1932|2|3|df=y
birthplace = Digby, Victoria
heightweight = 178cm / 76kg
originalteam = Portland, Victoria
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = 1950
debutteam = Melbourne, VFL
debutopponent =
debutstadium =
playingteams = Melbourne (1950-1956)
* 122 games, 146 goals

Clarence, TFL
* 161 games
coach = coach
coachingteams = Clarence (1957-1963, 1966)
statsend = 2006
careerhighlights =

* Member Melbourne premiership team 1955, 1956
* Melbourne Best and Fairest 1955, 1956
* Melbourne leading goal kicker 1955
* Clarence Captain-Coach (1957-1963), Coach 1966
* Clarence best and fairest 4 times (1957-1960)
* Winner Lefroy medal twice (1957,1960)
* William Leitch Medal 1960
* Represented Victoria
* Played 11 games for Tasmania, captain 1960
* All-Australian 1956, 1958
* President Melbourne (1986-1991)
* Member of Melbourne's team of the century
* Inducted Australian Football Hall of Fame (2005)

Stuart Spencer is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL and TFL in the 1950s and 1960s.

VFL

Born in the small country town of Digby, Victoria, Spencer started his football career with the Portland football club, playing 45 games. He then came to the attention of Geelong in the VFL, where he commenced pre-season trialling in 1949. The Geelong coach, Reg Hickey, moved Spencer on after only two weeks, and he settled at Melbourne.

Spencer made his League debut in 1950, but his career really took off with the arrival of Norm Smith as coach of Melbourne for the 1952 season. Spencer is quoted as saying that Smith told him:"'Stuey, there is time for you to go back to back pocket when you're 35', so he launched me into my role as rover. [http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=feature&spg=display&articleid=207648] "

Spencer became an integral part of what was to become the most highly successful part of the history of the Melbourne club. His contemporaries included prominent players of that era - Ron Barassi, Brian Dixon, (Frank) 'Bluey' Adams, Johnny Beckwith.

He was recognised as an outstanding player, winning back-to-back best and fairest awards for Melbourne in the premiership years of 1955 and 1956, as well as being the club leading goalkicker in 1955. In the 1956 Grand Final he kicked five goals in a best on ground performance.

TFL

It was thus highly surprising that, at the peak of his VFL career, Spencer moved to Tasmania and commenced as captain-coach of Clarence in the Tasmanian Football League in 1957. Although several sources say that he moved due to business reasons, Spencer has stated that the primary reasons for his move was that his wife Fay was eight months pregnant with their first child and wanted to move to her native Tasmania for family support [http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=feature&spg=display&articleid=207648] .

Spencer brought a tough and disciplined style of football to Tasmania. He won two TFL best and fairest awards (William Leitch Medal) and also twice won the Lefroy medal for best and fairest Tasmanian player (there being more than one League in Tasmania at the time). He is credited with bringing Clarence up to a standard where they would eventually go on to be one of the most successful of Tasmanian clubs.

His Tasmanian playing career reached its peak when he captained the Tasmanian State side to its first ever victory over arch-rival Victoria in 1960 at Launceston. That he was adjudged best on ground and kicked the game sealing score were a personal bonus.

Other

Spencer's coaching did not stop with Clarence, he also coached St.Virgil's College to three successive State independent school's premierships.

Spencer was president of the Clarence club for two terms and a member of the board of management in 1979.

Spencer was president of the Melbourne Football Club from 1986 to 1991, overseeing their first Grand Final appearance for 24 years in 1988.

At age 74 Spencer still works as the managing director of the Greens Group, a Hobart removals and storage company.

External links

* [http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/sn-sz.htm#Stuart%20Spencer%20(Melbourne%20&%20Clarence) Fullpointsfooty]
* [http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=feature&spg=display&articleid=207648 "Icing on the cake for Spencer" AFL website]
* [http://www.footballlegends.org/stuart_spencer.htm Tasmanian Football Legends]