- Len Smith (footballer)
Infobox afl player | firstname = Len
lastname = Smith
birthdate = birth date|1912|2|9|df=y
birthplace =
originalteam = Northcote (VFA)
heightweight = 180cm / 74.5kg
dead = dead
deathdate = 1967
deathplace =
debutdate = 1934
debutteam = Melbourne
debutopponent =
debutstadium =
playingteams = Melbourne (1934-1935)18 games, 3 goalsFitzroy (1937-1943; 1945)
75 games, 57 goals
coach = coach
coachingteams = Fitzroy (1958-1962)Richmond (1964-1965)
statsend = 2006
careerhighlights =
Victorian Coach 1961Len Smith was an
Australian rules football er who played for theMelbourne Football Club in the VFL from 1934 to 1935 and then for theFitzroy Football Club from 1937 to 1943. Due to service duringWorld War II with the RAAF he missed the 1944 season altogether but returned for a final year in 1945.Like his younger brother, the legendaryNorm Smith , it is as a coach that Len is best remembered.During his first stint as a coach, of the Fitzroy Under 19s (1948-1957), he guided the side to the 1955 Premiership. His first senior coaching role was with Fitzroy, taking them to the finals in 1958 and 1960. He then coached Coburg in the VFA for the 1963 season before heading to Richmond. He suffered a heart attack in 1964 and further health concerns saw him relinquish the coaching reins at The Tigers early in 1965. Len died of a heart attack in 1967.
References
* Hogan P: "The Tigers Of Old" , Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
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