Herb Narvo

Infobox rugby league biography
playername = Herb Narvo
fullname = Herb Narvo


caption =
country =
position = Front Row & Second Row
currentclub =
dateofbirth = 1912
placeofbirth = Sydney
countryofbirth = Australia
dateofdeath = 1958
height =
weight =
club1 = Newtown
year1start = 1937
year1end =
appearances1 = 8
tries1 = 1
goals1 =
fieldgoals1 =
points1 = 3
club2 = Norths Newcastle
year2start = 1938
year2end = 41
appearances2 =
tries2 =
goals2 =
fieldgoals2 =
points2 =
club3 = Newtown
year3start = 1943
year3end = 45
appearances3 = 34
tries3 = 12
goals3 = 7
fieldgoals3 = 0
points3 = 67
club4 = St. George Dragons
year4start = 1946
year4end =
appearances4 = 13
tries4 =
goals4 =
fieldgoals4 =
points4 = 25
club5 = Cootamundra
year5start = 1947
year5end =
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goals5 =
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points5 =
club6 = Camden
year6start = 1948
year6end =
appearances6 =
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club7 = Newtown
year7start = 1949
year7end =
appearances7 = 6
tries7 = 6
goals7 = 0
fieldgoals7 = 0
points7 = 6
teamA = New South Wales
yearAstart = 1938
yearAend = 1945
appearancesA = 12
triesA =
goalsA =
fieldgoalsA =
pointsA = 39
teamB = Australia
yearBstart = 1937
yearBend = 1938
appearancesB = 4
triesB =
goalsB =
fieldgoalsB =
pointsB = 6
coachteam1 = St. George Dragons
coachyear1start = 1946
coachyear1end =
coachgames1 =
coachwin%1 =
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updated =
source =
new = yes

Herbert Narvo (1912-1958) was an Australian rugby league national representative player and heavyweight boxing champion. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.

Rugby league career

Born in Sydney, but raised in Newcastle, Herb Narvo signed with Newtown in 1937 and soon shone as one of the form forwards of the competition. Following an injury to Joe Pearce, Narvo was a late call up to 1937 Kangaroo tour where he starred, playing in four Tests, eighteen minor matches and scoring ten tour tries.

He played for Norths Newcastle in 1938 and made state representative appearances for New South Wales from 1938-41 but his national Test career was limited due to the war. Whilst in the RAAF Narvo helped the Newtown club win the 1943 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership but along with Len Smith missed the final the following year due to his war service.

In 1945 he joined the St. George Dragons and the following year as captain-coach steered the club to a Grand final appearance in which they were defeated by the Balmain Tigers.

He captain-coached sides in Cootamundra in 1947 and Camden in 1948 before finishing his career in 1949 with Newtown.

Boxing career

Narvo was also a boxer of note, winning the Australian Heavyweight Championship in 1945. In only his 13th professional fight Narvo defeated Billy "Wocko" Britt in just 23 seconds to claim the Australian title.

He lost his boxing title to Jack Johnson in 1946 and captained St George in a club match the very next day.

War service

He was in the the Royal Australian Air Force during WWII. He was stationed at Richmond, New South Wales and served as a physical training, boxing and paratroop instructor.

Accolades

In February 2008, Narvo was named in the list of Australia's "100 Greatest Players" (1908-2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. [cite news|author=Peter Cassidy |publisher="Macquarie National News"|title=Controversy reigns as NRL releases top 100 players |url=http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/02/22/Controversy_reigns_as_NRL_releases_top_100_players |accessdate=2008-02-23|date=2008-02-23] [cite web|publisher="NRL & ARL"|title=Centenary of Rugby League - The Players |url=http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/the-players.aspx?cat=3&list=true |accessdate=2008-02-23|date=2008-02-23]

Narvo died of cancer in 1958. His son Frank Narvo played for Newtown and St George in the 1950s.

External links

* [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/players/Herb_Narvo.html Herb Narvo stats at rugbyleagueproject.com]
* [http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Herb-Narvo_6089.aspx Herb Narvo at yesterdayshero.com.au]
* [http://www.nrlstats.com/archive/players.cfm?PlayerID=3817 Herb Narvo at nrlstats.com]

References