Barry Davis (footballer)

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Barry Davis

| image =

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1943|9|15|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|5|22|1943|9|15|df=y}}

| death_place =

| originalteam = Essendon High School

| height = 185 cm

| weight = 87 kg

| position =

| statsend = 1980

| years1 = 1961–1972

| club1 = Essendon

| games_goals1 = 218 {{0}}(65)

| years2 = 1973–1975

| club2 = North Melbourne

| games_goals2 = {{0}}71 {{0}}(54)

| games_goalstotal = 289 (119)

| coachyears1 = 1978 – 1980

| coachclub1 = Essendon

| coachgames_wins1 = {{0}}67 (30–36–1)

| careerhighlights = * 3× Premierships: 1962, 1965, 1975

}}

Barry Davis (15 September 1943 – 22 May 2024) was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) with Essendon and North Melbourne, before coaching his original team between 1978 and 1980. He was a three-time premiership player.

Playing career

=Essendon Football Club=

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 from Essendon High School, Davis made his debut with Essendon Football Club in the VFL in the second round of 1961; Davis played off the half-back line and was quite a prolific ball-gathering player. Davis never played with the under-19s even though he was eligible.{{cite web |title=BARRY DAVIS |url=https://australianfootball.com/players/player/Barry%2BDavis/9257 |access-date=14 March 2022}}

Davis went on to play 218 games and kick 65 goals for the club, winning the Bombers' 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 team premierships in 1962 and 1965. He was named in Essendon's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.{{cite web|url=https://australianfootball.com/players/player/Barry%2BDavis/9257|title=BARRY DAVIS|access-date=14 March 2022}}

=North Melbourne Football Club=

Moving to North 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,The 10-year rule was introduced by the VFL in August 1972, in order to render it immune from the sorts of "restraint of trade" difficulties that were being experienced, at the time, in New South Wales in relation to Rugby League footballers. Although twenty-two VFL players were eligible under the rule, only George Bisset, Davis, Carl Ditterich, John Rantall, Adrian Gallagher, and Doug Wade, took advantage of it — transferring to Collingwood, North Melbourne, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Footscray, and North Melbourne (respectively). The rule was rescinded in May 1973. Davis won North Melbourne's best and fairest in his first year at North. He went on to captain the Roos' first-ever premiership side in 1975, 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.{{cite web|url=https://australianfootball.com/players/player/Barry%2BDavis/9257|title=BARRY DAVIS|access-date=14 March 2022}}

Coaching career

=Essendon Football Club=

Davis coached his original club Essendon as senior coach from 1978 to 1980; he replaced Bill Stephen, who was sacked as Essendon Football Club senior coach at the end of the 1977 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/325007/back-in-red-and-black|title=Back in Red and Black|date=20 July 2016|access-date=14 March 2022}} Davis coached Essendon with a 30-win, 36-loss and 1-draw record.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecollectingbug.com/playersprofiles~davisbarryg/item?1|title=Barry DAVIS|access-date=17 November 2021}} He resigned at the end of the 1980 season because Essendon under Davis did not make the top five on the ladder and therefore missed out of the finals.{{cite web|url=https://australianfootball.com/players/player/Barry%2BDavis/9257|title=BARRY DAVIS|access-date=14 March 2022}} He then made way for Kevin 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecollectingbug.com/playersprofiles~davisbarryg/item?1|title=Barry DAVIS|access-date=17 November 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/325007/back-in-red-and-black|title=Back in Red and Black|date=20 July 2016|access-date=14 March 2022}}

Champions of Essendon

In 2002, an Essendon panel ranked him at 15 in their Champions of Essendon list of the 25 greatest players ever to have played for Essendon.

Death

Davis died on 22 May 2024, at the age of 80.{{cite news |title=Former Bombers, Kangaroos great Barry Davis dies, aged 80 |url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/1135645/former-essendon-bombers-north-melbourne-kangaroos-great-barry-davis-dies-aged-80 |access-date=23 May 2024 |publisher=AFL |date=23 May 2024}}

Statistics

:[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/B/Barry_Davis.html Barry Davis' player profile at AFL Tables]

class="wikitable"

style="background:#b7e718; width:1em"|

|Led the league after finals only

| 1961 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 17 || 14 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || 0.8 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}}

| scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 1962^# || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 17 || 0 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || 0 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}}

| 1963 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 18 || 1 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || 0.1 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}}

| 1964 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 16 || 0 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}} || {{n/a}}

| scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 1965^# || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 12 || 0 || 0 || 126 || 23 || 149 || 61 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.0 || 10.5 || 1.9 || 12.4 || 5.1 || {{n/a}}

| 1966 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 20 || 1 || 2 || 275 || 30 || 305 || 82 || {{n/a}} || 0.1 || 0.1 || 13.8 || 1.5 || 15.3 || 4.1 || {{n/a}}

| 1967 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 17 || 0 || 0 || 292 || 32 || 324 || 72 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.0 || 17.2 || 1.9 || 19.1 || 4.2 || {{n/a}}

| 1968 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 22 || 1 || 8 || 394 || 87 || 481 || 136 || {{n/a}} || 0.0 || 0.4 || 17.9 || 4.0 || 21.9 || 6.2 || {{n/a}}

| 1969 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 19 || 18 || 18 || 446 || 90 || 536 || 134 || {{n/a}} || 0.9 || 0.9 || 23.5 || 4.7 || 28.2 || 7.1 || {{n/a}}

| 1970 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 19 || 17 || 23 || 382 || 85 || 467 || 101 || {{n/a}} || 0.9 || 1.2 || 20.1 || 4.5 || 24.6 || 5.3 || {{n/a}}

| 1971 || {{AFL Ess}} || 32

| 19 || 11 || 23 || 400 || 62 || 462 || 132 || {{n/a}} || 0.6 || 1.2 || 21.1 || 3.3 || 24.3 || 6.9 || {{n/a}}

| 1972 || {{AFL Ess}}

| 32 || 22 || 2 || 2 || 376 || 34 || 410 || 106 || {{n/a}} || 0.1 || 0.1 || 17.1 || 1.5 || 18.6 || 4.8 || {{n/a}}

| 1973 || {{AFL NM}} || 32

| 21 || 19 || 19 || 466 || 67 || 533 || 89 || {{n/a}} || 0.9 || 0.9 || 22.2 || 3.2 || 25.4 || 4.2 || {{n/a}}

| 1974 || {{AFL NM}} || 32

| 24 || 21 || 16 || 461 || 92 || 553 || 113 || {{n/a}} || 0.9 || 0.7 || 19.2 || 3.8 || 23.0 || 4.7 || {{n/a}}

| scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 1975^# || {{AFL NM}} || 32

| 26 || 14 || 12 || bgcolor="b7e718"| 503 || 106 || bgcolor="b7e718"| 609 || 102 || {{n/a}} || 0.5 || 0.5 || 20.1 || 4.2 || 24.4 || 4.1 || {{n/a}}

|- class="sortbottom"

! colspan=3| Career

! 289 !! 119 !! 123 !! 4121 !! 708 !! 4829 !! 1128 !! {{n/a}} !! 0.4 !! 0.6 !! 18.7 !! 3.2 !! 22.0 !! 5.1 !! {{n/a}}

References

External links

{{AFL Tables|ref=B/Barry_Davis.html}}
{{AustralianFootball|barry+davis/9257}}
[http://boylesfootballphotos.net.au/Barry+Davis Barry Davis: Boyles Football Photos.]