Bill Mohr
{{short description|Australian rules footballer, born 1909}}
{{for|the American politician|William Mohr}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Bill Mohr
| image = Bill Mohr.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = 29 June 1909
| birth_place = Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
| death_date = {{death date and age|1971|3|29|1909|6|29|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| originalteam = Royal Stars, Wagga Wagga
| height = 182 cm
| weight = 80.5 kg
| position = Forward
| statsend = 1941
| years1 = 1929–1941
| club1 = St Kilda
| games_goals1 = 195 (735)
| careerhighlights = VFL/AFL
- VFL Leading Goalkicker Medal 1936
- Victorian representative (18 games)
- Australian Football Hall of Fame
St Kilda Football Club
- St Kilda best and fairest 1932, 1936
- St Kilda captain 1937
- 12× St Kilda leading goalkicker 1929–1940 (club record)
- St Kilda Team of the Century: half-forward flank
| fullname =
}}
Wilbur T. "Bill" Mohr (29 June 1909 – 29 March 1971) was an Australian rules footballer who represented St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1930s.
Early life
Mohr was born and raised in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales where he attended school at Wagga Demonstration and Wagga High schools. He played at Federal Football Club with his brother where his father was president before being recruited with his brother to the St Kilda Football Club.[https://museumriverina.com.au/about-us/collections/sporting-hall-of-fame/mohr,-wilbur-bill Museum of the Riverina Sporting Hall of Fame - Bill Mohr]
Career
Playing as a half-back flanker initially, Mohr later became one of the league's greatest full-forwards; he kicked 101 goals in 1936 (the first St Kilda player to kick more than 100 goals in a season) and was the VFL Leading Goalkicker in that year.
Mohr possessed an ability to kick straight from any angle, and he was one of the best exponents of the drop kick. He was appointed captain of St Kilda in 1937, and was the club's leading goalkicker in every season from 1929 to 1940. It was announced that at the start of his final season, 1941, he would play in defence.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8173580 |title=Around the Clubs. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=7 April 1941 |access-date=21 June 2012 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}} But in May that year, after having only played one game for the season, Mohr announced his retirement, saying that he felt he could not reach form and that it was also time to make way for a younger player.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8170743 |title=TEAM CHANGES. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=2 May 1941 |access-date=21 June 2012 |page=10 |via=National Library of Australia}}
In 1947, Essendon champion Dick Reynolds, in an article for the now-defunct Melbourne newspaper The Argus, wrote about Mohr that:
[He] was handicapped because he played with a team that had few successes. He was a clever position player, grand trier, and a remarkably straight kick.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22448578 |title=Bob Pratt (S M) was best full forward of my time. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=10 July 1947 |access-date=21 June 2012 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}
In 1955, in an interview with The Argus, former South Melbourne champion Laurie Nash echoed similar sentiments about Mohr:
Bill Mohr was hampered by playing with a comparatively weak St. Kilda combination. In a stronger team he might easily have qualified for a higher place in full forward rankings. An extremely heady player, he was an accurate kick and dependable mark.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71879420 |title=PRATT-Best ever. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=30 April 1955 |access-date=21 June 2012 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Posthumous honours
Mohr was one of the first players inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.[http://www.afl.com.au/aflhq/awards/halloffame/players/tabid/856/default.aspx Australian Football Hall of Fame Players] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524173325/http://www.afl.com.au/AFLHQ/Awards/HallofFame/Players/tabid/856/default.aspx |date=24 May 2011 }}
In St Kilda's Team of the Century, he was named on the half-forward flank to accommodate Tony Lockett at full-forward.[http://www.saints.com.au/team%20of%20the%20century/tabid/15075/default.aspx St Kilda Team of the Century]
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://australianfootball.com/players/player/bill+mohr/5055 Profile] at Australian Football
{{VFL Leading Goalkicker Medal winners}}
{{Trevor Barker Award}}
{{St Kilda leading goalkickers}}
{{St Kilda Football Club captains}}
{{St Kilda Football Club Team of the Century 1900–1999}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohr, Bill}}
Category:St Kilda Football Club players
Category:Trevor Barker Award winners
Category:VFL Leading Goalkicker Medal winners
Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees