Bob Beecroft

{{short description|Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}

{{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Bob Beecroft

| fullname = Robert James Beecroft

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|01|11|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| originalteam = Williams (UGSFL)

| height = 191 cm

| weight = 92 kg

| position =

| years1 = 1970–1975

| club1 = {{WAFL|SD}}

| games_goals1 = 126 (164)

| years2 = 1976–1980

| club2 = {{AFL Fit}}

| games_goals2 = {{0}}96 (291)

| years3 = 1981–1985

| club3 = {{SANFL Woo}}

| games_goals3 = {{0}}79 (203)These tallies refer to premiership (home-and-away and finals) matches only.

| games_goalstotal = 301 (658)

| sooyears1 = 1972–1979

| sooteam1 = Western Australia

| soogames_goals1 = 8 (11)

| careerhighlights = * Swan Medal: (1972)

• All-Australian team: (1972)
• 4× Fitzroy leading goalkicker: (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)
• Swan Districts Hall of Fame, inducted 2021
• Swan Districts Team of the Century 1934-2000 (Interchange)

}}

Robert James Beecroft (born 11 January 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), Swan Districts Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

Beecroft made his debut with Swan Districts in 1970, playing 126 games as a ruckman, being named All Australian for his performance in the 1972 Perth Carnival and the Swan's Best and Fairest award. He played for Western Australia three years later and was recruited by Fitzroy for the following season.{{cite web | url=http://wafootball.com.au/coaching/resources/doc_download/658-200-club-players | title=WA Two Hundred Club Player Members | publisher=West Australian Football Commission | accessdate=2013-04-22 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411015431/http://wafootball.com.au/coaching/resources/doc_download/658-200-club-players | archivedate=11 April 2013 | df=dmy-all }}{{cite web | url=http://wafootball.com.au/resources/doc_download/17-wa-state-representatives | title=Western Australian Interstate Football Representatives 1904 - 2011 | publisher=West Australian Football Commission | accessdate=22 April 2013}}

As a key forward for the Lions, Beecroft topped their goalkicking list four times with a best of 87 goals in 1979 which was at the time a club record. He kicked 10 goals in a match twice and by the end of his short VFL career he had managed 291 goals.{{cite web | url=http://www.brisbanelionsfoundation.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/119603/default.aspx | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130627220805/http://www.brisbanelionsfoundation.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/5085/newsid/119603/default.aspx | url-status=dead | archive-date=27 June 2013 | title=Blast from the Past - Bob Beecroft | publisher=Brisbane Lions AFC | date=28 July 2011 | accessdate=22 April 2013 }}

He returned to the SANFL with Woodville, where he played 79 premiership games, kicking 203 goals.

Beecroft finished his career at the Encounter Bay Football Club, where he coached the Bays to the 1989 premiership.