Bruce Tschirpig

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}

{{Use Australian English|date=October 2011}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Bruce Tschirpig

| image =

| fullname = Bruce Ernest Tschirpig

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|10|11|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| originalteam = Wentworth

| height = 180 cm

| weight = 76 kg

| position =

| statsend = 1981

| years1 = 1969–1970

| club1 = Wentworth

| games_goals1 = ? (?)

| years2 = 1971, 1976

| club2 = Richmond

| games_goals2 = 10 (12)

| years3 = 1972–1975

| club3 = Latrobe

| games_goals3 = ? (?)

| years4 = 1976–1978

| club4 = East Fremantle

| games_goals4 = 30 (25)

| years5 = 1980–1981

| club5 = Perth

| games_goals5 = 25 (27)

| careerhighlights =

}}

Bruce Tschirpig (born 11 October 1949) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1970s.{{cite web | url = http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/B/Bruce_Tschirpig.html | title = Bruce Tschirpig game stats | publisher = AFL Tables | accessdate = 6 August 2016}}

Tschirpig grew up on the family farm south of Moorook, South Australia,{{cite web | url = http://ozfooty.net/joomla16/newsarticles/pastnpresent/119-mr-bruce-tschirpig | title = Bruce Tschirpig | publisher = OzFooty.Net | accessdate = 6 August 2016}} and attended Loxton High School.{{cite web | url = https://au.linkedin.com/in/bruce-tschirpig-890b304 | title = Professional profile – Bruce Tschirpig | publisher = LinkedIn | accessdate = 6 February 2020 }}

After moving to Wentworth, New South Wales, he won the McLeod Medal in 1969 and 1970 as the Best and Fairest player in the Sunraysia Football League.{{cite web | url = http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=0-4606-0-0-0&sID=90629 | title = SFNL McLeod Medal winners | publisher = Fox Sports Pulse | accessdate = 6 August 2016}}

This brought attention from Richmond. He made eight appearances in the 1971 VFL season which included a four-goal haul in a win over Carlton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to celebrate Roger Dean's 200th game. Although he played in Richmond's final home and away season fixture, Tschirpig was not called upon for the finals.

He left for Latrobe the following season and while playing for the Tasmania club represented the state at the 1975 Knockout Carnival. At the end of the season competed in the prestigious Burnie Gift, a handicap sprint, and finished second on 1 January 1976. Richmond lured him back in 1976 but he could only add two further games to his tally and finished his career in Western Australia where he played at East Fremantle and Perth.{{cite web | url = http://waflfootyfacts.net/player/stats.php?PlayerID=6494| title = Player Stats – Tschirpig, Bruce Ernest | publisher = WAFL FootyFacts | accessdate = 6 August 2016 }}