Doug Gillespie
{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}
{{for|the American politician|Doug Gillespie (politician)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{more footnotes|date=September 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Doug Gillespie
| image = Doug Gillespie 1910.jpg
| caption = Gillespie in 1910
| fullname = Douglas James Gillespie
| birth_date = 13 December 1887
| birth_place = Parkville, Victoria
| death_date = {{death date and age|1947|1|6|1887|12|13|df=yes}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205313764 |title=OBITUARY |newspaper=The Age |issue=28,613 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=8 January 1947 |page=2}}
| death_place = Malvern East, Victoria
| originalteam = Carlton Colts
| height = 177 cm
| weight = 83 kg
| position = Full-back
| statsend = 1912
| years1 = 1906–10, 1912
| club1 = Carlton
| games_goals1 = 90 (0)
| careerhighlights =
}}
Douglas James Gillespie (13 December 1887 – 6 January 1947) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL).{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 |last=Holmesby|first=Russell|last2=Main|first2=Jim |year=2014 |edition=10th |isbn=978-1-921496-32-5 |publisher=BAS Publishing |location=Seaford, Victoria |page=319}}
Family
One of the eight children (five boys and three girls) of James Gillespie (1856–1913),[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196243061 Deaths: Gillespie, The Age, (Thursday, 27 November 1913), p.1.] and Mary Gillespie (1859–1924), née Gallagher,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article171396191 Deaths: Gillespie, The Advocate, (Thursday, 21 February 1924), p.23.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article171396373 Mrs. Mary Gillespie, The Advocate, (Thursday, 21 February 1924), p.17.] Douglas James Gillespie was born at the Melbourne Zoo, in Royal Park, in Parkville, Victoria on 14 December 1887.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197167596 Births: Gillespie, The Age (thursday, 2 December 1887), p.1.]
His younger twin brother, Dave Gillespie, also played for Carlton (90 games from 1906 to 1912, including the 1906 and 1907 premierships).
All five Gillespie brothers served in the First AIF: David Francis Gillespie (1887–1917),[https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ViewPDF.aspx?B=5100838&D=D First World War Service Record: Company Sergeant Major David Francis Gillespie (3037), collection of the National Archives of Australia.] Douglas James Gillespie (1887–1947),[https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068902/large/5358393.JPG First World War Nominal Roll: Sergeant Douglas James Gillespie (406), collection of the National Archives of Australia.] Gordon Charles Gillespie (1890–1937),[https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ViewPDF.aspx?B=5100854&D=D First World War Service Record: Private Gordon Charles Gillespie (6647), collection of the National Archives of Australia.] Robert Bruce Gillespie (1895–1969),[https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ViewPDF.aspx?B=5104099&D=D First World War Service Record: Private Robert Bruce Gillespie (1165), collection of the National Archives of Australia.] and William Wallace Gillespie (1898–1967).[https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ViewPDF.aspx?B=5100890&D=D First World War Service Record: Private Wallace William (sic) Gillespie (3043), collection of the National Archives of Australia.]
Football
Gillespie was discovered by Jack Worrall when the Carlton coach saw him kicking the ball with some friends at Princes Park. He was used at full-back by Carlton and played in premiership teams in 1906 and 1907, his first two seasons. Gillespie missed out on being part of Carlton's third successive premiership in 1908 due to injury.
He was embroiled in controversy during the 1910 VFL season when he was implicated in a bribery scandal at Carlton. Along with Alex Lang and Doug Fraser, Gillespie was dropped for the semifinal against South Melbourne while the club and league investigated the allegations that they had been paid to play poorly. However, unlike his two teammates, Gillespie was exonerated and picked for the Grand Final. For the second year in a row he finished the premiership decider on the losing team.
The full-back spent the 1911 football season with Brunswick in the VFA before returning to Carlton the following year, where he made his tenth finals appearance before retiring. Out of Gillespie's 90 VFL matches at Carlton, he finished in the winning side 75 times.
His twin brother David Francis Gillespie (1887–1917) also played at Carlton but was killed in World War I.
Gillespie was head keeper at the Melbourne Zoo for many years, having been born there and working there for most of his life.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{AFL Tables|ref=D/Doug_Gillespie.html}}
{{Commons category}}
{{1906 Carlton premiership players}}
{{1907 Carlton premiership players}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Doug}}
Category:Australian rules footballers from Melbourne
Category:Carlton Football Club players
Category:Carlton Football Club premiership players
Category:Brunswick Football Club players
Category:VFL/AFL premiership players