George Davidson (athlete)

{{Short description|NZ rugby league footballer & Olympic sprinter}}

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

{{Infobox rugby league biography

|name = George Davidson

|fullname = William George Davidson

|image = George Davidson 1920.jpg

|image_size = 230px

|caption = George Davidson in 1920

|position = {{rlp|WG}}

|birth_date = {{birth date|1898|10|8|df=y}}

|birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand

|death_date = {{death date and age|1948|9|25|1898|10|8|df=y}}

|death_place = Piopio, New Zealand

|height =

|weight =

|club1 = City Rovers

|year1start = 1917

|year1end =

|appearances1 = 1

|tries1 = 0

|goals1 = 0

|fieldgoals1 = 0

|points1 = 0

|club2 = Maritime

|year2start = 1918

|year2end = 1919

|appearances2 = 20

|tries2 = 19

|goals2 = 13

|fieldgoals2 = 0

|points2 = 83

|club3 = City Rovers

|year3start = 1922

|year3end = 1925

|appearances3 = 54

|tries3 = 40

|goals3 = 15

|fieldgoals3 = 0

|points3 = 150

|teamA = Auckland

|yearAstart = 1918

|yearAend = 1924

|appearancesA = 15

|triesA = 17

|goalsA = 2

|fieldgoalsA = 0

|pointsA = 55

|updated =

|source = [http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/George-Davidson/summary.html RLP]

|new = yes

| module = {{infobox person

| embed = yes

| father =

| mother =

| spouse =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| relatives = Ben Davidson (brother)
Bill Davidson (brother)

}}

}}

George Davidson (8 October 1898 – 25 September 1948) was a New Zealand sprinter and rugby league player.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/74300 |title=George Davidson |work=Olympedia |access-date=4 July 2021}} He competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics and finished fifth in the 200 metres competition.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/da/george-davidson-1.html|title=George Davidson Biography and Olympic Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com|work=sports-reference.com|year=2011|accessdate=24 October 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303124242/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/da/george-davidson-1.html|archivedate=3 March 2012}} He also participated in the 100 metres event where he was eliminated in the quarter-finals. His Olympic participation was hindered due to the time it took to travel from NZ to Belgium for the games. American athletic coach Ike Kelly said of Davidson that if he was able to coach him for 6 months, he would have turned him into a world champion.{{Cite web |url=http://www.triobooks.co.nz/our-olympic-centure/ |title=Our Olympic Century by Joseph Romanos – Joseph Romanos & Trio Books Ltd |access-date=23 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408105155/https://www.triobooks.co.nz/our-olympic-centure/ |archive-date=8 April 2017 |url-status=dead }}

Davidson's brothers Bill and Ben both represented New Zealand at rugby league, and George himself played for the City and Maritime clubs in the Auckland Rugby League competition and represented Auckland between 1919 and 1922.Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-86969-366-4}}, p.84. George was selected for the 1919 New Zealand tour of Australia but was unable to travel and was replaced by former All Black Dougie McGregor.

George Davidson played for Maritime but after returning from the Antwerp Olympics he requested a transfer to join his brothers on the City Rovers team. Maritime opposed this but the Auckland Rugby League requested that they reconsider and during the 1922 season he was granted a transfer.

He was associated with Sharland and Company Limited for 21 years before leaving in February 1938.{{cite news

| title =General News

| page =22

| publisher =New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22964

| date = 16 February 1938

| url =https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19380216.2.223

| accessdate = 21 June 2021}}