Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Frederick Norman Swift

Known as
Fred Swift

Born
6 July 1938

Died
28 April 1983 (aged 44)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 280d
Last game: 29y 79d

Height and weight
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 83 kg

Senior clubs
Richmond

Jumper numbers
Richmond: 15

Fred Swift

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
RichmondV/AFL1958-1967146410.2840%10.790.554.0518
Total1958-1967146410.2840%10.790.554.0518

Pre 1965 stats are for selected matches only

AFL: 6,895th player to appear, 1,387th most games played, 2,392nd most goals kickedRichmond: 584th player to appear, 76th most games played, 179th most goals kicked

After arriving at Richmond from Sandhurst in 1958 Fred Swift was used in several different positions in his first three seasons before finding his niche at full back. Somewhat short for a key position at 183cm he more than compensated for this by a combination of pace, excellent judgement and raw aggression. A Victorian interstate representative at the 1961 Brisbane carnival Swift was widely acknowledged as one of the foremost fullbacks of his time. He ended his career after 146 VFL games and 41 goals in the best way imaginable by captaining the Tigers to a twenty-four year drought-breaking premiership. Swift, who was one of best players on view, retired after the grand final which saw Richmond edge out Geelong by 9 points.

Fred Swift spent the next couple of seasons captain-coaching Corowa, overseeing a premiership in 1968. He then captain-coached Morwell for three years. His life came to a tragic end in 1983 when he was murdered at his farm at Lockwood, near Bendigo. The perpetrators were two young men known to Swift.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main; Wikipedia article; https://www.tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Fred+Swift

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.