Australian Football

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Key Facts

Full name
Cecil Ruddell

Known as
Cec Ruddell

Born
23 May 1917

Died
10 December 1990 (aged 73)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 22y 340d
Last game: 31y 356d

Height and weight
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 81 kg

Senior clubs
Essendon

Jumper numbers
Essendon: 21

Cec Ruddell

ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
EssendonV/AFL1940-1943, 1945-194912200.0070%0
Total1940-1943, 1945-194912200.0070%0

AFL: 4,777th player to appear, 1,855th most games played, 11,333rd most goals kickedEssendon: 544th player to appear, 130th most games played, 1,065th most goals kicked

After playing mainly as a forward in the VFA with Northcote Cec Ruddell was transformed by Essendon into a high quality full back. Dogged and aggressive, he made life extremely difficult for opposition full forwards. He played in both the 1942 and 1946 winning grand finals and was close to best afield in the latter game when the Dons trounced Melbourne. His VFL career comprised 122 games (and zero goals) from 1940 to 1943 and between 1945 and 1949. He missed the whole of the 1944 season while stationed in Darwin with the RAAF. After leaving the Bombers he captain-coached VFA club Camberwell in 1950 and 1951.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main; Those Magnificent Men 1897-1987 by Michael Maplestone

Footnotes

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