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Norman Childers "Hackenschmidt" Clark (12 November 1878 – 26 December 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1905 and 1912.

Norman Clark
Clark in 1907
Personal information
Full name	Norman Childers Clark
Nickname(s)	Hackenschmidt
Date of birth	(1878-11-12)12 November 1878
Place of birth	North Adelaide, South Australia
Date of death	26 December 1943(1943-12-26) (aged 65)
Place of death	Fitzroy, Victoria
Original team(s)	Stawell
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)
Position(s)	Half back flank
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1897–1903	North Adelaide	77 (5)
1905–1912	Carlton	126 (3)
Coaching career3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1912	Carlton	20 0(15–5–0)
1913	Brighton	18 0(5–13–0)
1914–1918	Carlton	86 (59–23–4)
1919	Richmond	19 0(12–7–0)
1920–1922	Carlton	44 (28–14–2)
1924	North Melbourne	18 0(10–8–0)
1925–1926	St Kilda	35 (14–21–0)
1929	Prahran	22 0(5–16–1)
1931	North Melbourne	10 0(0–10–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1912. 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1931.
Career highlights
Player 2x North Adelaide premiership player (1900, 1902) 3x Carlton premiership player (1906, 1907, 1908) Coach Carlton premiership coach 1914, 1915
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Edward John Clark, and Margaret Clark, née Cooper, Norman Childers Clark was born on 12 November 1878.[1] He married Eileen Florence Fleming (1888–1983) on 11 June 1918. They had two children: Norman Adrian Clark (1919–1998),[2] and Bryan Childers Clark (1923–2003).[3]

Football

Prior to joining Carlton, he had played in two premiership teams at North Adelaide.

A talented sprinter, in 1899 he won the 130-yard Stawell Gift in eleven and four-fifths seconds, off a handicap of 14 and a half yards.[4] His prize of 50 gold sovereigns was used to buy a handmade gold pocket watch, in which he had his initials 'N.C.C' inscribed. He moved to Stawell, hoping to win another Gift, and he played two seasons with Stawell Football Club.

Upon his arrival at Carlton in 1905, his team-mates noticed his exceptional physique and nicknamed him "Hackenschmidt" after the famous strongman and professional wrestler, Georg Hackenschmidt.[5]

He played in three consecutive premiership sides for Carlton from 1906–1908 as well as coaching Carlton to back-to-back premierships in 1914–15. He was with Charlie Hammond the only 2 people involved in Carlton's first five VFL flags.

After leaving Carlton at the end of the 1918 season he took up the head coaching role at Richmond. In his first season, he took the Tigers to the Grand Final. This attained him the rare feat of coaching two separate clubs in VFL Grand Finals.

Clark was also the coach of VFL sides St Kilda in 1925–26 and North Melbourne in 1931. He was captain-coach of Victorian Football Association (VFA) side Brighton in 1913.[6] He coached junior and senior football for seventeen seasons in the VFA, the VFL and the Ringwood Districts Football Association, with four more premierships to his credit by the time he retired after the 1931 season.

Death

Clark died on Boxing Day in 1943.[7]

Footnotes

References

• Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
• De Bolto, Anthony, "Carlton Legend Certificate Surfaces", blueseum,com, 2 January 2007.

External links

• Norm Clark's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Norm Clark at AustralianFootball.com
• Blueseum Biography: Norman Clark
• Blueseum Article: Norman Clark 20/01/2006
• MCC Article Excerpt Carlton vs. Richmond 14/08/2010
• Boyles Football Photos: Norman Clark.

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