Peter Burns (footballer, born 1866)

Peter Burns
Personal information
Full name Peter Cornelius Burns
Date of birth (1866-01-05)5 January 1866
Place of birth Campbells Creek, Victoria
Date of death 11 October 1952(1952-10-11) (aged 86)
Place of death Torquay, Victoria
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1885 Ballarat Imperials (VFA) 2 (5)
1885–1891 South Melbourne (VFA) 126 (100)
1892–1896 Geelong (VFA) 88 (27)
1897–1902 Geelong 89 (7)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1902.
Career highlights
  • Geelong captain 1896 (VFA), 1900
  • South Melbourne (VFA) premierships 1885, 1888-1890
  • Victorian representative 14 matches
  • Captained Victoria 1899
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Peter Cornelius Burns (5 January 1866 – 11 October 1952) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football Association (VFA) and Victorian Football League (VFL).

Burns was a tall ruckman and full-back who made his VFA debut in 1885 with Ballarat Imperials before transferring to South Melbourne during the season. He played 126 games for South and played in four premierships before joining Geelong in 1892.

When the Victorian Football League was formed in 1897, he had played 216 games, the most of any active player, and continued to play for Geelong until his retirement in 1902 following a leg injury. Subsequently, he was Geelong's timekeeper until 1941.

Burns was the first player in elite Australian Rules football to play 300 games, with his career total of 305 remaining a Victorian football record until it was broken by Gordon Coventry in the 1937 Grand Final (Coventry's last match).

In 1996, Burns was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

References

  • Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 44. ISBN 0-7322-6426-X.
  • de Lacy, H.A., "Unforgettable Characters in Football: Greatest Player Game Has Produced", Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 3 May 1941), p.6.


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