Judy Amoore

Judith Florence Amoore (born 25 June 1940) is an Australian former runner. She was born in Melbourne, Victoria.
At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she won a bronze medal in the first 400 metres race for females, only beaten by countrywoman Betty Cuthbert (gold) and Brit Ann Packer (silver). At the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, she won the 440 yards race, a silver medal over 880 yards, and was fourth in the 220 yards.
At the Australian championships in February 1964, she placed 3rd in 440 yards and 2nd in 880 yards. In 1966 she competed in 100 yards without reaching the final, but placed 3rd in 220 Yards, 1st in 440 yards and in 880 yards. In the state championships of Victoria, she won both 220, 440 and 880 yards races.
She set world records at 440 yards (1965), 800 metres (1967) and 880 yards (1967) before retiring due to pregnancy in 1968. She made a comeback in 1971, running some of her best times ever to make the team for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. She was track and field team captain at Munich, but was unable to compete because of injuries and retired soon after the Games, again for family reasons.
In 1976, she made another comeback, now concentrating on 800 metres and 1500 metres events. The veteran was selected in her third Olympic team after winning the 1500 metres at the Australian National Championships and running second to Charlene Rendina over 800 metres.
At the age of 36, she became the oldest Australian female Olympian at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec. Running in the 800 metres, she just missed the final, clocking her fastest ever time of 1:59.93 for fifth in her semi-final. Despite setting another personal best time in the 1500 metres, she was run out of her heat.
She was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1988.


Jimmy Cowan (footballer)

James Clews Cowan (16 June 1926 – 20 June 1968) was a Scottish football goalkeeper who played for St Mirren, Morton, Sunderland, Third Lanark and the Scotland national team.
Career.
Cowan was born in Paisley and began his professional career with St Mirren before moving to Morton in 1944. He remained at Cappielow for nine years, playing in the 1948 Scottish Cup Final defeat to Rangers. During his time at Morton he won all of his 25 Scotland caps, making his debut against Belgium in April 1948. He played in the 1949 and 1951 wins against England at Wembley, results which ultimately won Scotland the 1948–49 and 1950-51 British Home Championships.
During his time at Morton, the club were twice relegated from the First Division (1948–49 and 1951–52). After the club failed to win promotion in 1952–53, Cowan was transferred to English club Sunderland in June 1953. He returned to Scotland two years later with Third Lanark and played for a season at Cathkin Park before retiring.
On 11 November 2007, Cowan was posthumously inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
Personal life.
His son Ronnie Cowan is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician, who was elected at the 2015 UK general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Inverclyde.


Dickie Boon

Richard Robinson Boon (January 10, 1878 – May 3, 1961) known as Dickie Boon was a Canadian ice hockey forward and manager. He played for the Montreal Hockey Club (Montreal HC) of the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) and the Montreal Wanderers of the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL) in the early 1900s. He was a player on two Stanley Cup winning teams and managed the Wanderers to four Cup titles. Boon was uncle to Lucille Wheeler-Vaughan, Canadian and world ski champion.
Early life.
Born in Belleville, Ontario, one of seven children, four boys and three girls. Boon moved with his family to Montreal, where he became involved in several sports in his youth. He was a proficient speed skater, winning the 1892 Junior Amateur Championship. He was also involved in rowing and canoeing. The family home was on the present site of the Windsor train station in Montreal.
Hockey career.
In 1894, at the age of 16, Boon began playing organized hockey with the "Young Crystals" at the old Crystal Rink in Montreal with another Hall of Famer, Mike Grant. In 1897, he joined the Monarch Hockey Club. In 1900 he joined the Montreal Hockey Club of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association's junior club. The following year he was promoted to the senior team. He played the position of cover point, similar to today's defenceman. Considered to be 'fast and wiry', Boon is credited with being the first player to use the poke check, which he used to great success in stopping opposing forwards.
Boon was the captain of the two-time Stanley Cup-winning Montreal HC teams of 1902 and 1903 which had several other future Hall of Famers including Jimmy Gardner, Tommy Phillips and Jack Marshall. He was effective despite being the smallest player on the team. Like many other members of the team dubbed the "Little Men of Iron", Boon left Montreal HC in December 1903 to found the Montreal Wanderers in the new Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL). He played with the club until 1905. At that point, professionalism was taking hold in hockey and Boon dropped out of playing hockey after the objections of his parents to him becoming a professional. He then turned to management of the Wanderers and he managed the club until 1916. He led the Wanderers to four Stanley Cup titles in 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1910 as Manager. Although Boon was a multiple winner of the Stanley Cup, he was not happy with it interfering in the season of play. In 1903, he was quoted as saying: "The Cup is far from beneficial to the game, it is detrimental."
In 1910, Boon, along with Jimmy Gardner was instrumental in setting up the National Hockey Association (NHA) (predecessor of today's National Hockey League (NHL)) when the Wanderers were refused entry into the new Canadian Hockey Association (CHA), along with Renfrew. Gardner, Boon and Ambrose O'Brien conceived of founding the NHA on the spot, after the CHA had met to expel the Wanderers and in the same hotel, the Hotel Windsor in Montreal. The NHA would be innovative in making professional hockey more business-like.
In 1924, Boon was approached by James Strachan, former owner of the Wanderers and part-owner of the new Montreal Hockey Club franchise entering the National Hockey League to negotiate the use of the name "Wanderers" for the new team. The negotiations were unsuccessful and the team was instead nameless, until the nickname "Maroons" came into use, after the colour of their sweaters.
After hockey.
After retiring from playing hockey, Boon became a co-founder of the Boon-Strachan Coal business. After leaving the ice for good, he took up curling and golf. He was a long-time member of the Outremont Curling Club and the Club's Boon Trophy was named after him. In 1954, he was named one of Montreal's outstanding sportsmen by the Sportsmen's Association of Montreal.
He died at his Outremont, Quebec home on May 3, 1961 after being in poor health for several months. He had continued to curl until 1959 when he was injured in a golf cart accident that fractured his pelvis. He had continued playing golf until the fall of 1960 not long before his death. Boon was survived by his widow Kathleen Fitzgerald. He was later buried at Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.
Career statistics.
Source: Hockey Hall of Fame


Candy Cummings

William Arthur "Candy" Cummings (October 18, 1848 – May 16, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in the National Association and National League. Cummings is widely credited with inventing the curveball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.
Early life.
Cummings was born in Ware, Massachusetts. He later said that he thought of the idea of the curveball when fooling around with clam shells as a teenager in Ware. At the age of 17, Cummings made his baseball debut in the National Association of Base Ball Players with the Excelsior baseball club of Brooklyn. His first game with the team was on August 14, 1866, against the New York Mutuals. Ten days later he led his team to a 242 win against the Newark Eurekas. After the latter game, baseball writer Henry Chadwick commented on the skills of the young Cummings and his promising future with the Excelsior club. Cummings played for the Excelsiors next season and continued as the main pitcher for the Stars of Brooklyn from 1868 to 1871.
His pitching skills led to his being called "Candy", a popular 19th-century nickname for a man who was the best at his craft.
Major league career.
Cummings, who stood 5'9" and weighed 120 pounds, compiled a 145–94 career record and 2.49 earned run average while playing for five different teams from 1872 to 1877. Between 1872 and 1875, Cummings pitched in the National Association (NA) with the New York Mutuals, Baltimore Canaries, Philadelphia White Stockings and Hartford Dark Blues. Cummings won between 28 and 35 games in each of his NA seasons. He spent two seasons in the National League (NL), earning a 16–8 win–loss record with Hartford when the league began in 1876 and a 5–14 record with Cincinnati the next year. Among other records, Cummings was the first player to record two complete games in one day: September 9, 1876 when he beat the Cincinnati Reds twice, 14–4 and 8–4.
Cummings left the NL after pitching only 19 games with the Cincinnati Reds to become the President of the new International Association for Professional Base Ball Players.
Invention of the curveball.
Cummings is often credited with being the first pitcher to throw a curveball, reportedly in 1867 at Worcester, Massachusetts while playing for the Brooklyn Excelsiors; some sources say later with the Brooklyn Stars. It was not until the Stars acquired catcher Nat Hicks that Cummings was able to use his curveball. Most catchers of his era stood 20 to 25 feet behind the batter, which made it impossible to field a curveball. It was Hicks' catching technique of standing directly behind the batter that allowed Cummings to introduce his curveball. The introduction of the curveball radically changed pitching, and also changed the way catchers fielded their position.
Cummings said that he discovered the idea of the curveball while studying the movement sea shells made when thrown. After noticing this movement, he began trying to make a baseball move the same way, and thus created the new pitch. He would later recall from that game: "I became fully convinced that I had succeeded ... the batters were missing a lot of balls; I began to watch the flight of the ball through the air, and distinctly saw it curve."
Another pitcher to claim inventing the curveball was Fred Goldsmith. Goldsmith is credited with the first publicly recorded demonstration of the pitch on August 16, 1870, at the Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn, New York. Sportswriter Henry Chadwick covered it in the "Brooklyn Eagle" on August 17, 1870. According to a 2002 article by ESPN's Steve Wulf, Cummings was "fairly well-connected" in baseball, as evidenced by his position with the International Association. Baseball leaders Chadwick, Harry Wright and Albert Spalding supported Cummings' contention.
Later life.
After baseball, Cummings received a small royalty from the invention of a railway coupling device. He owned a paint and wallpaper shop in Athol, Massachusetts. Cummings died in Toledo, Ohio. He is buried at Aspen Grove Cemetery in Ware, Massachusetts. He was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.


Mark Waugh

Mark Edward Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, after previously making his One Day International (ODI) debut in 1988.
Waugh is often nicknamed "Junior" as he is younger than his twin brother Steve by a few minutes. Dean Waugh, another of Mark's brothers, is also a cricketer, having played both First-class and List A cricket in Australia for New South Wales. His nephew and Steve's son, Austin, was selected in the Australian under-19 team. He was previously a national selector, holding that position until August 2018. On 15 May 2018, he announced his intentions to swap national selector duties for a TV commentating role with Fox Sports.
Key achievements.
Waugh was primarily a right-handed batsman who batted in the No. 4 position in Test matches. He was also a handy medium pace bowler, but changed to an off-spin bowler after back injuries restricted him. Waugh is regarded as one of the best slip fielders ever to play cricket and held the world record for most Test catches by a non-wicketkeeper until Rahul Dravid broke it in 2009.
He began as an all-rounder in the Australian ODI team, but he later focussed on batting and progressed to opening the batting, where he excelled and became Australia's leading one day runscorer. His three centuries at the 1996 Cricket World Cup made him the first batsman to ever achieve this feat, with the record later equaled by Sourav Ganguly at the 2003 Cricket World Cup. A fourth century in the 1999 tournament made him the only Australian to score four centuries and more than 1000 runs in World Cup competition. He also became the leading Australian runscorer and century maker in ODIs during the 1999 tournament as well.
Waugh is regarded as one of the most elegant and gifted stroke makers to ever play the game and his stylish strokeplay was likened to that of Stan McCabe, Alan Kippax, Victor Trumper, Charlie Macartney and Greg Chappell.
Following his debut Test century, Australian coach Bob Simpson compared Waugh's elegance to that of Archie Jackson. Mark Taylor called Waugh the "best-looking leg-side player I've seen in my time. . . anything drifting into his pads is hit beautifully."
His facile grace also led to accusations that he was a "lazy" batsman who was vulnerable to soft dismissals.
Waugh is the younger fraternal twin brother of Steve Waugh, with whom he played for most of his career and also under his captaincy. They hold the record for the most Test and ODI matches in which siblings appeared together.
Early years.
Born on 2 June 1965 at Canterbury Hospital in Campsie, New South Wales, Waugh was the second of twin boys born to Rodger and Beverley Waugh. He arrived four minutes after Steve. His father was a bank official and his mother was a teacher within the New South Wales Department of Education. The family settled in the western Sydney suburb of Panania. The twins were later joined by two more brothers, Dean and Danny. From an early age, the parents introduced their children to sport. By the age of six, the twins were playing organised soccer, tennis and cricket. In their first cricket match, the brothers were both dismissed for ducks.
The twins came from a sporting family. Their paternal grandfather Edward was a greyhound trainer. Raised in the northern coastal town of Bangalow, Edward earned selection for the New South Wales Country team in rugby league. He was about to join Eastern Suburbs in the New South Wales Rugby League, but had to give up his career due to family reasons. Rodger was Edward's only son and was promising tennis player, who was ranked eighth in Australia in his junior years and was the state champion at under-14 level. On the maternal side, Bev was a tennis player who won the under-14 singles at the South Australian Championships. Her eldest brother Dion Bourne was an opening batsman who played for Bankstown in Sydney Grade Cricket and remains the leading runscorer in the club's history.
The twins made their first representative cricket team when they were selected the Bankstown District under-10s at the age of eight. In 1976, the twins were the youngest ever to be selected in the New South Wales Primary Schools' soccer team. Playing for Panania Primary School, the twins swept their school to win the Umbro International Shield, a statewide knockout soccer competition, scoring all of their team's three goals in the final. They were a key part of their school's consecutive state cricket championships and were part of school tennis team that came second in the state in their final year. In their final year, Mark was the captain of the state primary school cricket and tennis teams, both of which won the national championships. The twins were instrumental in New South Wales winning the cricket carnival without a defeat.
By this time, the increasing time demands led to conflicts between the sports and were in one case delisted from a team due to a conflict of commitments. The twins progressed to East Hills Boys Technology High School, which had a history of producing Australian international representatives in a number of sports. Aged 13, the twins were invited by their uncle Bourne, then the captain of Bankstown's first grade team, to trial for the club's under-16 team for the Green Shield and both were selected. Aged fourteen, both made their senior grade cricket debut in 1979–80, playing in the Fourth XI. The twins broke into East Hills Boys First XI in the same season and achieved the same level in soccer. In 1980–81 the brothers were elevated to the Third XI mid-season. Mark's performance in the Green Shield saw him selected in Bankstown's under-21 team, still aged 15. The brothers often won formed a two-man team—in one match, Mark scored a century and then the brothers took 16/85 between them. At the end of 1980, the twins were selected in the state under-16 team for the national carnival, with Mark as vice-captain.
When Mark was 16, he grew around one foot in one year. It was a relief, because he had been diagnosed with the repetitive stress injury Osgood-Schlatter disease at 15 and told that he would not grow any further than his then height of 152 cm. The pair changed soccer teams to play in the reserve grade for Sydney Croatia in the state league and the pair were paid small amounts in the professional league. However, they quickly left as their cricket careers increasingly demanded more time.
The brothers were promoted to Bankstown's Second XI, before being selected for the First XI in the 1982–83 season, aged 17, both making their debut against Western Suburbs, with Mark making 97 on debut, ending the season with 427 runs at 30.50. This placed him second in his team's aggregates and he contributed 14 wickets at 10.71. By this time, his coaches had already identified the traits by which Mark was to be characterised in his international career, those of apparent laziness and reliable catching.
The twins finished high school at the end of 1983. In 1983–84, both were members of New South Wales Combined High Schools and the state under-19 team. Mark was named as the player of the series after scoring two centuries. The brothers were then selected for Australia for the first time. They had been named in the national under-19 team to play a Test and ODI series against the touring Sri Lankan counterparts. The under-19 series pitted several future international players against one another. Mark scored 123 in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Waugh did not contemplate going to university; both he and his brother became sports equipment salesmen. He made his maiden First XI century during the season, scoring 108 against Mosman.
At the start of the 1984–85 season, the brothers were included in the New South Wales state squad.
Formative professional career.
At the end of the season, the Waugh twins signed a contract to spend the Australian winter to play for Egerton in the Bolton League in Lancashire in northern England. Each club was allowed to have one professional; Steve was officially designated as such but would split the earnings with Mark. The twins were billeted with a local family. However, during the year, an Australian rebel tour to South Africa was staged, breaking the boycott against the apartheid regime. Some players defected from the Australian Test team to play in South Africa. This resulted in Dave Gilbert being promoted to the national squad, forcing him to forfeit his Esso scholarship, which allowed him to play Second XI cricket in the County Championship. Steve was selected to replace Gilbert with Essex, leaving Mark as the lone professional. Waugh struggled at first, but recovered to score six centuries for the season. As a reward for scoring more than 800 runs and taking more than 50 wickets, Waugh's captain, who was a dentist, gave him free service. Waugh eventually finished the season with 1460 runs and 75 wickets, breaking the club runscoring record by more than 200 runs.
Waugh returned to Australia for the 1985–86 season, looking to make his First-class debut. He scored 177 against Petersham in just five hours and was selected for the state Second XI. Then, an opportunity arose with further ramifications of the rebel tours of South Africa. A two-year ban on playing state cricket was imposed on the players. This meant that New South Wales was looking for two new opening batsmen, as both Steve Smith and John Dyson had defected and been banned. Waugh and Taylor were selected to make their Sheffield Shield debut.
Domestic career.
First-class cricket.
Waugh and Mark Taylor opened on debut against Tasmania at Hobart's TCA Ground. New South Wales were sent into bat and Waugh was dismissed for 13 and New South Wales fell to 3/60 in the first innings. He scored 28 in the second innings, but the drawn match was more notable for an incident on the third morning, when the new opening pair overslept on Taylor's 21st birthday. They were punished by coach Bob Simpson with fielding drills, forcing the pair to take hundreds of catches. He took his first catch, that of Roger Woolley on debut. Waugh fell on tough times, being dismissed for a duck and four by Test bowler Merv Hughes in the next match against Victoria and then 17 and a run out for another duck against the touring New Zealand. With a First-class average of 10.33, Waugh was dropped for the next five matches. However, for the final four matches of the season, Waugh was recalled to the team as a front-line fast bowler and middle order batsman. He took 4/130 in the first innings against Queensland in his first match in the role. They were his first First-class wickets. His bowling was characterised by his liberal use of short-pitched bowling. In the next match against Tasmania, Waugh opened the bowling with Mike Whitney, due to injuries to other bowlers, taking 2/31 in the first innings. Waugh then took 3/49 in the final round robin match against Queensland, before the teams met again in the Sheffield Shield final at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Whitney and Waugh were New South Wales' only pacemen and Waugh bowled 27 overs to take 1/71. Batting at No. 7, Waugh was involved in a century stand with Greg Dyer to help avoid the follow on with 41. Waugh made only 24 in the second innings as the home team hung on for a draw to secure the Shield. Waugh had scored 167 runs at 15.18 and took 11 wickets at 32.00 for the season. He played in one limited overs match, scoring 13 and taking 1/28 against Victoria.
At this stage of his career, Waugh lived in the shadow of his brother Steve, who was promoted to the Australian team at the age of 20. As a result, Mark was sometimes called "Afghan", a reference to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, sometimes dubbed the "forgotten war". Building up an impressive record at First-class level, Waugh spent two seasons with English county Essex as the team's successor to Allan Border as an overseas professional. In 1987–88 and 1989–90, he was voted the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year.
In mid-1988, Waugh was signed to replace Australian captain Allan Border for a six-week stint as the overseas professional at Essex County Cricket Club in England, after just one full season of Sheffield Shield. Border had to leave before the end of the season because of the Australian tour of Pakistan and had recommended Waugh, who arrived with high expectations. Essex were one of the strongest teams in England and Border had scored six centuries that season. Waugh's debut came in August in a limited overs match against Nottinghamshire at Colchester. After struggling at the start of his innings, Waugh found his rhythm and reached 103 from only 94 balls, accumulating his second 50 in just 28 balls. He ended with 15 fours and a six and then took 2/16 with the ball. Waugh played in three First-class matches, scoring 178 runs at 44.50. His performances were enough to prompt Essex officials to invite him to return for the 1989 season. Waugh accepted, subject to him not being selected for the 1989 Ashes tour of England with the national side.
In the longer form, Waugh continued to be overlooked and was criticised for his apparently casual attitude. Simpson, now the Australia coach, criticised Waugh, believing that he was not fully exploiting his talent. He scored only one half-century in the remainder of the First-class season, ending the season with 727 First-class runs at 40.39. He did not take a wicket for the season. He was overlooked for the 1989 Ashes tour.
In 1989, Waugh returned to Essex for his first full season as the overseas professional. He began slowly with a 77 against Derbyshire being his only score beyond 50 in his first six innings. He then scored 92 and took 3/23 against Cambridge University and then three fifties in the next six innings, including 89 not out against Leicestershire. Waugh then broke through for his first First-class county century, scoring 109 at Ilford in late June against Hampshire, whose pace attack was led by Malcolm Marshall. He then scored 112 not out against Glamorgan in a one-dayer, but had another lean run in the County Championship, failing to pass 30 in nine consecutive innings. Waugh returned to form with 110 against Middlesex, before scoring an unbeaten century against Australia in a tour match. He scored 100 from 165 deliveries, while Steve rached his century in 101 balls for Australia. Waugh finished his season with 165 against Leicester. He had scored 1537 runs at 43.91. He took 31 catches in 24 matches and took 14 wickets at 29.62. Essex finished second in the County Championship, six points behind Worcestershire. They would have won were it not for the 25-point penalty that was incurred for pitch-doctoring. Essex paid Waugh and his teammates championship-winning bonuses, indicating their belief that they were the rightful champions. Essex reached the final of the Benson & Hedges Cup against Nottinghamshire. Waugh made 41 from 58 balls before his team lost after conceding the winning runs from the last ball of the match.
In the first Sheffield Shield match of the season, Waugh scored 172 from 301 balls, his highest First-class score to date. He hit 20 boundaries. He then struck 42 and took three wickets against Sri Lanka, but was overlooked for the Test against New Zealand. He scored 46 and 18 and took 1/31 and 2/34 against Queensland, before striking and unbeaten 100 against Victoria. Despite this Waugh was not selected for the opening phase of the season's ODI tournament. At the start of 1990, he went three innings without passing 30, before striking another unbeaten century against Victoria. New South Wales was then sent in at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Waugh struck 137 from 185 runs on the first day, including a six from Peter Sleep that narrowly missed the clock tower. The Sydney Morning Herald opined that "Waugh would imperiously render them [the fielders] obsolete, going over, between and sometimes through them".
Waugh returned to state duty and New South Wales needed to beat Tasmania in their last match to qualify for the final. They were struggling at 3/33 in reply to Tasmania's 117 when Waugh came to the crease and made 198 not out from 390 balls. New South Wales won by an innings to reach the Shield final against Queensland. Waugh scored an unbeaten 78 in the second innings as his team won the title. Waugh ended the Sheffield Shield as the top-scorer, with 967 runs at 80.85, prompting the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to select him as its Player of the Year. It noted that Waugh's "characteristic blend of dash and elegance . . .seemed to be reinforced now by extra application and determination."
In 1990, Waugh and his brother combined in an unbeaten partnership of 464 in 407 minutes for New South Wales against Western Australia at the WACA Ground, setting a world First-class record for the fifth wicket. Both teams were at full strength and Western Australia's attack included Test bowlers Terry Alderman, Bruce Reid and Chris Matthews. The twins ended unbeaten with 216 and 229 respectively.
On the tour of England in 1993, Waugh scored 174 against Surrey and reclaimed his Test position from Damien Martyn. He scored an ODI and a Test century in matches at Edgbaston.
International career.
Debut years.
Waugh was seeking to force his way into the Australian team at the start of the 1988–89 season. He started poorly, with a duck and 18 against Queensland and not taking a wicket. In the next match he made a duck and appeared to be in control in the second innings when he was run out for 46. He then faced the touring West Indies, Waugh was dismissed for nine in the first innings. In the second innings, Waugh bounced back to score an unbeaten 103 from 163 balls against the undisputed world champions, earning praise from their captain Viv Richards. In the following match against Tasmania, Waugh was immediately out for a duck attempting a cut shot, but made 100 not out in the second innings. He then scored 69 and 39 against Western Australia. Waugh was overlooked for Test selection, but was selected in the ODI squad for the start of the triangular tournament against the West Indies and Pakistan. It was to be the first time that twins played international cricket for Australia.
Waugh made his ODI debut against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval in December, but did not bat or bowl as Australia took a nine-wicket victory. Two days later against the West Indies in Sydney, Waugh took his first ODI catch when he caught Gordon Greenidge from Peter Taylor. He batted for the first time, partnering his brother during a run chase, scoring 18 from 19 balls. Steve was run out, something that was to occur multiple times while they batted together. Australia lost by one run. Waugh made 32 in the next match against the West Indies, and again Steve was run out while they were batting together. Waugh was omitted for the next three ODIs but returned to make 12 against Pakistan before scoring 42 from 53 in the final round-robin match against the West Indies. Waugh was omitted for the first final, which Australia won by two runs, before replacing Simon O'Donnell in the second match. He took two catches in the second match and scored 22 and five as Australia lost both to concede the series. Waugh ended his first international series with 131 runs at 21.83.
Waugh returned to Australia in preparation for the 1989–90 season, having been overlooked for the ODI squad for the Nehru Cup in India. At the start of the season, the Australian selectors wanted Waugh to tighten up before he could be selected for Tests. He was selected for his only ODI season in 1990, scoring 14 in the second final as Australia won the series, and was overlooked of the New Zealand tour in March 1990.
Test century on debut.
At the age of 25, he was finally picked for his Test debut in 1990–91, which resulted in mixed emotions: his place in the team game came at the expense of his out-of-form brother, who had only scored 82 runs at 20.50 for the series. Playing against England in the fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval, Waugh came to the crease in the first innings on the first day with Australia in trouble at 4/104. The situation deteriorated when Australia fell to 5/126 and Greg Matthews joined Waugh at the crease. The pair batted until the end of the day and Waugh brought up his century with a square drive late on the first day. This made him the fifteenth Australian to make a century on debut. Phil Wilkins of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "Such a maiden Test century could hardly have been surpassed for commanding presence". Waugh was widely lauded for the style and elegance of his innings. Waugh ended the day at 116 not out and was bowled early on the second morning for 138 by paceman Devon Malcolm to end a 171-run stand with Matthews. His innings had taken only 188 deliveries and featured heavy scoring through leg-side flicks. Waugh made 23 in the second innings and took his first Test catch, Mike Atherton, caught from the bowling of Bruce Reid. The match was drawn and Waugh experienced his first Test victory when he scored 26 in the fifth Test in Perth as Australia sealed the series 3–0. His performances saw him selected for the early 1991 tour of the West Indies, to play in five Tests and five ODIs against the world's most powerful team. Australia had not won a Test series in the Caribbean for 18 years against a team known for their physically intimidating fast bowlers.
In the first tour match against Jamaica, Waugh was felled by a bouncer from Courtney Walsh, but recovered to score a century despite the presence of his teammate's spilt blood on the pitch. Waugh scored 67 from 66 balls in the first ODI at Sabina Park in Kingston as Australia took a 1–0 lead. The ODI series was interrupted by the first Test, also at Sabina Park. Waugh scored 39 in a rain-affected draw, later admitting to having felt out of his depth against the hostile fast bowling—blood was spilt on both sides. The ODI series resumed and after consecutive matches without passing 20, Waugh played a large part in victory in the fourth match that gave Australia the series win. He scored 49 from only 37 balls and then took 3/34 to seal a 37-run win. He ended the series with 156 runs at 31.20 and eight wickets at 18.25. The Test series resumed and Waugh scored 71 in the second Test as Australia lost by ten wickets.
The brothers played their first Test match together in the third Test at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. Waugh top-scored with 64 in the first innings of another rain-affected draw, before taking his first Test wicket, Curtly Ambrose. He admitted that he was pleased that the weather prevented him from having to spend more time facing the West Indian pacemen. He did not pass 20 in the fourth Test in Bridgetown, Barbados, as the West Indies retained the Frank Worrell Trophy 2–0 with a 343-run victory. He was the most successful bowler in the second innings, taking 4/80, including the wicket of Viv Richards. His bowling included short-pitched bowling, reasoning that the Australians were going to be bounced anyway.
In the fifth Test of the series in St. John's, Antigua, Waugh made 139 not out from 188 balls. Devising a different strategy of combating the short-pitched bowling, Waugh backed away from the stumps and sliced the bowlers over the slips cordon. Shielding the tailenders from the West Indies fast bowlers, he still managed to score a century between tea and stumps. He reached his century in 133 minutes and was unbeaten at the end of the innings with 11 fours and three sixes. Australia made 403 in the first day and went on to win the match. Waugh ended the Test series with 367 runs at 61.17, the best among the Australians, in addition to taking eight wickets at 22.83.
Run of bad form.
During the 1991–92 Australian summer, Waugh hit a patch of bad form. He was dropped from the ODI team in the early part of the season, then omitted from the Test team in favour of Tom Moody for the fifth Test against India in Perth. Following his recall to the ODI team in place of the injured Bruce Reid, Waugh scored only 20 runs at 6.67.
He was part of the team that failed to make the semi-finals of the 1992 World Cup, but did not play the entire tournament due to his poor form. After scoring two in the opening match against New Zealand at Eden Park, he was dropped for three games, then played in the last four matches. His best effort was an unbeaten 66 from 39 balls against Zimbabwe at Bellerive Oval. On the tour of Sri Lanka that followed, Waugh returned to the Test team and scored five and 56 in the first Test but followed it with four consecutive ducks.
A score of 112 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the second Test of 1992–93 helped set up an Australian victory and a 1–0 lead in the Frank Worrell Trophy series against the West Indies. During that season's World Series Cup, he scored a half-century and took 5/24 as Australia successfully defended a small total.
ODI opener.
After two unproductive Tests on the 1993 New Zealand tour, Waugh was dropped for the third Test, this time in favour of the younger Damien Martyn. In the ODI series, Australia opted for a new strategy and promoted Waugh to open the batting. He scored 60 and 57 in the first two matches to help set up an Australian victory, then scored his maiden ODI century, 108 in Hamilton. A score of 83 in the final match made him the leading batsman of the series with 308 runs at 61.60.
In the second Test at Lord's—the spiritual home of cricket— Waugh started on six on the second morning scored quickly to reach 99. He was looking for his century during an over by Phil Tufnell. Tufnell was employing his customary defensive approach of pitching the ball outside the leg stump with a leg side field. The first ball was a half-volley and Waugh hit it straight from the middle of the bat. However, the ball hit the short leg fielder in the shins. Later in the over, another leg side ball hit his pads, rolled between his legs and onto the stumps, meaning that Waugh missed out on his century.
Tufnell dismissed him more than ten times in Test matches utilising this tactic. A century against New Zealand in Hobart brought Waugh's total to 987 Test runs for the calendar year.
Bribery claims.
Starting 1994 well, Waugh was named Player of the Finals against South Africa in the World Series Cup and he then scored a century against the same opponents in the drawn third Test in Durban. Later in the year, Waugh claimed that Pakistan captain Saleem Malik had offered him (along with Tim May and Shane Warne) money to perform poorly during a match on the tour of Pakistan. Waugh's performances were beyond reproach: he scored three half-centuries in the Tests and an ODI century during the match in question.
In the first Test of 1994–95, Waugh hit his highest score yet, 140 against England in Brisbane. In the second innings, Australia was seeking quick runs to set up a declaration. Waugh's old sparring partner Tufnell was bowling defensive to a packed leg side field. Waugh attempted a reverse sweep for the first time in his career, attempting to collect runs in the sparsely patrolled off side, but only managed to hit the ball onto his stumps and was bowled for 15. Australia went on to win the Test and Waugh contributed 71 and 29 in another win in Melbourne.
Waugh failed to pass 25 in the rain-affected draw in the third Test in Sydney, before claiming career-best bowling figures of 5/40 in a losing team during the second innings of the fourth Test in Adelaide. In the fifth Test at the WACA, Waugh scored 88 in the first innings before returning as a runner for the injured Craig McDermott. He was run out in a mix-up with his brother while looking for the single that would have given Steve his century. This left his brother on 99 not out with Australia all out. Waugh contributed a further three wickets as Australia completed a 3–1 series win.
On the subsequent tour of the West Indies, Waugh scored what Paul Reiffel described as a "nonchalantly [...] beautiful" 126 and combined with his brother for a 231-run partnership in the deciding fourth Test in Jamaica. This set up victory and Australia's first series win over the West Indies since 1975–76.
Waugh had a productive and consistent 1995–96 Australian summer, scoring two centuries and four half-centuries in six Tests against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He passed 50 in each Test. The series against Pakistan started amidst a new development in the bribery claims against Malik. A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) inquiry cleared Malik and speculated that Waugh and the Australians had concocted the claims. At the start of the season, back injuries forced him to convert to bowling off-spin a during the season. During the first Test in Brisbane, Waugh scored 59 as Australia took an innings victory. He also took his first Test wicket as a spin bowler, that of Inzamam-ul-Haq. Waugh scored 88 in the second Test win in Hobart and the teams moved to Sydney, where Australia sought a clean sweep. He had a poor Test record on his home ground, having accumulated only 126 runs in seven innings at the ground. Waugh's 116 from 206 balls was highlighted by his battle against the spinners Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq and was the mainstay of Australia's first innings of 257. Australia were set 247 for victory and were well placed at 2/117, with Waugh having scored 34 from only 46 deliveries. He was given out caught behind, although the ball only flicked his pad. Australia subsequently collapsed to be all out for 172, losing the Test. Despite the loss, Waugh had compiled 300 runs at 60.00 for the series.
The series against Sri Lanka had started in Perth with speculation regarding Waugh's four consecutive Test ducks. After four hours, Waugh reached his century and ended with 111 to end his run of ducks. On reaching his century, he gestured to a section of the crowd who had been heckling him. Australia won by an innings and Waugh then scored 61 in another innings victory in the second Test in Melbourne. He was batting when off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was repeatedly no-balled for throwing by Darrell Hair, before being bowled by the spinner. Waugh scored 71 in the third Test and ended with 255 runs at 63.75 in a series clean sweep.
During the triangular ODI tournament, Waugh was the Man of the Match in the opening game against the West Indies at the Adelaide Oval, scoring 53 and conceding only 26 runs in 10 overs. Later in the tournament, Waugh returned to the opening position after the omission of Michael Slater, a position he retained until his retirement. In his first match in the role, Waugh scored 130 from 144 balls against Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground. At the time, the innings was the third-highest ODI score by an Australian and the opening partnership of 189 with Taylor was the seventh-highest of all time. In the second final, Waugh made 73 in a 135-run partnership with Taylor and then in an unorthodox tactic, he opened the bowling with his off-spin, taking 1/31. Waugh ended the summer with 357 runs at 35.70 and took six wickets.
1996 World Cup.
Waugh was one of the leading players at the 1996 Cricket World Cup in the Indian subcontinent. Opening the batting, he scored 130 from 130 balls in Australia's opening game against Kenya in Visakhapatnam. He combined in a 207-run partnership with his brother, the first double-century stand in World Cup history. He followed this up with 126 from 135 balls against India in Bombay, frequently hitting through cover and midwicket. The innings made him the first player to score consecutive centuries in World Cup competition. Waugh then dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for 90 when he looked likely to win the game for India. Tendulkar charged down the pitch to Waugh's off spin, who responded by bowling a wide, resulting in the Indian's stumping. Waugh was named Man of the Match on both occasions. He made an unbeaten 76 against Zimbabwe in a nine-wicket win in Nagpur. He scored only 30 from 63 balls, but took 3/38 in the final group game against the West Indies in Jaipur, which Australia lost. Australia progressed to the quarter-finals, where they faced New Zealand in Madras, he scored his third century (110) to guide a successful Australian run chase, again winning the man of the match. The innings took Waugh's tournament tally to 472 runs, the record for Australia in a single tournament. Although he managed only 0 and 12 in the semi-final and final, Waugh finished the tournament with 484 runs at an average of 80.66 and a strike rate of 85.36, second only to Tendulkar. He contributed five wickets with the ball.
After a four-month break, Waugh returned to international duty with a short tour of the subcontinent. In two tournaments, he scored 207 runs at 25.88 in eight matches, scoring exactly 50 in two matches and taking eight wickets at 36.00. The Australians then lost a one-off Test against Delhi at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, with Waugh scoring 26 and 23. He took his best First-class career bowling figures of 6/68 in the tour match against the Indian Board President's XI in Patiala that preceded the Test.
Waugh had a consistent series despite failing to score a century in the five Tests against the West Indies during the 1996–97 home season, He scored four half-centuries, only failing to pass 50 in the third Test, ending the series with 370 runs at 41.11. During the second innings of the second Test in Sydney, Waugh collided with batting partner Matthew Elliott, causing Elliott to be taken from the ground on a stretcher due to a knee injury. The fifth Test in Perth marked the 44th time that the Waugh brothers had played together in Tests, surpassing the world record set by Ian and Greg Chappell in the 1970s. In the limited overs format, Waugh was Australia's leading runscorer in the triangular ODI tournament with 358 runs at 59.66, making 102 against the West Indies in Brisbane. He had scored 1059 ODI runs in the 1996 calendar year. However, the team performance was poor and Australia missed the finals for the first time in 17 years. His batting partner Taylor particularly struggled, with only 143 runs at 17.87, attracting substantial media criticism.
The Australian summer was followed by a tour of South Africa. Waugh made 26 in the opening Test, which Australia won by an innings. In the second Test in Port Elizabeth, Australia were skittled in the first innings for 108 and were forced to chase 270 for victory on a seaming wicket. Waugh came to the crease with Australia at 2/30 on the third afternoon. After a hard-fought afternoon, Australia reached the close of play at 3/154 with Waugh on 54. The next morning he continued to his century, before he was bowled for 116, leaving Australia at 6/258. Australia lost two more wickets, but stumbled to victory with two wickets in hand. The five and half-hour innings is often regarded as his finest Test performance. Waugh ended the series with 209 runs at 41.80.
In the ODI series, he hit an unbeaten 115 to steer at a successful run chase in the second match in Port Elizabeth, hitting consecutive sixes to reach his century. He missed several matches due to injury—the first match due to a back problem and then two further matches when he split his hand webbing while failing to take a catch in the third match. Apart from the century, he scored only three further runs at ended with 118 runs at 59.00 for the series.
Waugh proceeded to England for his second Ashes tour in 1997 and gained attention upon his arrival for questioning the hunger and toughness of the home team. He scored 131 runs at 43.66 as Australia lost all three ODIs, with a top-score of 95 in the final match at The Oval. In the first Test at Edgbaston, Waugh made 5 and 1 as Australia suffered a nine-wicket loss. The English media and public reminded Waugh of his pre-series comments about the England cricket team. To make matters worse, he was hospitalised for two days in the middle of the match with suspected appendicitis. The condition was eventually diagnosed as a severe viral infection. Waugh made only 209 runs at 20.90 for the series, with only one half-century. He hit two centuries in the tour matches, including one against Middlesex at Lord's. In the sixth Test, he was dismissed in both innings by his old sparring partner Tufnell, who he had criticised at the start of the series as a "fairly weak sort of player".
Waugh's performances in England had stirred questions about his position in the team. The scrutiny increased after Waugh failed to pass 20 in the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane and dropped a catch. Waugh made a turnaround in the second Test in Perth, taking a horizontal airborne catch of Chris Cairns at full stretch. He proceeded to score 86, including a lofted drive from Daniel Vettori onto the roof of the Lillee-Marsh Stand. The ball travelled approximately 130 m, one of the longest sixes in history. Australia went on to win the match and Waugh made 81 in the third Test and ended the series with 196 runs at 39.20, enough to save his position in the team.
Consecutive centuries.
In the 1997–98 Test series against South Africa, Waugh finished the year with 0 and 1 against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne. Waugh scored 100 in the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground to set up an Australian victory. This came during a 116-run partnership with his brother, noted for a particularly menacing spell by Allan Donald with the second new ball, repeatedly hitting the twins. He batted out the entire fifth day for an unbeaten 115 in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval to deny the South Africans a victory and win the series for Australia. Having scored 63 in the first innings, Waugh came the crease late on the fourth day with Australia at 2/17 and attempting to survive for a draw. He was dropped early and was 11 at stumps. Waugh continued to resist on the following day and brought up his century. Struck by a bouncer from Shaun Pollock late on the final day, Waugh broke the stumps with his bat while walking away, so South Africa appealed for hit wicket, which was denied. South African skipper Hansie Cronje later speared a stump through the umpires' dressing room in anger at the decision. It was only the second time in his career that he had scored consecutive centuries. Waugh took satisfaction in the fact that his century was responsible for saving the Test. He finished the series with 279 runs at 69.75.
The 1997–98 Australian season marked a change in Waugh's ODI career. The Australian selectors changed their policy and picked Test and ODI teams separately, with specialists chosen accordingly in either form of the game. Waugh's captain and opening partner Taylor was dropped. Australia had trouble finding a suitable partner for Waugh, with Michael di Venuto, Tom Moody and Stuart Law all trialled as his opening partner. Despite the instability, Waugh compiled 104 to help Australia successfully chase a target against New Zealand in a round-robin match at the Adelaide Oval. He finished the series as Australia's leading runscorer with 320 runs at 35.55, and took seven wickets at 25.43. During the finals series, new wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was elevated to the opening position. The new combination got off to a poor start, with Waugh run out for three in a mix-up in the first final, but the pair went on to become Australia's long term opening pair. After losing all four group matches to South Africa, Australia won the finals series 2–1. The partnership with Gilchrist marked a shift in Waugh's role in ODIs. Waugh had previously been more aggressive while Taylor was his partner, but with the naturally aggressive Gilchrist as his partner, Waugh tended to anchor the innings.
Waugh's strong start to the year continued in two brief ODI series in New Zealand and India, in which he scored 374 runs at 41.56 respectively, with three half-centuries. Australia lost the first two Tests in India, with Waugh scoring 66 in the first innings in the first Test in Chennai but otherwise failing to pass 20. In the third Test in Bangalore, Waugh scored his highest Test score of 153 not out while suffering nausea, vomiting and fever. He was 58 at stumps on the second day before being taken ill and requiring overnight injections. It was the first time that he had batted without his helmet, instead using a floppy hat due to the heat and fever. He claimed that he could not recall much of the innings and was batting on "automatic pilot". Waugh was the only Australian to aggregate more than 200 runs for the series, finishing with 280 runs at 70.00. Australia played nine more ODIs for the year in Asia, spread across three series. Waugh scored 266 runs at 23.25. Waugh was also a part of the limited overs team that won a silver medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, losing the final to South Africa. The matches were not accreditedas ODIs by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Australia toured Pakistan in late 1998. In the first Test in Rawalpindi, Waugh scored a duck as Australia won by an innings, its first Test win in Pakistan in 39 years. His tour was disrupted by an appearance at a judicial hearing to give evidence relating to allegations of match-fixing he made against Saleem Malik. After making 42 and 43 in the high-scoring second Test in Peshawar, Waugh scored 117 in the second innings of the third Test in Karachi to end the series with 228 runs at 45.60.
Bribery scandal re-emerges.
Waugh made starts in all four innings of the first two Ashes Tests in Australia in 1998–99, scoring 31, 27*, 36 and 17* as the first two matches were drawn and won respectively. In the build-up to the third Test in Adelaide, news broke that in 1994–95 Waugh and Shane Warne had accepted money from an Indian bookmaker in exchange for pitch and weather information. The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has secretly fined both players for their actions. The ACB's suppression of the case and the actions of the two players were widely condemned.
Waugh was booed when he went out to bat in the first innings and, apparently rattled by the hostile reception, he batted scratchily for 36 minutes before being dismissed for seven. He regarded it as the most difficult day of his career. In the second innings, he scored an unbeaten 51 and was given a standing ovation by some parts of the crowd in contrast to other hostile sections. He took three catches in England's second innings as Australia won the match to retain the Ashes. Waugh scored 36 and 43 in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which saw him pass 1,000 Test runs for the calendar year.
Waugh started 1999 as he did the previous year, with a century in the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. After being dropped before he had scored, Waugh scored 121 in five hours on the first day, sharing a partnership of 190 with his brother. He became the fifth Australian to take 100 Test catches when he caught Nasser Hussain in the first innings from the bowling of Colin Miller. Australia won the Test and Waugh ended the series with 393 runs at 56.14, placing him second in the batting averages. In the ODI series, he scored six consecutive half-centuries in a consistent run that augured well for the upcoming World Cup. His tally of 542 runs at 49.27 was the highest for the tournament. For the majority of the ODI tournament, Waugh acted as vice-captain to Warne as his brother Steve was sidelined by a hamstring strain.
1999 World Cup.
Taylor retired after the Australian summer and Waugh's brother became the Test captain and the first assignment was a tour of the Caribbean. Waugh had a modest Test series, finishing with 202 runs at 25.25 as Australia retained the Frank Worrell Trophy 2–2. His best score was 67 in the first innings of second Test, which was terminated when he was bowled by a ball that scooted along the ground. Speculation about his future began to simmer again. He then made 217 runs at 31.00 in the ODIs, Australia's second highest runscorer, before the team headed to England for the 1999 World Cup.
Waugh started the tournament with a Man of the Match 67 against Scotland in Worcester as Australia unconvincingly won by four wickets in its first match. He then scored two and 41 as Australia lost to New Zealand and Pakistan respectively, leaving them needing to avoid defeat in all of their remaining matches to win the World Cup. Waugh scored only 33 and three as Australia defeated Bangladesh and the West Indies to progress to the Super Six phase. Needing to win all their matches, Waugh top-scored with 83 against India at The Oval in a win. He then scored 104 from 120 balls against Zimbabwe at Lord's in another victory. In the process, he passed Allan Border's Australian record of 6,524 ODI career runs and became the first person to score four centuries in World Cup competition. He dedicated this achievement to his dying grandfather. He was then run out for five in the final Super Six match against South Africa. In the semi-final against same team, he was dismissed without scoring. Waugh participated in the final play of the match. With the scores tied in the last over of South Africa's run chase and with one wicket remaining, he fielded the ball as Lance Klusener and Allan Donald attempted the winning run. The South Africans had a mix-up and a run out resulted in a tie. The Australians progressed to the final as they had won their previous meeting.
In the final against Pakistan at Lord's, he set the tone of the match with a sideways diving catch to dismiss Wajahatullah Wasti. Pakistan were bowled out for 132. Waugh was 37 not out when Darren Lehmann struck the winning runs. He finished the tournament with 375 runs at 41.67, making him Australia's second highest runscorer for the tournament.
In late 1999, Australia toured Sri Lanka. Waugh continued to perform in the ODIs, with 174 runs at 34.80, but his Test troubles continued with 29 runs at 7.25. In six Tests on the island nation, he had managed 90 runs at an average of 9.00. Australia proceeded to Zimbabwe, where Waugh scored 90 in a ten-wicket win. Had he reached his century, Waugh would have become the first player to record centuries against the eight other Test-playing nations. Waugh then scored 106 from 97 balls in the first ODI before scoring 54* in the second match. That ended his ODI year, with a total of 1468 runs at 44.48.
Close to omission and 100th Test match.
He made a strong start to the 1999–00 Australian summer, scoring 100 in the first Test against Pakistan in Brisbane and then taking a reflex catch to dismiss Inzamam-ul-Haq in the second Test at Bellerive Oval, although he only scored five and a duck. However, after a duck in the third Test in Perth, he gave a poor display in the first Test against India at the Adelaide Oval which led to calls for his axing. After being dismissed for five in the first innings, he came out to bat in the second innings late on the third day and was protected from the strike by Greg Blewett, who refused to take singles hit into the outfield. After being jeered, he was eventually dismissed the next day for eight, after batting almost an hour. Waugh made only one and 25 in an interstate match following the Test but was retained for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He managed a survivalist 41 in the first innings and an unbeaten 51 against the backdrop of a supportive crowd. He was then on a hat-trick in the second innings as Australia won the Test. Waugh was retained and made his 100th Test appearance in the 2000 New Year's Test in Sydney, where he scored 32 in his only innings.
Further poor displays in the early phase of the subsequent ODI tournament, including an innings of 3 from 30 balls, lead to repeated calls for his omission, until he scored a 116 at the Adelaide Oval on Australia Day against India to lay the foundation for Australia's largest ever total on home soil of 5/329. Waugh ended the series with 305 runs at 30.50 and was retained for the tour of New Zealand, where he scored a respectable 206 runs at 41.20 in the abbreviated form of the game including two half-centuries. He then scored an unbeaten 72 in the first Test at Eden Park to set up a victory in a low-scoring game—only one other player passed 20. Waugh ended the series with 190 runs at 47.50 as Australia won 3–0. However, a run of seven ODIs during the 2000 Australian winter including two series against South Africa in which he tallied only 84 runs at 12.00 again saw further media speculation of impending demise.
Return to form.
After the being close to omission the previous season, Waugh made a good start to the 2000–01 season, scoring 119 against the West Indies in the second Test in Perth. He added two further half-centuries to total 339 runs at 48.4 as the Windies were defeated 5–0. His productive summer continued in the limited overs format when he went on to score an Australian ODI record of 173 in the second tri-series final against the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was one of three ODI centuries he scored in that tournament, the others being a 112 and 102, both not out, against the West Indies and Zimbabwe respectively. In total he scored 540 runs in the series at an average of 108.00. As the leading runscorer by far in the tournament, he was expected to be named Player of the Series, resulting in widespread crowd jeering when it was instead awarded to Brian Lara. Waugh was also tipped to win the Allan Border Medal due to his prolific runscoring that year. However, despite leading the player votes with 32, the umpire and media thought otherwise, awarding Steve Waugh 37 votes to his 32, making Steve the winner 65–64.
The 2001 tour of India saw Australia's 16 Test winning streak come to an end when India claimed the series 2–1. Waugh scored 70 and 57 in the third Test in Chennai to finish with 149 runs at 29.80 in a difficult series. Waugh continued his fine ODI form with another century, an unbeaten 133 against India in the second ODI, but was forced to return home after his finger was fractured by a Javagal Srinath delivery.
Catching world record.
During the 2001 Ashes series, Waugh topped the aggregates with 430 runs, scoring Test centuries at Lord's (108) and The Oval (120). He broke Mark Taylor's world record of 157 Test catches. Waugh was unable to maintain this form in the 2001–02 Australian summer: he totalled 269 (at 33.6) in six Tests against New Zealand and South Africa, without a century. Media scrutiny of his inability to combat short-pitched bowling increased and led to speculation about his long-term future in the team.
Nevertheless, he passed two major milestones: the Test at Adelaide marked the 100th Test in which both Waughs played, while the following game was his 100th consecutive Test match. Waugh and fellow ODI opener Adam Gilchrist both hit a batting slump during the VB series, with Waugh averaging 26 for the series and Gilchrist less. Frequent poor starts to the innings resulted in Australia's failure to qualify for the final of the tri-series for the first time in five years. Later in the year, the selectors reacted by dropping Steve and Mark Waugh, the oldest members of the team, in favour of younger players.
Final series.
Maintaining his place in the Test team, Waugh toured South Africa in early 2002. Although he passed 15 in each of his innings, he managed only one half-century in his 169 runs at 33.8. In an attempt to regain form, he had a brief stint with Essex in the English County Championship. In the subsequent three-Test series against Pakistan, played on neutral grounds in Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates due to security reasons, he made only 80 runs at 20. Waugh retired from international cricket in late 2002 after being omitted for the upcoming Test series against England in favour of Darren Lehmann.
Waugh retired as Australia's highest run scorer and century maker (18) in ODI cricket, with these records having since been broken by Ricky Ponting. His world record of 181 Test catches was broken by India's Rahul Dravid in 2009.
Fielding.
Waugh took a record 181 catches in Test matches, the second highest for a non-wicketkeeper. He primarily fielded in the second slip position whilst a fast bowler was operating. He would field at silly point whilst a spin bowler was operating and then at first slip for a spinner following the retirement of Mark Taylor. Additionally, he would field at mid-wicket or short mid-wicket when he was not required in a close catching position and also during ODIs.
Involvement with bookmakers.
In 1993, Waugh was a member of the Australian team competing in the Hong Kong Sixes; one of the Indian team was Test all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar. A report by the Central Bureau of Investigation in 2000 implicated Prabhakar for acting as a conduit for bookmakers involved in illegal cricket betting, which resulted in Prabhakar receiving a five-year suspension from the game. The report also documented allegations by Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta that Prabhakar had introduced him to Waugh during the tournament and that Waugh was paid A$20,000 for insider information about the Australian team, pitch conditions and weather information.
When the allegations were made public by the report in November 2000, Waugh immediately pledged to co-operate with any inquiry. In January 2001, the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit and the ACB's special investigator Greg Melick requested an interview with Waugh, which his management "presently declined". Waugh received legal advice to seek further clarification of the scope of the investigation. After condemnation from the ACB and media, and the possibility of losing his contract with the ACB, Waugh agreed to the interview. He was cleared in August 2001.
During the Singer World Series tournament, played in Sri Lanka during September 1994, Waugh made a decision which came back to affect his career four years later. He was approached in Colombo by an Indian named "John", a bookmaker who asked him for general pitch and weather information as well as insider team information. In return, Waugh received US$4,000. The arrangement continued during the 1994–95 Australian summer, but he refused to divulge inside team information. Waugh introduced "John" to Shane Warne.
On the 1994 tour of Pakistan, Waugh claimed that along with Warne and Tim May, he was offered A$200,000 to underperform by Pakistan captain Saleem Malik. The offer was in regard to an ODI played in Rawalpindi on 22 October. Waugh says he rejected the bribe and went on to score 121* from 134 deliveries in the match. The trio signed a statement in early 1995 stating their claims, which were forwarded to the ICC. In October 1995, a Pakistan Cricket Board inquiry led by former Pakistan Supreme Court judge Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim ruled that the allegations, "are not worthy of any credence and must be rejected as unfounded". Further, he stated that they "appear to have been concocted".
However, during the 1998 tour of Pakistan, the issue was again raised, as the Government of Pakistan had initiated a separate judicial inquiry into general issues regarding the performance of the Pakistani team and allegations of illegal betting by past and former players. Waugh, along with his captain Mark Taylor and ACB CEO Malcolm Speed, were summoned to Lahore by PCB CEO Majid Khan to appear before an inquiry led by Justice Malik Mohammed Qayyum.
In December 1998, prior to the Adelaide Test match against England, news broke that Waugh and Warne were involved with "John" four years earlier and had been fined by the ACB. Both players were required to make public statements acknowledging that they had been, "naive and stupid" and reasserting that they were not involved in corruption. The players were widely condemned by the media and public, with Prime Minister of Australia John Howard stating that he felt an "intense feeling of disappointment". Former Test player Neil Harvey called for both players to be banned. In May 2000, the PCB banned Malik for life, after a recommendation from the Qayyum investigation, which concluded that Malik had attempted to bribe Waugh, Warne and May.
After cricket.
In 2002, he did a brief stint as Nine Network cricket commentator during the 3-match Australia-Pakistan ODI series.
Waugh was previously a commentator on Network Ten for the Big Bash as well as a national selector. In 2018, Ten lost the rights to the Big Bash.
He was named as an opening batsman in Australia's "greatest ever ODI team." He was also inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame by the CA in 2014.
In 2018–19, Waugh will join Adam Gilchrist as a cricket commentator for Fox Sports.
After separating from Sue Porter - his partner of 17 years in 2004 - he then married Sydney Cup-winning thoroughbred trainer Kim Waugh (née Moore) on 9 April 2005.


Steven Bradbury

Steven John Bradbury (born 14 October 1973) is an Australian former short track speed skater and four-time Olympian. He won the 1,000 m event at the 2002 Winter Olympics after all of his opponents were involved in a last corner pile-up. He was the first athlete from the Southern Hemisphere and Australia to win a Winter Olympic gold medal and was also part of the short track relay team that won Australia's first Winter Olympic medal, a bronze in 1994.
1991 World Championships & 1992 Winter Olympics.
In 1991, Bradbury was part of the Australian quartet that won the 5,000 m relay at the World Championships in Sydney. It was the first time Australia had won a World Championship in a winter sport.
Australia's short track relay team went into the 1992 Winter Olympics as world champions, but the team crashed in the semi-finals. The Australians were in third place when Richard Nizielski lost his footing; they finished fourth and failed to reach the final. Bradbury was unable to help, as he had been named as the reserve for the team and was sitting on the bench. He was not selected for any individual events.
1994 Winter Olympics.
At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, Bradbury was part of the short track relay team that won Australia's first Winter Olympic medal, a bronze. They scraped into the four-team final after edging out Japan and New Zealand to finish second in their semi-final. They adopted a plan of staying on their feet as first priority, and remaining undisqualified and beating at least one of the other three finalists. During the race, the Canadians fell and lost significant time, meaning that Australia would win their first medal if they raced conservatively and avoided a crash. Late in the race, Nizielski was fighting with his American counterpart for track position for the silver medal, but took the safe option and yielded, mindful of the lost opportunity following the crash in Albertville. Thus Bradbury, Nizielski, Andrew Murtha and Kieran Hansen became Australia's first Winter Olympics medallists.
Bradbury was also entered in the 500 m and 1,000 m individual events and was the favourite going into the latter. In the first event, Bradbury came second in his heat in a time of 45.43 s and then won his quarterfinal in a time of 44.18 s to qualify for the semifinal. In the semifinal, Bradbury was knocked over by a rival and he limped home fourth, in a time of 1 m 03.51 s and was eliminated. He came fourth in the B final and was classified eighth overall out of 31 competitors. In the 1,000 m event, Bradbury fell in his heat after being illegally pushed by a competitor who was later disqualified. He came home in 2 m 01.89 s, more than 30 s off the leaders' pace and was eliminated. Nevertheless, because of the high rate of accidents, Bradbury came 24th out of 31 competitors.
During a 1994 World Cup event in Montreal, another skater's blade sliced through Bradbury's right thigh after a collision; it cut through to the other side and he lost four litres of blood. Bradbury's heart rate had been up near 200 at the end of the race and this meant that blood was being pumped out fast. All four of his quadriceps muscles had been sliced through, and Bradbury thought that he would die if he lost consciousness. He needed 111 stitches and could not move for three weeks. His leg needed 18 months before it was back to full strength.
1998 Winter Olympics.
Bradbury, Nizielski and Kieran Hansen, three of the quartet that won Australia's maiden medal in 1994, returned for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan with new teammate Richard Goerlitz. There were hopes that they could repeat their Lillehammer performance. However, in their qualifying race, they placed third in a time of 7 m 11.691 s and missed the final by one place, even though they had been two seconds faster than their medal-winning performance of 1994. They completed the course four seconds slower in the B final and came last in the race, and thus last out of eight teams overall.
Bradbury was again regarded as a medal contender in the individual events, but was impeded in collisions with other racers in both the 500 m and 1,000 m events. He came third in the heats of both races, posting times of 43.766 s and 1 m 33.108 s in each race. Neither of these times were fast enough to advance him to the quarterfinals and he came 19th and 21st out of 30 competitors respectively.
In September 2000, Bradbury broke his neck in a training accident. Another skater fell in front of him and Bradbury tried to jump over him, but instead clipped him and tripped head first into the barriers. As a result, Bradbury fractured his C4 and C5 vertebrae. He spent a month and a half in a halo brace, and needed four pins to be inserted in his skull and screws and plates bolted into his back and chest. Doctors told Bradbury that he would not be able to take to the ice again, but he was determined to reach another Olympics. He wanted redemption after the crashes in the individual races in 1994 and 1998, even though he conceded that he would be past his best in terms of challenging for the medals.
2002 Winter Olympics.
Bradbury took an unlikely gold medal win in the men's short track 1000 metres event at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games. He won his heat convincingly in the 1,000 m, posting a time of 1:30.956. However, in the quarter-finals, Bradbury was allocated to the same race as Apolo Anton Ohno, the favourite from the host nation, and Marc Gagnon of Canada, the defending world champion. Only the top two finishers from each race would proceed to the semifinals. Bradbury finished third in his race and thought himself to be eliminated, but Gagnon was disqualified for obstructing another racer, allowing the Australian to advance to the semi-finals.
After consulting his national coach Ann Zhang, Bradbury's strategy from the semi-final onwards was to cruise behind his opponents and hope that they crashed, as he could not match their pace. His reasoning was that risk-taking by the favourites could cause a collision due to a racing incident, and if two or more skaters fell, the remaining three would all get medals, and that as he was slower than his opponents, trying to challenge them directly would only increase his own chances of falling. Bradbury said that he was satisfied with his result, and felt that as the second-oldest competitor in the field, he was not able to match his opponents in four races on the same night.
In his semi-final race, Bradbury was in last place, well off the pace of the medal favourites. However, defending champion Kim Dong-sung of South Korea, multiple Olympic medallist Li Jiajun of China and Mathieu Turcotte of Canada all crashed, paving the way for Bradbury to take first place and advancing him through to the final.
In the final, Bradbury was again well off the pace when all four of his competitors (Ohno, Ahn Hyun-Soo, Li and Turcotte) crashed out at the final corner while jostling for the gold medal. This allowed Bradbury, who was around 15 m behind with only 50 m to go, to avoid the pile-up and take the victory. Bradbury became the first person from the southern hemisphere country to win a Winter Olympic event. After a period of delay, the judges upheld the result and did not order a re-race, confirming Bradbury's victory.
In an interview after winning his gold, referring to his two career- and life-threatening accidents, Bradbury said "Obviously I wasn't the fastest skater. I don't think I'll take the medal as the minute-and-a-half of the race I actually won. I'll take it as the last decade of the hard slog I put in." He also said "I was the oldest bloke in the field and I knew that, skating four races back to back, I wasn't going to have any petrol left in the tank. So there was no point in getting there and mixing it up because I was going to be in last place anyway. So (I figured) I might as well stay out of the way and be in last place and hope that some people get tangled up."
He later said that he never expected all of his opponents to fall, but added that he felt that the other four racers were under extreme pressure and might have over-attacked and taken too many risks. Bradbury cited the host nation pressure on Ohno, who was expected to win all four of his events. Li, much like Bradbury himself, had won Olympic medals but was yet to take a gold medal, Turcotte only had one individual event, and Ahn had been the form racer at the Olympics so far. Bradbury felt that none would be willing to settle for less than gold and that as a result, they might collide.
Bradbury had three other events at the 2002 Winter Olympics. In the relay event, the Australians came third in their heat in a time of 7:19.177 and failed to make the final. They came second in the B final and finished sixth out of seven teams. In the 1,500 m event, Bradbury came third in his heat, before placing fourth in the semi-final and being eliminated. He then came fifth in the B final to finish 10th out of 29 entrants. He was unable to maintain his speed through the competition; after posting a time of 2:22.632 in the heats, Bradbury slowed by three seconds in each of his next two races. In the 500 m event, Bradbury came second in his heat and was eliminated after coming third in his quarter-final. He finished 14th out of 31 overall.
Legacy.
The unlikely win turned Bradbury into something of a folk hero, comparable to ski jumper Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards and the 1988 Jamaican bobsleigh team. Many newspapers hailed Bradbury and held him as an example of the value of an underdog never giving up, regardless of the odds against them. The unusual manner of his victory made news across the world. However, some unhappy American commentators also made fun of the race and used it to criticise what they perceived as a lack of merit required to win a short track event. "USA Today" said "The first winter gold medal in the history of Australia fell out of the sky like a bagged goose. He looked like the tortoise behind four hares", while the "Boston Globe" said that "multiple crashes that allow the wrong person to win are part of the deal".
Bradbury's feat has entered the Australian colloquial vernacular in the phrase "doing a Bradbury", or "Bradburied" (as a verb) meaning an unexpected or unusual success. Bradbury's triumph was celebrated by Australia Post issuing a 45-cent stamp of him, which followed on from it issuing stamps of Australian gold medallists at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Bradbury's stamp was issued on 20 February 2002, four days after his victory. He received $20,000 for the use of his image. He said the fee "should get me a car. I haven’t had a car for a long time", and later described having a stamp issued as "a great honour". Before the Olympics, Bradbury had needed to borrow $1,000 from his parents to fix his old car in order to go to training. Bradbury was courted for sponsorship after his triumph and was interviewed on many American television shows. He had previously supported himself by making skating boots in a backyard workshop; his Revolutionary Boot Company supplied Ohno with free boots, and Bradbury had asked Ohno to endorse his boots when he won in Salt Lake City, not thinking that he would defeat the American.
Retirement.
Bradbury retired after the 2002 Olympics. He commentated at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and for the Nine Network and Foxtel at the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2005, Bradbury was a contestant in the second series of the Australian television show "Dancing with the Stars".
In 2019, he competed in the sixth season of "Australian Survivor". He was eliminated on Day 12 and finished in 20th place.
Motor racing career.
After retiring from skating, Bradbury participated in competitive motor racing. After placing fourth in the 2005 Australian Grand Prix Celebrity Race, he competed in Queensland state-level Formula Vee championship events in 2006 and 2007, placing sixth in both years. In 2007, he raced in the National Formula Vee Championships at Morgan Park Raceway, placing 15th.
In 2009, Bradbury competed in the Australian Mini Challenge at the Tasmanian round and 2010 at Queensland Raceway as their Uber Star. He also made a one-off appearance in the V8 Ute Series at Adelaide in March 2010, driving with regular Ute racer Jason Gomersall on the support program of the 2010 Clipsal 500.
Honours.
In 2007, Bradbury was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his Olympic gold medal win. He was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in that year.
In 2009, Bradbury was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.


Paddy Driscoll

John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll (January 11, 1895 – June 29, 1968) was an American football and baseball player and football coach. A triple-threat man in football, he was regarded as the best drop kicker and one of the best overall players in the early years of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.
Driscoll played college football as a quarterback and halfback for the Northwestern football team in 1915 and 1916. In 1917, he played Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Chicago Cubs. He joined the United States Navy during World War I and played for the undefeated 1918 Great Lakes Navy football team that won the 1919 Rose Bowl.
Driscoll played professional football as a quarterback and halfback for the Hammond All-Stars (1917), Hammond Pros (1919), Racine/Chicago Cardinals (1920–1925), and Chicago Bears (1926–1929). He was the NFL's first All-Pro quarterback and its leading scorer in 1923 and 1926. He also led the 1925 Chicago Cardinals to an NFL championship and was selected in 1969 for the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.
Driscoll also worked for many years as a football coach. He was the head coach of Chicago Cardinals from 1920 to 1922 and at Marquette from 1937 to 1940. He spent the last 28 years of his life with the Chicago Bears as an assistant coach (1941–1955), head coach (1956–1957), and later as the director of the Bears' research and planning unit.
Early years and Northwestern.
Driscoll was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1895. His father, Timothy Driscoll, was an Irish immigrant who worked as a stone cutter. His mother, Elizabeth, was born in Wisconsin to Irish parents. He attended Evanston Township High School.
Driscoll enrolled at Northwestern University in 1914. He played for the Northwestern football team in 1915 and 1916 and became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. In 1916, Driscoll led the team to a 6–1 record and a second-place finish in the Western Conference. On October 21, 1916, Driscoll, who at the time weighed only 143 pounds, scored nine points on a touchdown and a field goal in a 10–0 victory over Chicago, Northwestern's first victory in 15 years over the Maroons. In 1916, he was selected as a first-team halfback on the 1916 All-Western Conference football team. He was also selected as a second-team All-American by the United Press and a third-team All-American by Walter Camp.
Driscoll also played for Northwestern's basketball and baseball teams. In December 1916, he was reportedly declared ineligible by Northwestern faculty investigating his standing.
Playing career.
Chicago Cubs.
During the summer of 1917, Driscoll played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs. He made his debut on June 12 and appeared in 13 games, 8 of them as a third baseman, for the Cubs. In 32 plate appearances, he compiled a .107 batting average with a double, three runs batted in, two bases on balls, and two stolen bases.
Hammond Clabbys.
Driscoll made his professional football debut in 1917 with the Hammond Clabbys. He led the team to the professional championship of Indiana and quickly became a star. Driscoll's 1917 season highlights including the following:
At the end of the 1917 season, Driscoll was selected by Indiana sports writer Heze Clark as the quarterback on the 1917 All-Pro Team.
Great Lakes Navy.
In March 1918, Driscoll enlisted in the United States Navy during World War I and was given the rank of petty officer. He was assigned to Naval Station Great Lakes and played for the Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team in the fall of 1918. Driscoll's teammates on the 1918 Great Lakes team included George Halas, with whom Driscoll formed a lifelong friendship, and Jimmy Conzelman, all three of whom were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Due to protests from some opponents over Driscoll's professional status, he was not allowed to play in a number of early games. On November 16, 1918, Driscoll scored six touchdowns, including an 80-yard run, and kicked five extra points in the Naval Station's 54–14 victory over a Rutgers team starring Paul Robeson.
The 1918 Great Lakes football team compiled a 6–0–2 record and defeated the Mare Island Marines by a 17–0 score in the 1919 Rose Bowl. In the Rose Bowl, he drop-kicked a field goal and threw a touchdown pass to George Halas. After the game, the "Los Angeles Times" wrote: "Driscoll needs no praise. He is the greatest back-field star we have ever seen in Southern California and had at his command as fine a team of football players as any player could ask."
Los Angeles Angels.
Driscoll returned to professional baseball in 1919. In February 1919, weeks after his starring performance in the Rose Bowl, he was traded by the Cubs to the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. The Angels planned to play Driscoll at shortstop, and the "Los Angeles Times" opined: "If he can dash around the diamond like he does across the tanbark there won't be a whole lot for the remainder of the Angel infield to do." He appeared in 39 games for the Angels and compiled a .264 batting average and .380 slugging percentage with three doubles, four triples, and a home run.
Hammond All-Stars.
In the fall of 1919, Driscoll and George Halas (along with Paul Des Jardien and Bert Baston) played for the Hammond All-Stars, which became one of the founding teams in the National Football League one year later. On November 23, 1919, Driscoll led Hammond to a 33–0 victory over Toledo at Wrigley Field. He drop-kicked a field goal from the 35-yard line, returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown, and kicked three extra points. Four days later, Hammond lost to the Canton Bulldogs who won the professional championship; Driscoll's fumble of the opening kickoff set up a touchdown run by Jim Thorpe for the game's only scoring.
Racine/Chicago Cardinals.
1920 season.
In September 1920, Driscoll signed to play with and captain the Racine Cardinals (so named because the team's home field, Normal Park, was located on Racine Avenue in Chicago) in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League). The 1920 season is recognized as the inaugural season of the NFL. Highlights of Driscoll's 1920 season include:
The Cardinals finished the 1920 season with a 7–2–2, good for fourth place out of 14 teams in the NFL's inaugural season. Driscoll was selected as the first-team quarterback on the 1920 All-Pro Team, making the first All-Pro quarterback in NFL history.
1921 season.
In 1921, Driscoll returned to the Cardinals as the team's quarterback and captain, he also did "most of the coaching". Highlights of Driscoll's 1921 season include:
The Cardinals finished their 1921 season with a 6–3–2 record (3–3–2 against APFA opponents). Driscoll was not selected as an All-Pro.
1922 season.
As quarterback and coach, Driscoll led the 1922 Chicago Cardinals to an 8–3 record, good for third place in the NFL. Highlights of Driscoll's 1922 season include:
At the end of the 1922 season, Driscoll was picked as a first-team All-Pro at the halfback position.
1923 season.
During the 1923 season, Driscoll appeared in eight of the Cardinals' games and led the team to an 8–4 record and led the team with 78 points on seven touchdowns, 10 field goals, and six extra points. Despite appearing in only two-thirds of the Cardinals' games, Driscoll was the NFL's leading scorer during the 1923 NFL season. At the end of the season, he was selected as a consensus first-team halfback on the 1923 All-Pro Team. Highlights of Driscoll's 1923 season included the following:
1924 season.
In the opening game of the 1924 season, Driscoll drop-kicked a 55-yard field goal that stood as an NFL field goal record until 1953. He also scored a touchdown and kicked an extra point in the game. The following week, he kicked a 40-yard field goal for the only points of the game in a 3–0 victory over Green Bay. He secured his reputation as "the greatest drop kicker in the National Football league." In October 1924, he gave advice on proper drop-kicking technique in a syndicated newspaper piece.
1925 season.
Driscoll led the 1925 Cardinals to a 12–2–1 record and the NFL championship. Driscoll was the team's leading scorer with 67 points on 11 field goals, four touchdowns, and 10 extra points. He was the NFL's second highest scorer in 1925, trailing only Charlie Berry. After the season, he was selected as a consensus first-team player on the 1925 All-Pro Team. Highlights of Driscoll's 1925 season included the following:
Chicago Bears.
1926 season.
In September 1926, Driscoll was sold by the Cardinals to the Chicago Bears. The Cardinals' decision was prompted by an offer Driscoll received for a much higher salary to play in C. C. Pyle's American Football League; the Cardinals could not meet the higher salary and sold him to the Bears in hopes Driscoll would sign there and remain in the NFL. Driscoll signed a contract with the Bears at a reported salary of $10,000. Driscoll started all 16 games for the 1926 Bears, led the team to a 12–1–3 record, and scored a career-high 86 points on six touchdowns, 12 field goals, and 14 extra points. For the second time in four years, Driscoll was the NFL's leading scorer. He also broke his own NFL records with 12 field goals in a single season. At the end of the season, he was selected as a consensus first-team halfback on the 1926 All-Pro Team.
Coaching and administrative career.
St. Mel and Chicago Cardinals.
From 1924 to 1936, Driscoll was the athletic director and basketball and football coach at St. Mel High School in Chicago. During Driscoll's tenure with St. Mel, the school won 24 championships in football, basketball, and swimming. The school won the national Catholic basketball championship in 1924 and was national runner-up in 1931. During the first half of the 1930s, he also served as a scout for the Chicago Bears.
On November 3, 1936, Driscoll was hired as an assistant coach for the Chicago Cardinals. Before Driscoll joined the coaching staff, the 1936 Cardinals had lost seven consecutive games. After Driscoll joined the staff, the Cardinals compiled a 3–1–1 record.
Marquette.
In March 1937, Driscoll was hired as the head football coach at Marquette University in Milwaukee. The Marquette football team performed poorly in four years under Driscoll, compiling records of 3–6 in 1937, 1–7 in 1938, 4–4 in 1939, and 2–6–1 in 1940. His overall coaching record at Marquette was 10–23–1. On October 19, 1940, after a 7–7 tie with Creighton, Driscoll tendered his resignation, effective at the end of the 1940 season.
Chicago Bears.
In July 1941, Driscoll was hired as an assistant coach of the Chicago Bears. He remained as an assistant coach under George Halas for the next 15 years through the 1955 season. During Driscoll's tenure as an assistant coach with the Bears, club won four NFL championships in 1941, 1942, 1943, and 1946.
In February 1956, Driscoll was hired by George Halas as his successor as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Driscoll led the 1956 Bears to the NFL Western Division championship with a 9–2–1 record. The Bears lost to the New York Giants in the 1956 NFL Championship Game. He remained head coach of the Bears in 1957, compiling a 5–7 record. In 1958, Halas returned as the Bears' head coach, with Driscoll becoming administrative vice president with responsibilities for "methods and organization in the competitive phases of the club's operations."
Driscoll remained employed by the Bears in an administrative capacity, serving as team vice president. In June 1963, he was appointed director of the Bears' research and planning unit, including responsibility for game films and scouting charts.
Awards and honors.
Driscoll received multiple honors and awards arising out of his accomplishments as a football player, including the following:
Family and later years.
Driscoll married Mary Loretta McCarthy in June 1928 at St. Ita's Catholic Church in Chicago. They had a son, John, born in 1932. In 1960, his wife died after a long illness in Evanston at age 57. He lived in his later years in Park Ridge, Illinois, with his son John.
Driscoll died in 1968 at Chicago's Illinois Masonic Hospital at the age of 73. He had entered the hospital for treatment of a leg ailment. He was buried at the All Saints Catholic Cemetery in Des Plaines, Illinois. George Halas called Driscoll "the greatest athlete I ever knew."


Bruce Coulter

Bruce Coulter (November 19, 1927 – June 5, 2018) was a Canadian football player and coach. He played ten seasons for the Montreal Alouettes, winning the Grey Cup in 1949. He then went on to coach 29 seasons for the Bishop's Gaiters. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997.