Mick Blake
| Mick Blake | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Michael Patrick Blake | ||
| Date of birth | 13 September 1874 | ||
| Place of birth | St Kilda, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 2 January 1931 (aged 56) | ||
| Place of death | St Kilda, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Collegians | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1897–1899 | St Kilda | 30 (5) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1899. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Michael Patrick Blake (13 September 1874 – 2 January 1931) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Biography[edit]
Early life and family[edit]
Blake was born in St Kilda, Victoria on 13 September 1874, one of 11 children to Irish emigrants John Blake and Ellen Coen, who came from County Galway.[1] He had seven brothers, many of whom were also gifted sportsmen, two of them played in the VFL.[2] A younger brother, George Blake, was a two-time olympic long-distance runner who also appeared in the VFL, for St Kilda and Carlton.[1] James Blake and Tom Blake, both elder brothers, played football for the same two clubs.[3] James, who captained St Kilda, retired by the time the VFL was formed, but Tom continued his career in the VFL.[4] Another brother, Harry Blake, was a prominent cross country runner.[5]
He had three children with wife Holly: Allyn, Thomas and Winifred.[6]
Football[edit]
Recruited from Collegians, Blake started his career with Carlton in the VFA, where he played until transferring to St Kilda in the 1895 season.[7][8]
At Carlton he had played under the captaincy of his brother Tom and was described by the Sporting Globe as having been one of the formidable ruckmen in the team.[1]
He missed St Kilda's inaugural league game in the 1897 VFL season but was in the side from round two and played 13 games that year, followed by 14 in 1898.[9] Both were winless seasons and he was also in the losing team for his three appearances in 1899, which agonisingly included a two-point loss.[9] He didn't continue in 1900 and finished his VFL career with 30 games and no wins, joint fourth most in the league's history, all ahead of him played for University.[10]
Other sports[edit]
Blake, a member of the Collegian Harriers, was also an amateur athlete like some of his brothers.[1] He first competed in athletics at the Victorian 10-mile cross-country championships in 1891.[1] In addition to athletics and football, Blake was a good enough diver to win the Victorian title, in a field which included Cecil Healy.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f ""Mick" Blake passes". Sporting Globe (First ed.). Melbourne. 17 January 1931. p. 6. Retrieved 4 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Late Mr J. J. Blake". Sporting Globe (1 ed.). Melbourne. 5 June 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 4 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Tom Blake". Blueseum – Online Carlton Football Club Museum. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. Melbourne. 10 June 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 4 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Obituary". The Australasian. Melbourne. 18 May 1935. p. 9. Retrieved 4 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. Melbourne. 3 January 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 4 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
- ^ "Football". The Argus. Melbourne. 4 May 1895. p. 9. Retrieved 4 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "AFL Tables – Mick Blake – Games Played". AFL Tables. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ "AFL Tables – Miscellaneous Player Records". AFL Tables. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
External links[edit]
- Mick Blake's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Mick Blake at AustralianFootball.com