Toast Jim Miller Celebrates His 100th Birthday

[Oliver G]

Today is a very special day for the Bulldogs with our oldest living past player and past president celebrating his 100th birthday.

Jim Miller (169cm, 67kg) played 131 games for Footscray between 1938-1948, kicking 27 goals and averaging 17 kicks and 5 marks (limited games with stats) during his career.

He wore four different numbers for us starting with 32 (1938), 19 (1939), 14 (1941-41, 44-48), 33 (1943).

AustralianFootball has an expanded biography and career stats available for anyone interested...

https://australianfootball.com/Players/player/Jim Miller/6286

There is also a article that went up on the Bulldogs website this afternoon...

The cliched headline "local boy makes good" could have been written specifically for Jim Miller, a born and bred Bulldog who turns 100 today.

Miller was born in Footscray, and cut his footy teeth in the Footscray District League before being snapped up by the Bulldogs, prior to the 1938 season.

The FDL was a fertile Bulldogs breeding ground in the 1930s, producing players such as Joe Ryan, Harry Hickey and Bob Spargo Senior who, along with Miller were all part of the first Footscray team to play in a VFL final in 1938, Miller's first season at the highest level.

The Dogs fell short in that semi-final but Miller and his locally recruited teammates formed part of a core of players that helped Footscray qualify for finals again in 1942, 1944 and 1946, making the Bulldogs the most successful of the three sides (the others being Hawthorn and North Melbourne) that had joined the VFL in 1925.

Miller gave the Dogs fine service over 131 games in 11 years, a figure that would have been significantly higher if not for the disruption of war.

Miller served in both the Army and the RAAF during World War II (he played several games for South Sydney when he was posted to NSW while in service).

Jim Miller played out the twilight of his on-field career as captain-coach of Yarraville in the VFA before a leg injury brought his playing days to an end in 1949.

Having earned life membership of the Footscray Football Club in 1947, Miller continued to be a great servant of the Bulldogs, firstly as a committee member from 1957, and then as President from 1963 to 1966. He was club Vice President when the Bulldogs made their second Grand Final appearance in 1961.

Nominated by Mark Buttler and Steven Milne as one of the Dogs' top 50 players in their 1994 book, "Sons of the 'Scray: Footscray's Finest 50", the Western Bulldogs are proud to acknowledge Jim Miller as one of the club's greats on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2019-05-30/born-and-bred

 

[footscray1973]

Fantastic - I bet he'd have some stories to tell!

(I'm assuming Andrew is a relative Oliver? Was Jim interviewed at all?)

I'm sure there's more recent photos of Jim somewhere, but here's the 1941 side, with Jim sitting front row, far left:



Photo also features club legends Arthur Olliver (3rd from right, back row), Harry Hickey (2nd from left middle row), Norm Ware (Capt-coach at the time, middle of middle row) and Alby Morrison (to the right of Norm Ware).

Second from right back row is also Ambrose Palmer, a boxing champ in his own right in the 30s, and trainer of Johnny Famechon.

Btw, photo probably taken round 3, 10 May 1941 at home game.

 

[Dogforever]

I am lucky enough to have seen Jim Miller play. It was the last game of the season at Kardinia Park as one would suspect the Bulldogs lost. I was a 10 year old and Footscray had a great centreline, Binga McLaren, Harry Hickey and Jim Miller. I remember them all with fond memories. Harry Hickey to this day remains one of my favourite players. I hope Jim has a great birthday.

 

[dogwatch]

Great story and subsequent posts. Thanks.

Debuted 80 years ago but still had a centimetre on Caleb.

Happy birthday Jim!

 

[Werewolf]

 

[RedWhite&Blue]

Bizarre to think that he is so old his career had just finished before the 1954 flag

 

[footscray1973]

View attachment 683409

My new favourite photo! Bont standing next to Naughts and Trengove - and appears taller than both!

 

[TempletonTheRat]

My new favourite photo! Bont standing next to Naughts and Trengove - and appears taller than both!

no he is standing in front of them - depth perception

 

[Werewolf]

My new favourite photo! Bont standing next to Naughts and Trengove - and appears taller than both!

He blocked out Schache, who could've stood just about anywhere else to be visible!

 

[Oliver G]

(I'm assuming Andrew is a relative Oliver? Was Jim interviewed at all?)

Yep father-son, as for Jim being interview the club did interview him briefly which you can watch here...

https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/video/2019-05-30/footscrays-oldest-living-player-turns-100

 

[Chicago1]

Wonderful story on the news. Great pic. He's even older than me and he looks much better!