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Toast Vale Peter Box

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RIP to a champion of the game. Goes without saying we're all glad that at least he got to see our second premiership :thumbsu:
 
He played country football the year after the premiership. He had a falling out with people within the club, unfortunately a hallmark of his character as he was quite prickly and quick to take offense at real or imagined slights. He was arguably the best player to ever play in the Riverina Football League/South West Football league.

He was known for being one of the greatest marks for his size in the history of the game - in a pack environment there was arguably no one better. He possessed awesome strength. The stories of his brawling abilities are legendary. His first pub fight in the Riverina he was picked for one by 3 or 4 hefty farmers and left them bruised and broken outside the pub. Probably the only one with a greater name for it was Wayne Carey's Dad, though its true Box was not known for seeking fights in the way Carey Snr was known for.

There's a photo online from some years ago of all the living Brownlow medalists gathered together - all the other champions are wearing suits and Box is the only one dressed in a bluey singlet, which was him down to a 'T'.

His son had a rough go of it as a youngster as Box Snr was pretty hard on him in terms of football - but that's what Box was, a very hard, tough, no frills man.

My brothers got to see his Brownlow medal after he hit one of them accidentally with a golf ball; he came around to the family home to show it as means of penitence, worth the bruise apparently as they were in awe of it and him.
 

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RIP Pete Box

A bulldog legend passes on.
 
I'm not sure this is really worth mentioning, arguably it is in terms of the club's history, and I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but apparently there's a very strong rumour he left the Bulldogs after a huge falling out with Ted Whitten Snr, as Box had drawn romantic interest from Whitten's partner. True or not its a drastic move for a Brownlow medalist at the peak of his powers to move and play out of Melbourne. At any rate, he earned more money playing country football than he did playing in the VFL.

My brother posted this on facebook in relation to Box:

"The great Peter Box passed away today. He was and remains the greatest country footballer I ever saw play. In the late fifties and early sixties every team had brilliant local footballers in its ranks and these were bolstered immeasurably by former VFL champions still in their prime such as ex South Melbourne captain, Ian Gillett (Coolamon), one time leading VFL goal-kicker Tom Carroll (Ganmain) and Peter Box (Grong Grong and Narrandera) a Brownlow medalist and premiership player Amazingly, these great players could earn more money playing for obscure little towns than they could in the fabled VFL in the late fifties and early sixties.
By 1965, Peter Box was playing for the Narrandera Imperials. Box was an enigmatic loner, but what a footballer. His barrel chested physique, a combination of genetics and hard physical labor wouldn’t be out of place alongside today’s gym sculptured Behemoths and his strength and toughness, allied with sublime skill made him the complete footballer.

There’s a story waiting to be told about Boxy and his estrangement from the game, his club and one time best mate Teddy Whitten. He remains the only Footscray/Western Bulldogs player to have won a Brownlow and played in a premiership.

I have one enduring memory of Peter Box. After he retired from football he took up golf. One afternoon, my brother Mike and I had finished our round and were waiting on the edge of the first fairway, for a lone player to hit down. We were about seventy meters away. I was around 13 and Mike 10. The player swung heftily, topped the ball and sent it hurtling along the ground in our direction. It took a couple of bounces and before we could move crashed into Mike’s thigh. The player raced in our direction terribly concerned and upset. I immediately recognised my footballing hero. Mike was fine apart from a large welt which later blossomed into a huge purple bruise, and the incident was quickly forgotten. Three days later Dad arrived home with a small, blue jewellery case in which lay a tiny, somewhat nondescript medal. Peter had dropped into Dad’s office, told him how upset he was and offered to lend us his 1956 Brownlow as a method of contrition. If Dad had handed us the crown jewels I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I have never forgotten Peter’s kindness."
 
One of our legends, a Bullgod forever
 
SCRAY72 said:
Another of the 1954 heroes is gone but not forgotten.
In time maybe Bont will match his achievements. Only needs a Brownlow to do so.

Vale Peter Box.
Click to expand...
Well according to the Herald-Sun he also represented Australia in baseball at the 1956 Olympic Games (thats when baseball was huge in Australia). That is incredible, in his Brownlow year! Two years after a flag. Bont would have to win the Brownlow and then a Gold medal too, to beat Peter Box? A couple more flags would do it for me though.
 
Happy Daze said:
I'm not sure this is really worth mentioning, arguably it is in terms of the club's history, and I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but apparently there's a very strong rumour he left the Bulldogs after a huge falling out with Ted Whitten Snr, as Box had drawn romantic interest from Whitten's partner. True or not its a drastic move for a Brownlow medalist at the peak of his powers to move and play out of Melbourne. At any rate, he earned more money playing country football than he did playing in the VFL.

My brother posted this on facebook in relation to Box:

"The great Peter Box passed away today. He was and remains the greatest country footballer I ever saw play. In the late fifties and early sixties every team had brilliant local footballers in its ranks and these were bolstered immeasurably by former VFL champions still in their prime such as ex South Melbourne captain, Ian Gillett (Coolamon), one time leading VFL goal-kicker Tom Carroll (Ganmain) and Peter Box (Grong Grong and Narrandera) a Brownlow medalist and premiership player Amazingly, these great players could earn more money playing for obscure little towns than they could in the fabled VFL in the late fifties and early sixties.
By 1965, Peter Box was playing for the Narrandera Imperials. Box was an enigmatic loner, but what a footballer. His barrel chested physique, a combination of genetics and hard physical labor wouldn’t be out of place alongside today’s gym sculptured Behemoths and his strength and toughness, allied with sublime skill made him the complete footballer.

There’s a story waiting to be told about Boxy and his estrangement from the game, his club and one time best mate Teddy Whitten. He remains the only Footscray/Western Bulldogs player to have won a Brownlow and played in a premiership.

I have one enduring memory of Peter Box. After he retired from football he took up golf. One afternoon, my brother Mike and I had finished our round and were waiting on the edge of the first fairway, for a lone player to hit down. We were about seventy meters away. I was around 13 and Mike 10. The player swung heftily, topped the ball and sent it hurtling along the ground in our direction. It took a couple of bounces and before we could move crashed into Mike’s thigh. The player raced in our direction terribly concerned and upset. I immediately recognised my footballing hero. Mike was fine apart from a large welt which later blossomed into a huge purple bruise, and the incident was quickly forgotten. Three days later Dad arrived home with a small, blue jewellery case in which lay a tiny, somewhat nondescript medal. Peter had dropped into Dad’s office, told him how upset he was and offered to lend us his 1956 Brownlow as a method of contrition. If Dad had handed us the crown jewels I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I have never forgotten Peter’s kindness."
Click to expand...


Hello- I am a relative of Peter- would you mind if we used this story at his funeral to read out?
 

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Sad news and condolences to his family and friends.

Not in the same league as the other stories in this thread but Peter Box was a part of an often repeated story in my family. As an elite sportsman of his day my mother used to tell how Peter Box spoke to her at a dance one night. Turns out the extent of the conversation was Peter saying “excuse me” as he walked past mum but a Bulldog legend had spoken to her and she was telling us all about it.
 

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In the early 1950s, before 1954, the Footscray centre line read: Dicky Wearmouth, Peter Box, and Binger McLaren. Wearmouth was a speedster (think Jason Johannisen), Box was a match-winning champion, and McLaren (vice-captain to Charlie Sutton), a highly-skilled reliable player. That was the best centre line in the VFL at the time. Unfortunately, Wearmouth (from Terang) left early (he went back to Terang, I think--his son would play for Collingwood); Box had a bitter dispute with Ted Whitten (and the club) and left years too soon; and McLaren retired. Box played CHF in the 1954 grand final, and would win the 1956 Brownlow, but the other two had left the club by the 1954 season. In the early 1950s Bulldogs supporters had "Wearmouth, Box and McLaren" firmly implanted in their psyche as a match-winning unit.
 
RIP Bullgod Peter Box
 
I only learned of Peter's passing from the Brownlow Medal coverage.
Peter Box was my High School Principal.
He was humble and well respected.
I didn't even know he was "that" Peter Box until the assembly where he announced he was retiring.
Vale Mr Box.
 
Byron Street said:
In the early 1950s, before 1954, the Footscray centre line read: Dicky Wearmouth, Peter Box, and Binger McLaren. Wearmouth was a speedster (think Jason Johannisen), Box was a match-winning champion, and McLaren (vice-captain to Charlie Sutton), a highly-skilled reliable player. That was the best centre line in the VFL at the time. Unfortunately, Wearmouth (from Terang) left early (he went back to Terang, I think--his son would play for Collingwood); Box had a bitter dispute with Ted Whitten (and the club) and left years too soon; and McLaren retired. Box played CHF in the 1954 grand final, and would win the 1956 Brownlow, but the other two had left the club by the 1954 season. In the early 1950s Bulldogs supporters had "Wearmouth, Box and McLaren" firmly implanted in their psyche as a match-winning unit.
Click to expand...
McLaren was an absolute gun according to those who watched him at the time. Was one of our great players of the time who lead us to some of our early VFL finals appearances during his time at the Dogs such as 44, 46, 48 and 51 along with the likes of Arthur Olliver, Norm Ware, Harry Hickey, Bill Wood etc and of course the one and only Charlie Sutton.

He unfortunately died in a car crash at only 31 in 1956. He retired only 5 years beforehand.


Anyways

Was a nice tribute for Peter, didn't realise he was a gun at other sports too. RIP
 

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