Austin Robertson Sr.
Austin Patrick Robertson (21 November 1908 – 6 May 1988) was an Australian sportsman who excelled in football, sprinting and cricket. He played Australian rules football for South Melbourne in the VFL from 1927 to 1937, appearing in 154 games and kicking 250 goals. He later played for West Perth (1937) and Perth (1938–39) as a playing coach, and finished his senior football career with Port Melbourne in the VFA (1940–41). In total, he played 232 senior games and scored 395 goals. He was known for his long, accurate place kicks and his ability to play at both ends of the ground. Robertson also represented Victoria in 1927 and was a leading goalkicker for South Melbourne in 1929, 1930 and 1932. He even tried to break the long-kick record held by Dave McNamara, often reaching 70 yards.
Apart from football, Robertson was a world-class sprinter. He won the World Professional Sprint Championship in 1930 and 1933 and set a world record for 140 yards in 1933 with a time around 13.1 seconds. He also won the 130-yard Melbourne Motordrome handicap in 1928, a race that carried a £1,000 prize. He played cricket for the South Melbourne Cricket Club in the Melbourne District Cricket Association, appearing in 23 first-eleven matches between 1924/25 and 1933/34.
Robertson grew up in Melbourne, educated at Xavier College, and trained as a pharmacist at the Victorian School of Pharmacy. He served as a Corporal in the Australian Army during World War II. He married Dorothy McDonald in 1940. His family continued his footballing legacy—his brother Harold Robertson and his son Austin Robertson Jr. were also noted players.
Outside football, he moved to Western Australia later in life and passed away in Cottesloe in 1988.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:18 (CET).