John William Grant (24 September 1915 – 1 December 1983) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Family He married Dulcie May Ellis (?–1989), in Geelong, on Saturday, 29 April 1939.Footballers Wed, The Argus, (Monday, 1 May 1939), p.8. He died on 1 December 1983, and was buried at Mount Duneed Cemetery, Mount Duneed, Victoria.
Stawell Gift He had exceptional pace,Winner's Career: A Brilliant Season, The Age, (Tuesday, 19 April 1938), p.10. winning the 1938 130-yard Stawell Gift in eleven and eleven-sixteenths of a second, off a handicap of 11½ yards.Grant Brilliant in Gift Win, The Argus, (Tuesday, 19 April 1938), p.17.Footballer Wins Stawell Gift, The Age, (Tuesday, 19 April 1938), p.10Photograph: How Grant won the !938 Gift, The Age, (Tuesday, 19 April 1938), p.13
Football Grant usually played on the half forward or half back flank.
A member of Geelong's premiership team in 1937, Grant won their best and fairest award in 1939. He was their leading goalkicker in 1940, with 47 goals. In 1942 he moved to Fitzroy and spent two seasons with the club, topping their goalkicking in 1942 with 43 goals. He returned to Geelong in 1945 and captained them the following season.
War service He served in the RAAF. LAC Grant enlisted in February 1942, and was discharged, "on compassionate grounds", in June 1945.For details, see Grant's application, dated 9 April 1945, supporting evidence, and report of RAAF police investigation of the matter, in his Service Record.Jack Grant to Train, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 9 June 1945), p.3; Taylor, P., "Another Fine Set of VFL Games", The Argus, (Friday, 15 June 1945), p.12.
Footnotes
References World War II Service Record: John William Grant (50710), National Archives of Australia.
External links
Paul Daffey, "The ten best footballers at the Stawell Gift" (The Sunday Age, 27 March 2005) Geelong Football Club Honour Roll