Robert John Skilton was born on 8 November 1938 and is a former Australian rules footballer who represented South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League.
13 Facts About Bob Skilton
1.
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In September 2023 Bob Skilton was elevated to Legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, only the 4th AFL player to achieve the honour.
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Bob Skilton's father, known as "Bobby", was a 440-yard professional athlete who played 149 games for Port Melbourne in the VFA from 1922 to 1929.
4.
Bob Skilton was never shy of attacking the ball and in his 16-year career suffered many injuries, including concussion, a broken nose four times, a broken wrist three times and twelve black eyes.
5.
Bob Skilton had arguably the most accurate stab kick in the game.
6.
Star of the 1953 Victorian Schoolboys' team, and best and fairest for the South Melbourne Fourth XVIII which played in the Melbourne Boys League in 1955, Bob Skilton made his senior debut at the age of 17 in round five, 1956, and went on to play 237 matches for South Melbourne before he retired in 1971, at the time a club record.
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Bob Skilton scored 412 goals in that time and was the club's leading goalkicker on three occasions.
8.
An extended series of graphic photographs displaying the true extent of Bob Skilton's injury used to be on display at the team's rooms at the Lake Oval, prior to its move to Sydney.
9.
Bob Skilton missed the entire 1969 VFL season after snapping an achilles tendon in a pre-season practice match against SANFL club Port Adelaide.
10.
Bob Skilton often said that he would trade any of his three Brownlow Medals for a premiership or even the chance to play in a Grand Final, and felt the highest point of his career was the one occasion South Melbourne made the finals in 1970, finishing fourth after losing the first semi-final against St Kilda.
11.
Since then, Bob Skilton has been honoured by being named captain of the Swans' team of the century, and named in the AFL team of the century.
12.
Bob Skilton made a speech in the post-match presentations of the 2005 AFL Grand Final following his team's first win in 72 years, and he was tasked to present the trophy at the 2012 AFL Grand Final.
13.
Bob Skilton is the number-one ticket holder at the Ormond Amateur Football Club, who compete in the Victorian Amateur Football Association.