35 Facts About Clive Churchill

Clive Bernard Churchill AM was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach in the mid-20th century.

Clive Churchill won five premierships with the club as a player and three more as coach.

Clive Churchill was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, and was a star schoolboy five-eighth at Marist Brothers, Hamilton, where he won five premierships while at school.

In 1946 Clive Churchill was graded with Central in the Newcastle Rugby League competition as a fullback.

Clive Churchill represented for Country Seconds in 1946 and came to the attention of Sydney talent scouts.

Clive Churchill was signed to South Sydney by their patron Dave Spring and moved to Sydney at the start of the 1947 season.

However, an international transfer ban imposed by the ARL in 1948 meant Clive Churchill had to stay in Sydney.

Under captain-coach Jack Rayner, South Sydney reached the 1949 season's grand final against St George and Clive Churchill played at fullback in the Rabbitohs' loss.

Souths reached the grand final again the following season, this time against Western Suburbs, and Clive Churchill played fullback in the Rabbitohs' victory.

Clive Churchill missed South Sydney's fourth consecutive grand final in 1952 as he was away on the Kangaroo tour to England.

South Sydney reached the 1953 season's premiership final, their fifth in succession, and Clive Churchill played at fullback, kicking a goal in the Rabbitohs' victory over St George.

At the 1954 Rugby League World Cup, the first ever rugby football world cup, Clive Churchill captained the Australian team, however they failed to reach the final.

Clive Churchill played Souths' second last regular game of the 1955 season against Manly with a broken arm, winning the game with a successful sideline conversion kicked after the full-time bell with his broken arm wrapped in cardboard.

Clive Churchill captained South Sydney in 1957 and captained-coached them in 1958, which would prove his last season playing for the Rabbitohs.

Clive Churchill spent twelve seasons at Redfern, playing 164 games and winning five premierships: 1950,1951,1953,1954 and 1955.

In 1959 Clive Churchill captain-coached Brisbane Rugby League club Norths to a premiership, and was selected as captain-coach for the Queensland team.

Clive Churchill retired from playing at the end of that season, but in 1961 he played a swansong season in the northwestern town of Moree, New South Wales.

Clive Churchill had played 34 Tests for Australia and the 1954 World Cup series.

Clive Churchill captained Australia in 24 Test matches over a period of six years which including three series against Great Britain.

Clive Churchill played 37 games for New South Wales the standing record for most games by a player for the state.

Clive Churchill commenced his NSWRFL Premiership coaching career with Canterbury-Bankstown in 1963.

The club finished with the wooden spoon the following season, winning only one game for the worst record in the NSWRFL since the 1946 Rabbitohs lost every game, and Clive Churchill was replaced by former coach Eddie Burns.

Clive Churchill had immediate success, Souths winning the premiership in his inaugural year as coach.

Clive Churchill steered the South Sydney club to four premiership victories out of five grand final appearances between 1967 and 1971.

Clive Churchill resigned as coach of South Sydney during the 1975 season.

Clive Churchill had success in coaching the Queensland and Australian teams.

Clive Churchill was commemorated as one of Australia's most successful coaches.

On 10 June 1985, Clive Churchill was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to sport, particularly Rugby League Football and to the community".

In 1986, the newly built Clive Churchill Stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground was named in his honour.

Clive Churchill is one of six sportsmen and only two rugby league players to have a stand at the SCG named after him.

The Clive Churchill Medal has, since 1986, been awarded annually to the player judged best on ground in the season's Grand Final.

In 2002, Clive Churchill was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame and was later named in the South Sydney team of the Century.

In 2007, Clive Churchill was selected by a panel of experts at fullback in an Australian 'Team of the 50s'.

In February 2008, Clive Churchill was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.

Clive Churchill went on to be named as fullback in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century.