Timothy Alexander Pickup was an Australian Rugby League footballer for the North Sydney Bears, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, New South Wales and Australian national side in the 1970s, playing his First Test for Australia in 1972, only 14 games after his NSWRL First Grade debut.
68 Facts About Tim Pickup
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In retirement Tim Pickup was involved in boxing at famed Newtown PCYC and was Jeff Harding's manager when he won the WBC World Light-Heavyweight title in 1989.
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Tim Pickup was the foundation CEO of the Adelaide Rams franchise of the Australian Super League in 1995.
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Tim Pickup was named in the North Sydney Bears Team of the Century in 2006 and was a finalist for both the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 70th Anniversary team as well as Manly Rugby Union's Team of the Century.
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Tim Pickup was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia as the second of three sons to Harrie and Mary Pickup, between brothers Paul and Chris.
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Tim Pickup's father Harrie was a lower-grade player for St George and Eastern Suburbs, and his brother, Tim's uncle, Laurie was an outstanding First Grade Rugby League player with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters.
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Laurie Tim Pickup is on record as the third youngest ever captain of the Tri-colors whose career was cut short when killed on duty at age 26 during World War II.
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Tim Pickup was a Western Suburbs Rugby League junior who played his formative years with the Enfield Federals JRL.
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Harrie Tim Pickup deemed his son to be too young for this promotion at only 16 years of age, yet Neville not only accepted the challenge, he excelled and so began his chequered career.
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Tim Pickup did his schooling at St Patrick's Strathfield, and graduated from Christian Brothers Lewisham in 1965.
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Tim Pickup was offered a high school scholarship to storied Rugby Union nursery, St Joseph's Hunter's Hill but declined for at that time was not a fan of Rugby Union.
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Ironically both would convert to Rugby League with Western Suburbs RLFC in the early 1970's and like Tim Pickup they were teenagers in 1968.
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Frustrated with a lack of progress on the representative scene, Pickup felt he was a victim of Rugby Union elitism due to his Rugby League heritage, and stubbornly severed his ties and set off to England on a working holiday.
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Tim Pickup bolted up north for the opportunity and was signed after a couple of lower grade games.
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In 1969 Tim Pickup was deported to his last port of call, the US, for overstaying his visa.
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Tim Pickup was accosted by Robinson's minders when they were alerted to his pattern of following their group.
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Tim Pickup talked his way out of a beating when he identified himself as a true fan and made Sugar Ray laugh.
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Tim Pickup then trained as part of the group until his visa was cleared and was able to return to England.
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In 1971 Tim Pickup married his Australian wife and AMP colleague, Jan, with Allan Bishop as his Best Man.
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Tim Pickup would be named Blackpool's player of the year for the consecutive 1970 and 1971 seasons, but again got itchy feet when unable to get a recall to St Helens' first team.
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When Tim Pickup returned to Sydney he resumed his career in finance with AMP, and with multiple clubs vying for his services, he resumed his career in Rugby League with the North Sydney.
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Tim Pickup explained that Norths were the team that had suffered the longest drought between premierships, and he wanted to make a difference.
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Personally Tim Pickup achieved instant success at representative level in 1972 and played for Australia after only 14 games for the Bears.
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Tim Pickup was chosen for City Seconds then played two games for New South Wales, he made the Australian team alongside Norths teammate George Ambrum.
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When first chosen for the Australian team, Tim Pickup gave his first jersey to his Bears halves partner Keith Outten in recognition of his contribution to achieving the sports highest honour and his childhood dream.
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Tim Pickup played two Tests against New Zealand in 1972 partnering Tommy Raudonikis in the halves, and 'Immortal' Bob Fulton in the centres, a combination which was regularly used by selectors over the next four seasons.
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Tim Pickup was the only North Sydney Bears player chosen in the 26 man squad when he toured Europe with the 1973 Kangaroos, captain-coached by 'Immortal' Graeme Langlands.
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Tim Pickup generally played at five-eighth, though he was selected at halfback in the 2nd Test against France.
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Tim Pickup was named the Bears player of the year for the 1973 and 1974 seasons.
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Frustrated at North Sydney's policy towards player retention and its lack of ambition in recruiting star-quality players, Pickup decided it was time to move on and signed a massive five-year contract to captain Canterbury-Bankstown, who were known as the Berries at that time.
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Tim Pickup took two teammates with him from the Bears and together their impact at Belmore was immediate.
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Canterbury were in 2nd place at that time and eventually were knocked out in the major semi-final and Pickup did not play again that season and would missed the entire 1976 season recovering from complications of the same injury.
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Tim Pickup proved his fitness after a few games and was back in the top squad but his speed and quickness was zapped, and he was forced to adapt to a different style of play to the one that built his reputation.
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Canterbury had a dangerous combination in Mortimer and Pickup had a very good season, making the finals in fifth place.
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Tim Pickup was talked out of retirement by Canterbury patriarch Peter Moore, he played on in Reserve Grade as insurance for any potential first team injuries.
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Tim Pickup finished his career at Belmore as captain of the 2nd Grade side in a Grand Final loss to Parramatta.
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Tim Pickup was named Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Clubman of the Year in 1979.
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Tim Pickup worked for AMP from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s as a financial planner.
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Tim Pickup owned a successful chain of donut shops in three Sydney locations, Chatswood, Birkenhead Point and Hurstville.
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Tim Pickup managed boxer Jeff 'Hitman' Harding when he won the WBC Light-Heavyweight world title in 1989.
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Tim Pickup was a voracious traveler, spending several months at a time in South America, Africa, Asia and Europe, Middle East and Cuba and Africa again.
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Tim Pickup was a fitness devotee who was fascinated by mental toughness in the athletic arena.
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Tim Pickup was obsessed with Olympic competition or any elite sports and their athletes such as Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe in tennis, Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna in Formula One, Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard in Boxing, Jack Nicklaus in golf.
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Tim Pickup especially appreciated rivalry of middle-distance runners such as Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovetts and Steve Cram.
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Tim Pickup ran 15 City to Surfs, his best time was a sub 49 minute run in the early 1980s.
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Tim Pickup continued this ritual daily into his mid 60's.
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For many years Tim Pickup would combine his Manly laps with further self inflicted punishment on his rowing machine, introduced to him by former Bulldogs Conditioner, Cooper.
48.
Tim Pickup served in this capacity until the end of the 1995 season, and again from 2002 to 2004.
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Tim Pickup was awarded Life Membership at Canterbury-Bankstown in 1985 for his 10 years of continuous service with the team, from player to Front Office.
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Tim Pickup spent entire year of 1997 marauding the African Continent, he even made a habit of watching his favourite middle-distance runner, mens 10 000 metre Olympic Champion Haile Gebrselassie prepare and train in his native Ethiopia.
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Tim Pickup's adventure came to an end after being rescued by the French Foreign Legion in a parade of Tanks, after being holed up in a Brazzaville Church for three days during a Congo uprising.
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Tim Pickup was present for the entire Super League court proceedings as chief of the Rams.
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Tim Pickup moved on from that position into retirement after the ARL injunction prevented Super League from kicking off in the 1996 season.
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Tim Pickup was one of a host of former Bulldogs players such as Clive Gartner, George Peponis and Terry Lamb among others, assembled to restore pride in the jersey after the former regime nearly crippled the club.
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Tim Pickup stayed on until the club got back on its feet, even through the Coffs Harbour scandal that followed two years later.
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Unhappy with the unfair dismissal of former teammate Garry Hughes in that incident's aftermath, Tim Pickup strongly disagreed with the scapegoat sacking of Hughes and left quietly, along with Gartner after the Bulldogs won the 2004 NRL Premiership the same season.
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Tim Pickup was heavily involved with Johnny Lewis and the Newtown Police Boys PCYC during Australian boxing's golden age, from the early 80's.
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Tim Pickup used to take a gruelling forty-minute circuit class twice a week that was patronised by future boxing World Champions Jeff Fenech, Jeff Harding and Joe Bugner, as well as First Grade Rugby League players Steve Mortimer, Billy Johnstone, Pat Jarvis and Geordie Peats among others.
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Tim Pickup became Jeff 'Hitman' Harding's manager after the boxer was selected in the Australian team for the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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All members needed to raise $5,000 to get on the plane, so Tim Pickup appealed to Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs boss Peter Moore, who signed off on the request.
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Tim Pickup originally declined but was eventually talked into it by his good friend Lewis.
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Tim Pickup was undefeated when he was called upon as a last minute replacement to fight WBC Light-Heavyweight champion Dennis Andries in Atlantic City, USA in 1989.
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Tim Pickup managed Harding for the best part of a decade, that saw the 'Hitman' fight for the world title on eight occasions.
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Tim Pickup fought Andries in three title fights for two wins and a loss.
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Tim Pickup was awarded the Australian Sporting Medal in 2000 for services to Australian sport.
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Tim Pickup was originally named in the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 70th Anniversary Team in 2004, but was omitted due to a technicality, when it was revealed he had only played 47 1st grade games and was three games short of the 50 game minimum.
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Tim Pickup was named Halfback and Captain of the Enfield Federals team of the Century in 2019.
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Tim Pickup died on 7 June 2021 after a long battle with dementia.