John L. Leedham (20 May 1928 – 29 May 2020) was an Australian rules footballer who is the vice captain of and ruck-rover in the official Tasmanian Football Team of the Century. He is also a 'legend' in the state's Football Hall of Fame.
Leedham, nicknamed 'John L', always played with his socks down and was known to be a colourful character on the field. He was brought up in Campbell Town and started his football career at North Launceston in 1946, aged 17. Playing as a centre half forward, Leedham was a member of NTFA premiership teams in 1946, 1948, 1949 and 1950 as well as three Tasmanian State Premierships. He was almost poached by the Melbourne Football Club in 1948 but a knee injury stopped him from making his debut in the VFL.
After 124 games with North Launceston, including a stint as captain-coach, Leedham crossed to TFL club North Hobart. He coached North Hobart from 1954 to 1959 and steered them to a premiership in 1957.
Leedham represented Tasmania at the 1947, 1953 and 1958 interstate carnivals. In 1953 he was named in the inaugural All-Australian side, the only Tasmanian, and in the 1958 Melbourne Carnival he captain-coached the state to famous wins against South Australia and Western Australia.
References
- "LEEDHAM NOT FOR NORTH L'TON". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. CVII, no. 14. Tasmania, Australia. 29 March 1948. p. 10. Retrieved 18 November 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
- John Leedham at AustralianFootball.com
| Tasmanian Team of the Century | |
|---|---|
| Defenders | |
| Midfielders | |
| Forwards | |
| Followers | |
| Interchange | |
| Coach | |
| Assistant coach | |
| 1953 Sporting Life Team of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Defenders | |
| Midfielders
| |
| Forwards
| |
| Followers
|
| 1954 Sporting Life Team of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Defenders | |
| Midfielders
| |
| Forwards
| |
| Followers
|