Personal information | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Charles Seeling | |||||
Nickname | Bronco | |||||
Born | 14 May 1883 Wanganui, New Zealand |
|||||
Died | 29 May 1956 Stalybridge, England |
(aged 73)|||||
Playing information | ||||||
Height | 183 cm | |||||
Weight | 86 kg | |||||
Rugby union | ||||||
Position | Loose forward | |||||
Club | ||||||
Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
19??–?? | ? | |||||
Representative | ||||||
Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
1904–08 | New Zealand | 39 | 33 | |||
Rugby league | ||||||
Position | Forward | |||||
Club | ||||||
Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
1910–23 | Wigan |
Charles Edward "Bronco" Seeling (born 14 May 1883 in Wanganui, New Zealand, died 29 May 1956 in Stalybridge, England) was a New Zealand international rugby football player of the early 20th century. He played in the forwards for the original All Blacks, appearing in 11 tests.
Seeling then signed with English rugby league club, Wigan in 1910.[1] From then until 1913 he scored 54 tries for Wigan and appeared in three consecutive championship finals. Seeling went on to make over 200 first grade appearances for the club over thirteen years, playing as captain for three of them. Noted British rugby writer, E. H. D. Sewell, wrote of Seeling: "Search where one may, a better forward than Seeling does not exist."
Seeling's son, Charlie Jr. also played rugby league, becoming captain of Dewsbury.[2] He spent the rest of his life in Britain, dying in 1956 at the age of 73 in a car accident.[3]
In 1996 Seeling was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame as well as the international Rugby League Hall of Fame. In 2001 he was inducted as one of the NZRL Legends of League.[4]