| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Charles Bliss[1] | |||||
| Nickname | Blistering | |||||
| Born | 30 August 1922 Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia |
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| Died | 9 September 1974 (aged 52) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Playing information | ||||||
| Position | Wing | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1942–43 | Balmain | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| 1944–46 | North Sydney | 35 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 81 |
| 1947–51 | Manly-Warringah | 71 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 117 |
| Total | 121 | 78 | 0 | 0 | 234 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1945–51 | New South Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 1947–51 | New South Wales | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| 1951 | Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Source: Rugby League Project | ||||||
John Charles Bliss (born 30 August 1922 in Chinchilla, Queensland, died 9 August 1974 in Sydney, New South Wales) was a professional rugby league player who played for the Balmain Tigers, North Sydney Bears and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the NSWRL between 1942 and 1951.
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Johnny Bliss, nicknamed Blistering for his natural speed, was a Manly district junior who started out as a hooker with the North Narabeen Surf Club. He was shifted to the wing as a 16 year old after showing incredible pace in general play. As the Manly club wouldn't have a first grade team until 1947, he was graded with Balmain in 1939. He went to North Sydney in 1941 but the Tigers claimed him on residence grounds for the 1942 and 1943 seasons. In 1947 he moved to Manly and played in their first ever premiership match against Western Suburbs at Brookvale Oval.
Bliss topped the try scoring for the North Sydney Bears in 1944 scoring seven tries and 1945 scoring nine tries. He would also top Manly's try scoring list in 1947 and 1950, scoring 10 tries in each season. In total Johnny Bliss played 121 games and scored 78 tries during his NSWRL career.
Johnny Bliss's general play, speed and try scoring ability was first recognised in 1945 when he was chosen for City firsts in the annual City vs Country match. He would go on to play four games for City (1945, 1947, 1948 and 1951), scoring three tries. In 1947 he played the first of six games for New South Wales, scoring a total of nine tries between 1947 and his last game in 1951.
In 1951 Johnny Bliss was selected on the wing for Australia for the first Test against the Puig Aubert led France at the Sydney Cricket Ground. France ran out easy 26-15 winners in front of 60,160 fans. Following a poor game in which he, along with several team mates were criticized for 'timid tackling', Bliss was one of six players dropped for the second test held in Brisbane. This was to be the only international match Bliss was selected for in his career.
Unfortunately for Bliss, his form dropped off after his one off test appearance in 1951 against France and he was dropped from first grade before the semi-finals and missed Manly's first ever grand final appearance against South Sydney that year. After his retirement, Bliss was the speed guru to several Manly players such as Bob Fulton, Nick Yakich, Graham Eadie and Russell Gartner.
Johnny Bliss wasn't just a rugby league player though. He was also a highly successful beach sprint champion. He won an amazing 12 Australian championships in a row from 1939 to 1952. A record that may never be equaled or broken and he even attempted a comeback at the age of 38 to win the 1960 NSW title.
Bliss was an exceptionally fast runner. During the 1947 season, decked out in full football gear including heavy leather football boots and carrying a football, Bliss clocked an amazing 11.1 seconds over 110 yards and also recorded 9.9 seconds over 100 yards. Compare this time with that run by American Harrison Dillard who won the 100 m gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics in 10.3 seconds and it shows just how fast Bliss really was.
Johnny Bliss was also a success in the world of mens toiletries and women's perfumery, working for two of the biggest names in the business, Faberge and Christian Dior.
Johnny Bliss died from the effects of a brain tumor on 9 August 1974, at the age of 52.