| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samuel Backo | |||||
| Nickname | Slammin' Sam | |||||
| Born | 1 January 1961 | |||||
| Playing information | ||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||
| Position | Prop | |||||
| Club | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| Fortitude Valley | ||||||
| 1983–88 | Canberra Raiders | 115 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| 1988–89 | Leeds | |||||
| 1989–90 | Brisbane Broncos | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Total | 135 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 72 | |
| Representative | ||||||
| Years | Team | Pld | T | G | FG | P |
| 1988–90 | Queensland | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 1988–89 | Australia | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Source: Rugby League Project and Yesterday's Hero | ||||||
Sam Backo (born 1 January 1961) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s who has been named as one of the greatest Aboriginal players of the 20th century. He represented Australia and Queensland, and played club football in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership for the Canberra Raiders and Brisbane Broncos, primarily as a prop forward. Backo was the first Australian forward to score tries in all three Tests of an Ashes series and since his retirement was named in an Indigenous Australian team of the century.
Contents |
Originally from Ingham, Queensland, Backo is the son of former chairwoman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, Evelyn Scott.[1] He was a forward for Cairns in the Queensland Rugby League's Northern Division before moving south to Woden Valley in the New South Wales Country Rugby League's Group 8 competition in 1981. The following year he returned to his home state to play for Yeppoon in the Central Division competition.
After playing with Valleys in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership, in 1983 Backo was given his first opportunity in the NSWRFL, playing five matches at second-row for new club, the Canberra Raiders in their second season. He made his debut on 19 March against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Redfern Oval. From 1984, he was a regular member of the starting line-up at Canberra and appeared in his, and the club's, first grand final appearance against Manly in 1987.
While in his final season at Canberra, Backo was first selected to play State of Origin football for the Queensland Maroons in the 1988 series. He played in all three games at prop forward, scoring one try in game II and two tries in game III. Queensland won the series in a three game whitewash. In games II and III Backo won consecutive man-of-the-match awards, one of only a handful of players to do so. Selected for the test series against Great Britain played in Australia in 1988, Backo was the first Australian forward to score tries in all three Tests of an Ashes series. At the end of the 1988 season Backo was the Dally M front rower of the year. During his career with Canberra, Backo scored a total of 15 tries in 115 first-grade matches.
Moving to England, Backo played for Leeds in the 1988–89 Rugby Football League season. Backo's final two seasons of top-level football, 1989 and 1990, were spent in Queensland, with the Brisbane Broncos. Backo also participated in the 1989 tour of New Zealand. Backo played in a further four games for the Maroons - games II and III of the 1989 series and games II and III of the 1990 series despite his knee problems, which limited his participation with his club to only five appearances during 1990 and eventually forced his retirement at the end of the season. Although selected for the 1990 Australia team to play France, he was forced to withdraw because of his ongoing knee injury. In total, Backo played in six Tests and scored three tries.
In 1991, Backo made a short-lived return to football to play for Logan Scorpions in the Brisbane competition.
Backo was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for his contribution to Australia's standing in rugby league.[2]
The Indigenous Team of the Century was announced in 2001 with Backo included in the starting line-up which also included Arthur Beetson, Gorden Tallis and John Ferguson.[3]
In 2004, Backo was named in the Canberra Raider's All Indigenous team.[4]
His son, Daniel Backo is currently signed to the North Queensland Cowboys.
|
|||||