Norm Clark

Not to be confused with Norm Clarke.

Norman Clark
Personal information
Full name	Norman Clark
Nickname(s)	Hackenschmidt
Date of birth	(1878-11-12)12 November 1878
Place of birth	North Adelaide, South Australia
Date of death	26 December 1943(1943-12-26) (aged 65)
Original team	Stawell
Height/Weight	170cm / 86kg
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1905–1912	Carlton	126 (3)
Coaching career³
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1912 1914–1918 1919 1920–1922 1925–1926 1931 Total 1913 1924 1929	VFL Carlton Carlton Richmond Carlton St Kilda North Melbourne VFA Brighton North Melbourne Prahran	20 (15–5–0) 86 (59–23–4) 19 (12–7–0) 44 (28–14–2) 35 (14–21–0) 10 (0–10–0) 214 (128–80–6)
¹ Playing statistics correct to end of 1912 season. ³ Coaching statistics correct as of 1931.
Career highlights
Carlton premiership player 1906, 1907, 1908 Carlton premiership coach 1914, 1915

Norman "Hackenschmidt" Clark (12 November 1878 – 26 December 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1905 and 1912.

Prior to joining Carlton, he had played in two premiership teams at North Adelaide.

A talented sprinter, in 1899 he won the 130-yard Stawell Gift in eleven and four-fifths seconds, off a handicap of 14 and a half yards. His prize of 50 gold sovereigns was used to buy a handmade gold pocket watch, in which he had his initials 'N.C.C' inscribed. He moved to Stawell, hoping to win another Gift, and he played two seasons with Stawell Football Club.

Upon his arrival at Carlton in 1905, his team-mates noticed his exceptional physique and nicknamed him "Hackenschmidt" after the famous strongman and professional wrestler, Georg Hackenschmidt.

He played in three consecutive premiership sides for Carlton from 1906–1908 as well as coaching Carlton to back-to-back premierships in 1914–15. He was therefore one of the only men involved in Carlton's first five flags.

After leaving Carlton at the end of the 1918 season he took up the head coaching role at Richmond. In his first season, he took the Tigers to the Grand Final. This attained him the rare feat of coaching two separate clubs in VFL Grand Finals.

Clark was also the coach of VFL sides St Kilda in 1925–26 and North Melbourne in 1931. He was Captain/Coach of Victorian Football Association (VFA) side Brighton in 1913. He coached junior and senior football for seventeen seasons in the VFA, the VFL and the Ringwood Districts Football Association, with four more premierships to his credit by the time he retired after the 1931 season.

Clark died on Boxing Day in 1943. He was survived by his wife Eileen (deceased) and two sons Norman (Adrian) and Brian (both deceased).

References

Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996

External links

Carlton Football Club 1906/1907/1908 VFL Premiers

Captain (1906/1907): Flynn Beck Bruce Clark Hammond Jinks Johnson Kennedy Lang Payne Topping

Coach: Worrall

Carlton Football Club 1914/1915 VFL Premiers

Captain (1915): 25. Baud 3/2. Daykin 4/3. McDonald 16/5. Haughton 15/7. Jamieson 2/9. Brown 10. O'Brien 19/11. McGregor 21/15. Fisher 24/16. Hammond 17. Green 19/20. Morris 28/21. Burleigh

Coach: Clark

Coaches of the Carlton Football Club

1902–1909: Worrall 1909–1911: Elliott 1912: Clark 1913: Wells 1914–1918: Clark 1919: Valentine 1920–1922: Clark 1922–1923: Clover 1924: Parratt 1925: Caldwell 1925: O'Brien 1926: Brew 1927: Clover 1928: Brew 1929–1934: Minogue 1935–1936: Maher 1937: Rowe 1938–1940: Diggins 1941–1955: Bentley 1956–1958: Francis 1959–1964: Hands 1965–1971: Barassi 1972–1975: Nicholls 1972; 1975: McKenzie 1976–1977: Thorogood 1978: Stewart 1978: Silvagni 1978–1979: Jesaulenko 1980: Jones 1981–1985: Parkin 1986–1989: Walls 1989–1990: Jesaulenko 1991–2000: Parkin 2001–2002: Brittain 2003–2007: Pagan 2007–2012: Ratten 2013–: Malthouse

Italics denote caretaker coach

Coaches of the Richmond Football Club

1908–1909: Condon 1910: Hall 1911: Incigneri 1912: C. Pannam 1913: Jenkins 1914–1916: Ricketts 1917: Maybury 1918: Nolan 1919: Clark 1920–1925: Minogue 1926: Morris 1927–1932: Hughes 1933: Schmidt 1934–1940: Bentley 1937: Titus 1941–1952: Dyer 1941: Titus 1953–1955: A. Pannam 1956: Oppy 1957–1960: McDonald 1961–1963: Rowe 1964: Harris 1964–1965: Smith 1965: Titus 1966–1976: Hafey 1971: Howell 1976–1978: Richardson 1979–1981: Jewell 1982–1983: Bourke 1984: Patterson 1985: Sproule 1985–1987: Jewell 1988–1991: Bartlett 1992: Jeans 1993–1995: Northey 1996–1997: Walls 1997–1999: Gieschen 2000–2004: Frawley 2005–2009: Wallace 2009: Rawlings 2010–: Hardwick

Italics denote caretaker coach

Coaches of the St Kilda Football Club

1906: Hall 1908: Grace 1909: J. Smith 1911: Drohan 1913: Sparrow 1914: McNamara 1915; 1918:* J. Smith 1919: Eicke 1920: Sparrow 1920–1921: Ricketts 1922–1923: McNamara 1924: Eicke 1925–1926: Clark 1927: Heinz 1928–1929: Sparrow 1930: Cubbins 1931–1932: Hardy 1932: King 1933: Deane 1934: C. Watson 1935–1937: Minogue 1938–1940: Clarke 1938: B. Patterson 1941: Knight 1942–1943: Garvin 1944–1945: H. Thomas 1946–1947: Hird 1948–1950: Froude 1951: Green 1952–1953: Williamson 1954–1955: Foote 1956–1958: Killigrew 1959–1960: Francis 1961–1976: Jeans 1972; 1974: Guy 1977: R. Smith 1978–1980: M. Patterson 1980–1982: Jesaulenko 1983–1984: Jewell 1984–1986: Gellie 1987–1989: Baldock 1987: Davis 1990–1993: Sheldon 1994–1998: Alves 1999–2000: T. Watson 2001: Blight 2001–2006: G. Thomas 2007–2011: Lyon 2012–2013: Watters 2014–: Richardson

St Kilda did not participate in the VFL from 1916–1917 due to World War I Italics* denote caretaker coach

Coaches of the North Melbourne Football Club

1925–1926: Eicke 1926: Donnelly 1926: S. Thomas 1927: Barker 1928–1929: Tyson 1929: Noonan 1930: Lewis 1931: Pemberton 1931: Clark 1932: Cameron 1932–1934: Taylor 1934: Fitzmaurice 1935–1937: Scanlan 1938–1939: Forbes 1940: L. Thomas 1940: Adamson 1941–1942: McCaskill 1942–1943: Findlay 1944–1947: McCaskill 1948–1953: Carter 1954–1955: McCorkell 1956–1957: Gaudion 1958–1962: Carter 1963–1966: Killigrew 1966–1970: McKenzie 1971–1972: Dixon 1973–1980: Barassi 1976: Jordon 1977: Dugdale 1981: Blight 1981–1984: Cable 1985–1989: Kennedy 1990–1992: Schimmelbusch 1993–2002: Pagan 2003–2009: Laidley 2009: Crocker 2010–: Scott

Italics denote caretaker coach