Bill Snell

Australian rules footballer

Bill Snell
Personal information
Date of birth	(1927-03-23)23 March 1927
Date of death	18 March 2009(2009-03-18) (aged 81)
Original team(s)	Mirboo North
Debut	Round 1, 1950, Essendon vs. Fitzroy, at Brunswick Street
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1950–52	Essendon	36 (16)
¹ Playing statistics correct to the end of 1952.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

William Snell (23 March 1927 – 18 March 2009^[1]) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL during the early 1950s.

A centre half forward, Snell made his debut in Dick Reynolds's 300th game. He was a member of Essendon's 1950 premiership team and also played in the side which lost the decider the following season. He suffered a serious head injury during a pre-season game before the 1951 season.^[2]^[3] Although doctors feared that he would never play football again, Snell returned to play the last eight games of the 1951 VFL season,^[4] including Essendon's loss to Geelong in the 1951 VFL Grand Final. He played a further eight games in 1952 before retiring from the VFL and going to coach the Stawell Football Club in 1953.^[5]

References

^ Lovett, Michael, ed. (2010). AFL Record Season Guide 2010. p. 948. ISBN 978-0-9806274-5-9.
^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2002). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (4th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 610. ISBN 1-74095-001-1.
^ "Football star's injuries critical". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 16 April 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
^ "DONS REGAIN STAR Snell wins back place". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 3 August 1951. p. 10. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
^ "SNELL AT STAWELL". Horsham Times. Horsham: National Library of Australia. 27 January 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 10 December 2013.