William 'Bill' Lowenthal (born 23 September 1909, date of death unknown) was an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played with Essendon

Essendon Football Club

The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 in the VFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 during the 1930s.

Although a centreman originally, Lowenthal developed into a half back flanker where he was a strong mark overhead and had plenty of dash. It was in that position that he was runner up at the 1933 Brownlow Medal

Brownlow Medal

The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

 count by just one vote to Wilfred "Chicken" Smallhorn. He was unlucky as he had missed three games late in the season due to an ankle injury. In 1933 he also represented Victoria, at the Sydney Carnival

1933 Sydney Carnival

The 1933 Sydney Carnival was the eighth edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition....

.

Lowenthal crossed to Fitzroy in 1937 and at the end of the season joined VFA club Preston

Northern Bullants

Northern Blues Football Club is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston and currently playing in the Victorian Football League representing the central and outer areas of Melbourne...

. He was with Preston for four seasons and from 1942 to 1946 represented the RAAF team, often as captain.