Colin Ridgeway
Encyclopedia
Colin Edwin Ridgway was an American football
punter distinguished as being the first Australia
n to play in the National Football League
.
er who competed at the 1956 Olympic Games
and 1958 Commonwealth Games for Australia. He had also competed in the Australian Open Track and Field Championships
from 1955/56 to 1959/60. He won a bronze medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics
and then attended Lamar Tech (now Lamar University
) in Beaumont
where he played for the Lamar Cardinals
Football
team, Texas
, before moving to Dallas to join the Cowboys
.
Ridgway failed to make the 1960 Australian Olympic team and so accepted an offer ofa track scholarship to Lamar Tech in Beaumont, Texas. In 1961 he became the first Commomwealth athlete to clear 7 foot in the high jump. As a track athlete it is doubtful that he would have played football for the college.
. He reached VFL reserves level, playing for the Carlton Football Club
in the 1960s.
and played a total of three games as a punter. It turned out that the running drop-kicks that were commonly used at that time in Aussie Rules didn't translate well into the American game. But Ridgway stayed in Dallas and became a successful businessman.
home in 1993. To date, no arrests have been made and the case remains open.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
punter distinguished as being the first Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n to play in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Track and Field
Ridgway was a high jumpHigh jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
er who competed at the 1956 Olympic Games
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
and 1958 Commonwealth Games for Australia. He had also competed in the Australian Open Track and Field Championships
Australian Championships in Athletics
The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athletes wishing to compete at the Olympic Games,...
from 1955/56 to 1959/60. He won a bronze medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
and then attended Lamar Tech (now Lamar University
Lamar University
Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...
) in Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
where he played for the Lamar Cardinals
Lamar Cardinals
The Lamar Cardinals refers to the collegiate athletic teams of Lamar University. The inception of the nickname "Cardinals" dates back to the schools name change to Lamar in 1932. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, before moving to Dallas to join the Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.
Ridgway failed to make the 1960 Australian Olympic team and so accepted an offer ofa track scholarship to Lamar Tech in Beaumont, Texas. In 1961 he became the first Commomwealth athlete to clear 7 foot in the high jump. As a track athlete it is doubtful that he would have played football for the college.
VFL career
Ridgway began his sporting career playing Australian rules footballAustralian 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...
. He reached VFL reserves level, playing for the Carlton Football Club
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in the 1960s.
NFL career
In 1965, Ridgway was recruited by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
and played a total of three games as a punter. It turned out that the running drop-kicks that were commonly used at that time in Aussie Rules didn't translate well into the American game. But Ridgway stayed in Dallas and became a successful businessman.
Murder
Colin Ridgway was murdered at his University Park, TexasUniversity Park, Texas
University Park is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States, and a inner suburb of Dallas. The population was 23,324 at the 2000 census. The city is home to Southern Methodist University. Like its neighbor, Highland Park, it is a city partially surrounded by the municipality of Dallas...
home in 1993. To date, no arrests have been made and the case remains open.