Joe Rugolo is a former 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 for Melbourne

Melbourne Football Club

The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

 in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

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

 (VFL) during the 1980s.

Rugolo was a Assumption College recruit and spent three seasons with Melbourne. His brother Frank was on the Melbourne list at the same time but they never got to play a game together.

A ruckman, he played with Sandringham after leaving Melbourne. In 1992, a premiership year, he won a J. J. Liston Trophy

J. J. Liston Trophy

The J. J. Liston Trophy is awarded to the best and fairest senior player in the Victorian Football League .-History:The VFA awarded the Recorder Cup from 1923 to 1941, and also ran a different award known as the VFA Medal .After a hiatus in 1942 to 1944 due to World War II, a best and fairest award...

, having narrowly missed out on it the previous two seasons. Rugolo finished the year with a Norm Goss Memorial Medal

Norm Goss Memorial Medal

The Norm Goss Memorial Medal is awarded to the player judged to be the best afield in the Victorian Football League grand final.It is named after former player and administrator Norm Goss, Sr....

winning performance in the Grand Final win.