Sam Backo

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Sam Backo
Personal information
Full nameSamson Backo
Born (1961-01-01) 1 January 1961 (age 63)
Ingham, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight115 kg (18 st 2 lb)
PositionProp
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1980–82 Fortitude Valley
1983–88 Canberra Raiders 115 15 0 0 60
1988–89 Leeds 18 1 0 0 4
1989–90 Brisbane Broncos 20 3 0 0 12
Total 153 19 0 0 76
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1988–90 Queensland 7 3 0 0 12
1988–89 Australia 6 3 0 0 12
Source: [1][2]

Sam Backo (born 1 January 1961) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop in the 1980s and 1990s.

Named as one of the greatest

Indigenous Australian
team of the century.

Early career

Former chairwoman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation,

Group 8 competition in 1981. The following year he returned to his home state to play for Yeppoon in the Central Division
competition.

BRL and Canberra

After playing in the

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
.

While in his final season at Canberra, Backo was first selected to play

Dally M front rower of the year. A late season injury playing for Canberra saw him miss selection in Australia's World Cup Final winning team.[citation needed
]

RFL and Brisbane

Moving to England, Backo played in the

1988 Yorkshire Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds
.

Backo's final two seasons of top-level football, 1989 and 1990, were spent in Queensland, with the

1989 Kangaroo Tour of New Zealand. Backo also played in a further four games for the Maroons – games II and III of the 1989 State of Origin series, and games II and III of the 1990 series – despite his knee problems,[4] which limited his participation with his club to only five appearances during 1990 and eventually forced his retirement at the end of the season. Although selected for the 1990 Australia team to play France in the NSW country town of Parkes, he was forced to withdraw because of his ongoing knee injury. In total, Backo played in six Tests and scored three tries. In 1991, Backo made a short-lived return to football to play for Logan Scorpions in the Brisbane competition
.

Post playing

Backo was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for his contribution to Australia's standing in rugby league.[5] The Indigenous Team of the Century was announced in 2001 with Backo included in the starting line-up which also included Arthur Beetson, Gorden Tallis and John Ferguson.[6] In 2004, Backo was named in the Canberra Raiders' All Indigenous team.[7]

On 2 April 2023, it was reported that Backo had suffered a heart attack the previous day and was in a critical condition in a Cairns hospital.[8] Rugby league identities Wally Lewis, Trevor Gillmeister, Steve Renouf and Darryl Brohman were among those who offered support to Backo and his family upon learning the news.[8][9]

Family

Backo had a daughter with dancer Lillian Crombie, actress Elaine Crombie.[10]

His son, Daniel Backo, was signed to the North Queensland Cowboys but didn't make an NRL appearance.[citation needed]

References

  • Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson (2007). The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players.
    ISBN 978-1-877082-93-1
    .
  • Malcolm Andrews (1992). ABC of Rugby League.
    ISBN 0-7333-0176-2
    .
  • Gary Lester (1986). Rugby League Action '85.
    ISBN 0-909558-83-3
    .

Footnotes

  1. ^ Rugby League Project
  2. ^ Yesterday's Hero
  3. ISBN 9781865087559
    .
  4. ^ Clarkson, Alan; 'Backo May Miss Test: Fears over Knee Injury'; The Sun-Herald, 17 June 1990, p. 75
  5. ^ "It's an Honour". Australian Government. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  6. ^ Darren Walton (16 June 2001). "Beetson named captain of Indigenous Team of the Century". AAP Sports News (Australia). Archived from the original (fee required) on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  7. ^ "Laurie Daley to captain Canberra Raiders all Indigenous team". ABC News. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 10 May 2008.
  8. ^ a b Ritchie, Dean (2 April 2023). "NRL 2023: Former Raiders, Queensland star Sam Backo in hospital after heart attack". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  9. ^ "League world in shock as legend Sam Backo hospitalised". Nine's Wide World of Sports. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  10. ^ Crombie, Elaine (9 December 2016). "I am living proof of the stolen generation. Trust me, the trauma is real". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Backo&oldid=1219709673"