Shadrach James
Fitzroy
AFL career
18 games20 goals
- Debut
- R3 1940 v GEE11 May 1940
- Most recent
- R18 1941 v ESS30 Aug 1941
Stats
Bio
A member of distinguished sporting and activist lineage, Shadrach "Shady" James was the son of prominent Yorta Yorta leader Shadrach Livingstone James and a cousin of football royalty Sir Doug Nicholls. Before arriving at Fitzroy, James built a formidable reputation as a goalkicking phenomenon in regional Victoria and the Albury district, notably booting over 100 goals for Mooroopna in 1938 and snaring a massive 19-goal haul for Brocklesby the following year. A smooth-moving left-footer with innate goal sense, he joined the Maroons in 1940 and became just the fourth Indigenous player to represent the club, adding skill and creativity to their forward line during the early war years. While his VFL career was relatively brief—spanning 18 games across two seasons—James remained a celebrated figure in country football, eventually returning to the Goulburn Valley where he continued to dominate as a player and coach well into the late 1940s.
Profile
- Born
- 30 Nov 1917
- Died
- 20 Nov 1973 (aged 55y 355d)
- Birthplace
- Echuca, VIC
- Deathplace
- Mooroopna, VIC
- Height
- 173 cm
- Weight
- 68 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionA member of distinguished sporting and activist lineage, Shadrach "Shady" James was the son of prominent Yorta Yorta leader Shadrach Livingstone James and a cousin of football royalty Sir Doug Nicholls. Before arriving at Fitzroy, James built a formidable reputation as a goalkicking phenomenon in regional Victoria and the Albury district, notably booting over 100 goals for Mooroopna in 1938 and snaring a massive 19-goal haul for Brocklesby the following year. A smooth-moving left-footer with innate goal sense, he joined the Maroons in 1940 and became just the fourth Indigenous player to represent the club, adding skill and creativity to their forward line during the early war years. While his VFL career was relatively brief—spanning 18 games across two seasons—James remained a celebrated figure in country football, eventually returning to the Goulburn Valley where he continued to dominate as a player and coach well into the late 1940s.