Ron Barassi, Sr.

Ronald James Barassi (24 October 1913 – 30 July 1941) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was the father of Hall of Famer Ron Barassi Jr.

At the height of his football career, he enlisted in the army during the Second World War and was killed during the Siege of Tobruk.

Biography

Barassi's grandfather was Swiss of Italian speaking background who migrated to the Colony of Victoria in the 1850/60s. The family group settled in areas such as Guildford, Castlemaine, and Daylesford.

He initially played for the Castlemaine Football Club, becoming a rover and made his debut for the Melbourne Football Club in 1936. His final VFL match was the Melbourne Football Club's victorious 1940 grand final in which he started as the 19th man.

He joined the army soon after the 1940 VFL season, like many other footballers from the Melbourne Football Club. Serving in the military campaign in North Africa, he was killed in action at Tobruk in 1941, the first VFL footballer to die in the conflict.