View source for Bill Dempsey

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Bill Dempsey<br><small>[[Member of the Order of the British Empire|MBE]]</small>
| image = 
| fullname = William Brian Dempsey
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1942|03|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Birdum, Northern Territory|Birdum]], [[Northern Territory]]
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| height = 
| weight = 
| position = [[Ruckman (Australian rules football position)|Ruckman]], back pocket
| statsend = 1976
| years1 = 1960–1976
| club1 = {{WAFL|WP}}
| games_goals1 = 341 (89)<ref> These tallies refer to premiership matches (home-and-away and finals matches) only. </ref>
| years2 = 1959–1969
| club2 = Darwin (NTFL)
| games_goals2 = 145
| sooyears1 = 1963–1973
| sooteam1 = [[Western Australia Australian rules football team|Western Australia]]
| soogames_goals1 = 14 (0)
| careerhighlights = * [[Darwin Football Club|Darwin]] premiership side 1958–59, 1959–60, 1967–68{{ref label|Note1|a|1}} 
* [[Darwin Football Club|Darwin]] captain 1964–65
* {{WAFL|WP}} best and fairest 1966
* {{WAFL|WP}} premiership side 1969, 1971, 1975
* [[Simpson Medal]] 1969 <small>(grand final)</small>
* {{WAFL|WP}} Team of the Century <small>(2000)</small>
* [[West Australian Football Hall of Fame]] <small>(2004)</small>
* [[Indigenous Team of the Century]] <small>(2005)</small>
* [[AFL Northern Territory]] Hall of Fame <small>(2010)</small>
* [[Australian Football League Hall of Fame]] Inductee
}}

'''William Brian Dempsey''' [[Member of the Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (born 17 March 1942) is a former [[Australian rules football]]er who played for the [[Darwin Football Club]] in the [[Northern Territory Football League]] (NTFL) and the [[West Perth Football Club]] in the [[Western Australian National Football League]] (WANFL). Dempsey is an inductee of both the [[AFL Northern Territory]] and the [[West Australian Football Hall of Fame|West Australian Football Halls of Fame]]. Dempsey's 341 premiership games for West Perth is second only to [[Mel Whinnen]]'s 367 as a club and WAFL record.

==Career==
An [[indigenous Australian]] born in [[Birdum, Northern Territory|Birdum]], a railway settlement in the [[Northern Territory]] of Australia,<ref name="hof">[http://wafootball.com.au/resources/doc_download/4-hall-of-fame-inductees West Australian Football Hall of Fame members] – West Australian Football Commission. Retrieved 20 May 2012.</ref> Dempsey began his career with the [[Darwin Football Club|Buffaloes Football Club]]{{ref label|Note1|b|2}} in the [[Northern Territory Football League]]. He played in premiership sides with the club in 1958–59 and 1959–60{{ref label|Note1|a|1}} before being recruited by {{WAFL|WP}} in the WANFL.<ref>[http://www.aflnt.com.au/index.php?id=247 Bill Dempsey LEGEND – (1958-1976)] – AFLNT. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref><ref name="fpf">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120204044058/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/d.htm#Bill%20Dempsey%20%28Darwin%20&%20West%20Perth%29 Bill Dempsey (Darwin & West Perth)]}} – FullPointsFooty. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref> Dempsey made his WANFL debut in 1960. Playing either as a [[Ruckman (Australian rules football)|ruckman]] or resting in defence – late [[1967 WANFL season|in 1967]] [[Bob Spargo]] used him successfully as a substitute for [[Brian France (footballer)|Brian France]] at centre half-back after the latter suffered a career-ending knee injury<ref>Kennedy, Tom; ‘West Impressive in a Form Recovery’; ''[[The Sunday Times (Western Australia)|The Sunday Times]]'', 13 August 1967, p. 80</ref> – Dempsey became a regular in the West Perth side, winning the Breckler Medal as the club's [[best and fairest]] in 1966 and playing in premierships in 1969 and 1971.<ref>[http://members.iinet.net.au/~falcons/history/medallist.html West Perth Football Club Medallists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014025509/http://members.iinet.net.au/~falcons/history/medallist.html |date=14 October 2012 }} – West Perth Football Club (Inc). Retrieved from iinet.net.au, 3 February 2012.</ref> During most summers, Dempsey returned to play in the NTFL, where he captained Darwin during the 1964–65 season and was a member of their unbeaten premiership side during the 1967–68 season; he played 145 games for Darwin.<ref name="fpf"/> Dempsey made his debut for [[Western Australia Australian rules football team|Western Australia]] in an [[Interstate matches in Australian rules football|interstate match]] against Tasmania at [[Subiaco Oval]] in June 1963, and went on to play 14 matches for the state, including two matches at the [[1972 Perth Carnival|1972 Australian Championships]].<ref>[http://wafootball.com.au/resources/doc_download/14-state-games-1951-2010 State games 1951–2010] – wafootball.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref> Dempsey played 341 premiership games and two pre-season/night series games for West Perth before retiring at the end of the 1976 season.<ref name="fpf"/> 

Dempsey was made a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in June 1976, for "services to sport", along with teammate [[Mel Whinnen]].<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/46919/supplements/8036/page.pdf Supplement to the London Gazette, 12 June 1976] – ''[[London Gazette]]''. Published 12 June 1976. Retrieved from an online source, 3 February 2012.</ref> In October 2000, he was named in a back pocket in West Perth's Team of the Century.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120111062756/http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/all_star_teams_(n-z).htm#West%20Perth West Perth Official 'Team of the Century']}} – FullPointsFooty. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref> He was an inaugural inductee of the [[West Australian Football Hall of Fame]] in March 2004,<ref>[http://www.wafootball.com.au/resources/doc_download/4-hall-of-fame-inductees Hall of Fame Inductees] – wafootball.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref> and in 2010, Dempsey was named as a "Legend" in the inaugural induction into the [[AFL Northern Territory]] Hall of Fame.<ref>[http://www.aflnt.com.au/index.php?id=227 AFLNT Legends] – aflnt.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref> Dempsey was named as a back pocket in the [[Indigenous Team of the Century]] in 2005.<ref>[http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-5545-0-0-0&sID=81458&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=6607524&sectionID=81458 Team for the Ages: Indigenous Team of the Century] – sportingpulse. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref> One of the entrance gates at [[Patersons Stadium]] is named after Dempsey,<ref>[http://www.wafootball.com.au/patersons-stadium/history Patersons Stadium history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713010032/http://www.wafootball.com.au/patersons-stadium/history |date=13 July 2012 }} – wafootball.com.au. Retrieved 3 February 2012.</ref> and a stand at [[Arena Joondalup]], West Perth's home ground since 1994, is named the Whinnen–Dempsey Stand in honour of the two players' contribution to the club.<ref>[http://www.falconsfc.com.au/latest-news/members-reserved-seating/  MEMBERS RESERVED SEATING] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321195644/http://falconsfc.com.au/latest-news/members-reserved-seating/ |date=21 March 2012 }} – West Perth Football Club. Retrieved 8 July 2012.</ref> Dempsey's grandson, [[Malcolm Rosas Jr]], is an AFL player for the [[Gold Coast Suns]].<ref>[https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/mal-rosas-grandson-of-wa-great-bill-dempsey-to-make-debut-for-gold-coast-ng-b881873153z Mal Rosas, grandson of WA great Bill Dempsey, to make debut for Gold Coast] – thewest.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2021.</ref>

==Notes==
{{note label|Note1|a|1}} The [[Northern Territory Football League]] season is played during the [[wet season]] in the Northern Territory, which usually occurs between December and March. Hence, NTFL seasons are usually written to encompass two years e.g. the 1959–60 season refers to the season played between December 1959 and March 1960.<br>
{{note label|Note1|b|2}} Buffaloes changed its name to the [[Darwin Football Club]] for the 1962–63 season, having previously been known as Warriors (1917–18) and Vesteys (1918–26).

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{AustralianFootball}}
*{{WAFL FootyFacts}}

{{Northern Territory Team of the Century}}
{{West Perth Football Club Team of the Century}}
{{AFL Indigenous Team of the Century}}
{{Simpson Medal winners}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, Bill}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Darwin Football Club players]]
[[Category:West Perth Football Club players]]
[[Category:West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football]]
[[Category:Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]