Arthur Beetson (21/1/1945 - 1/12/2011) R.I.P.

[bjrshark]

R.I.P. A legend of the game and a great man

Rugby league great Arthur Beetson has died this morning at the age of 66 after suffering a heart attack.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said officers were called to a home at Paradise Point on the Gold Coast where a man had suffered a heart attack and fallen from a bicycle shortly before 9am.
Paramedics performed CPR but he was unable to be resuscitated and was transported to Gold Coast Hospital.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told State Parliament about the death just after 10am and offered her sympathies.
“This morning Queensland has lost one of its legends and one of its favourite sons,” she said.
“He loved his league, he loved his Queensland and his loss will be felt by many.”


Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/artie-beetson-dead-20111201-1o7vz.html#ixzz1fEmhB3n2

 

[FLEETY]

A very sad day. R.I.P Arty, thanks for the memories.

 

[snowman]

wow, teared up... R.I.P arty

 

[deano the p]

RIP Arthur, you were a true great of the game.

 

[Nicholas2230]

RIP.

Thanks for the memories.

 

[slide rule]

Played before my time, but I love seeing the highlights reel.

Thanks for your contribution to Rugby League and particularly the Sharks. RIP

 

[Jasonstevenswedgie]

thanks for the sharks era you helped build

 

[djhabib]

Im gutted by it. I remember meeting him when he coached us, i was in awe then and seeing his talents on the field still amaze me. R.i.p. to a legend who will never be forgotten.

 

[Jenni]

RIP Big Arty A true legend of the game.

 

[Weaponhead82]

RIP big fella. A true legend of the game. Will be sorely missed

 

[miasg]

Sad on so many levels .. RIP Artie. Sad to think the last thing he did was bag the Roar's record. Could also be bad news for NSW in the Origin as you can't tell me QLD won't use this to motivate the post-Locky troops. QUEENSLANDER.

 

[baanya]

.....Arthur Beetson was the foundation QLD rugby league was built on... and the heart of State of Origin for us!

very sad day....

 

[Yahoo News RSS]

Artie Beetson dead: Rugby league loses a legend - The Roar

Artie Beetson dead: Rugby league loses a legend [SIZE=-1]The Roar[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]In 1992 he was hired as coach of Cronulla, and stayed in the Shire for two seasons. Apart from his coaching experience, Beetson had a long background as a recruitment manager. He had a good eye for playing talent and spent many years heading up ...[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1][/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&ned=us&ncl=dusBZIpfoJfdRfM[/SIZE]

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[sharks.com.au RSS]

League Legend Passes Away

League Legend Passes Away
1/12/2011 1:07:44 PM

The coach of the Sharks in 1992-1993 and man responsible for bringing club legend David Peachey to Cronulla, Beetson was one of the immortal figures of the game and a champion for Indigenous Australia.

Arthur Beetson OAM died on the Gold Coast at the age of 66, leaving behind a legacy of sporting and cultural achievement that will never be forgotten.

The first indigenous Australian to captain any national sporting team, he was a giant of the game as a player in the sixties and seventies before in 1980 igniting the greatest rivalry in Australian sport – The State of Origin Series.

Peachey, who was in the Sharks Leagues Club today meeting with club officials on behalf of his David Peachey Foundation when he heard the news, mourned the passing of one his earliest footballing mentors.

"He is a big loss," Peachey began. "It's very sad for his family but it's also sad for rugby league. He was a poineer.

"Arthur was the man who tracked me down in Dubbo and brought me to the Sharks. It is ironic I was in the Sharks club when I heard the news of his passing."

As the player who led out the first Queensland Origin team he would symbolise the passion of an entire State and then go on to coach the Maroons to series wins in 1982, ‘83, ‘84, and ‘89. To a generation, he was Queensland.

“Arthur was such an imposing figure in so many ways that I think everyone is having trouble accepting that this has happened,” NRL Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said today.

“It is almost impossible to do justice to his contribution to the game and the effect that he had on the lives of so many people.

“He was an immortal, named in the Team of the Century, a member of the Hall of Fame - he was a true champion. Throughout his career he championed both the bush and indigenous Australia and inspired young players.”

Arthur Henry Beetson was born in Roma on January 21, 1945. His explosive power first emerged in the centres through Roma Cities and Redcliffe before Balmain brought him to Sydney in 1966.

Such was his talent that he would play for City, NSW and Australia in that first year. Suspension kept him out of Balmain’s greatest moment, the 1969 Grand Final, but few doubted he was one of the keys in making the side what it was.

Still the legend was only just taking form. In 1971, Beetson went to the Roosters under Don Furner and found his way to the 1972 Grand Final.

Then in 1974 one of the greatest partnerships in Australian sport began. Jack Gibson joined the Roosters as coach and looked for a captain. With the help of a test he’d borrowed from the NFL, he controversially lifted Arthur above all others and established one of the most amazing teams in history.

The Roosters would win the 1974 and ’75 Grand Finals, the latter with a then record score-line of 38-nil over St George.

He would go on to play at the Roosters for three more seasons before heading to Parramatta, but his next date with destiny came as he led the Maroons onto Lang Park in 1980.

“It was a moment that nobody could ever forget,” ARL Chief Executive, Mr Geoff Carr, said today. "Others may have made it possible but Arthur gave birth to the passion of Origin.

“He was 35-years-old and at the back end of a great career and he led all the way.

Beetson was first named Australian Captain in Tests in 1973 and ’74 and was chosen to captain Australia’s World Cup campaign in 1977.

Throughout his illustrious career he would play 47 Tests as well as coaching Australia in 1983 and remaining a selector of Queensland and Australian teams after that point.

Beetson’s playing career ended at Redcliffe in 1981 but as a coach he would define Origin as it moved from a ‘once-a-year-spectacle’ to the definition of sporting passion and rivalry.

He would also coach the Roosters to the finals in 1977 and 1987, while his last coaching appointment was with Sharks in 1992 and 1993.

Source: http://www.sharks.com.au/?s=article-display&id=45512


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[josh11223344]

Couldn't beleive it when I heard it, RIP.

 

[Yahoo News RSS]

Death of Beetson has Queensland in tears

TEARS and tributes follow the news that Queensland rugby league legend Arthur Beetson has died from a heart attack.

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[Shark68]

R.I.P Big fella you will be sadly missed but not forgotten

 

[Yahoo News RSS]

Untimely death came on Artie's big day

LEAGUE legend died shortly before being due to appear at the 'ARTIE Fun Day' for indigenous children, hosted by Former Origin Greats.

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[goodbyepenrithhellosharks]

GUTTED......Go in peace big fella, you earned it

 

[sharks86]

Played before my time, but I love seeing the highlights reel.

Thanks for your contribution to Rugby League and particularly the Sharks. RIP

Same here Slide, but always enjoyed the highlights of when he played and that era in general.

RIP Artie Beetson