About Eric Simms (rugby league)
Eric Simms (born 2 August 1945) is an Indigenous Australian former professional and national representative rugby league footballer who has been named among the nation's finest of the 20th century. His primary position was at fullback although he could also play as a centre. Simms played his entire first grade career for South Sydney with whom he won four premierships and was top point-scorer for four consecutive seasons. In August 2008, Simms was named at fullback in the Indigenous Team of the Century. Simms set several records in his playing days, some which still stand. He was a notable goal-kicker (field, penalty and conversion) who once kicked five field goals in eleven minutes (in a match against Penrith in 1969). It has been said of Simms, and specifically his ability to kick field goals, that he's "one of the few men whose influence was such it single-handedly changed the game". He played in the centres for Souths’ grand finalist team which lost to St George (12 – 8) before a then record crowd of 78,056; Simms scored the last points in the game with a penalty goal. Simms went on to play 206 first grade games, including grand final winning teams in 1967, 1968, 1970 and 1971, scoring a total of 1,841 career points. Eric's mother was born Gwendoline May Cook and became Gwendoline Ping when her own mother remarried.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.