G. O. Smith
| College | Keble |
|---|---|
| Varsity matches | 1892/931893/941894/951895/96 (c) |
| Varsity match record | P 4 W 3 D 0 L 1 F 8 A 5 GD 3 |
| Goals | 1 |
Biography
Gilbert Oswald, or G. O. (as he was popularly known), Smith was born in Croydon on 25th November 1872. He attended Charterhouse School, where association football was popular, and earned four football Blues at Oxford. He also excelled at cricket, scoring 132 in the fourth innings to help win the 1896 Varsity match.
After leaving Oxford he joined Corinthians, where he scored an incredible 113 goals in 131 games. He played for England, scoring 11 goals and captaining the side on at least 13 occasions. His finest moment came in 1899 when he scored four goals (including a 5-minute hat-trick) in a 13-2 victory over Ireland. By the time he retired Smith had become the most famous footballer in England and was known simply by his initials.
Incredibly, G. O. refused to head the ball throughout his career and thought that heading should be banned, with football being played exclusively on the ground.
Sources: Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), EnglandCaps (www.englandcaps.co.uk)
