fullname years clubs statsend name originalteam birth_date article_title heightweight
donald rupert gross 1965 -- 1974 essendon 1974 don gross euroa 1 april 1947 don gross -lrb- footballer -rrb-
 173 cm / 75 kg
don gross -lrb- footballer -rrb-

donald `` don '' gross -lrb- born 1 april 1947 -rrb- is a former australian rules footballer who played with essendon in the victorian football league -lrb- vfl -rrb- .
gross was a left footer , playing mostly as a rover and on the wings .
he came from euroa in north-east victoria and had only just turned 18 when he made his debut in the opening round of the 1965 vfl season .
his 16 games that year included a preliminary final victory over collingwood , but a broken collarbone sustained in the win ruled him out of the grand final .
having missed out on selection in essendon 's 1965 premiership team , gross got his chance three years later when he was named on the bench for the 1968 vfl grand final , but they would lose to carlton by just three points .
he played 19 games in 1971 and kicked 22 goals , both of which were career bests .
his efforts during the season were recognised in the w. s. crichton medal count , with gross finishing in third position .
his only vfl appearance in 1974 was his 121st and final game for essendon but he was prominent in the reserves that season as captain-coach .
he also coached the essendon under-19s side , from 1977 to 1980 .
