Dick Tooth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dick Tooth

Birth name	Richard Murray Tooth
Date of birth	(1929-09-21)21 September 1929
Place of birth	Bombala, New South Wales, Australia
Date of death	5 August 2020(2020-08-05) (aged 90)
Place of death	Sydney
School	Newcastle Boys' High School
University	University of Sydney MB BS (1955)
Occupation(s)	medical practitioner
Rugby union career
Position(s) Versatile back Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1949–56 1957 1958 Sydney Uni Randwick Rosslyn Park (UK) Middlesex () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1950–57  Australia 10 21

Richard Murray Tooth (born September 21, 1929 – died August 5, 2020) was a famous Australian rugby player from the 1950s. He played for the Australian national team, called the Wallabies, in 10 big international games. He even got to be the captain of the Australian team twice!

While studying at the University of Sydney, he lived at St Andrew's College. He played club rugby for the Sydney University Football Club and later for Randwick in a competition called the Shute Shield. Outside of rugby, he became a special doctor called an orthopaedic surgeon. He was also a pioneer in sports medicine, meaning he helped start new ways of treating sports injuries.

Growing Up and School Days

Schoolboy Tooth, a member of the Newcastle Boys High squad, winners of the 1943 CHS Kerr Cup and Lintott Cup

Richard Tooth was born in Bombala. When he was seven years old, his family moved to Newcastle. He went to Newcastle Boys' High School. There, he was a great all-around athlete. He played rugby league, swam, and competed in athletics. He was part of teams that won several cups, like the Farlow Cup for swimming and the Kerr and Lintott Cups for athletics in 1943. In the summer, he also swam with the Cooks Hill Surf Life Saving Club.

After high school, Richard went to the University of Sydney. He first studied science and lived at St Andrew's College. During this time, he played rugby for his college and for the University's club team. In 1949, he switched to studying medicine. That same year, he earned a spot on the Sydney University's second-grade rugby team. He was then chosen to play for an Australian Universities team. This team played a three-game series against a New Zealand Universities side.

Playing for Australia: The Wallabies

In 1950, Richard became a regular player for the University's top-grade team. He was coached by Joe Kraefft, who was also a former Wallaby player. That year, he even played against a visiting team from the British Isles.

In 1951, he was selected to play for New South Wales. Soon after, he made his first appearance for Australia. He played in three Test matches against the famous All Blacks. He played as a "five-eighth," which is a key attacking position.

Richard focused on his medical studies for a couple of years. But in 1954, he was back in the national team. He played in a series of games against the visiting Fijian team. He played one Test match as a "fullback" and another as a "centre."

In 1955, he was chosen for the Wallabies team that toured New Zealand. His University teammate, John Solomon, was the captain. Richard played in 12 out of 13 games on that tour. He played either as a fullback or a "fly-half" and had a very good tour.

In 1957, Richard had the honor of captaining the Wallabies twice. This was when the All Blacks toured Australia. It was a big surprise when he wasn't chosen for the 27-man Wallaby team that toured Britain, Ireland, and France later that year. He was the current Australian captain at the time! Even though it was unexpected, Richard didn't let it bother him. He decided to travel to the United Kingdom anyway to continue his medical studies. While he was there, he captained the Rosslyn Park club team in England. He also played for Middlesex and was selected for an invitational team called the North of Ireland Wolfhounds.

A Doctor and Pioneer

Beyond his rugby career, Richard Tooth made important contributions to medicine. He helped start a new type of surgery in Australia called arthroscopic surgery. This is a way to look inside a joint, like a knee, using a tiny camera.

In 1971, he performed the first full knee reconstruction surgery in Australia. His patient was Johnny Warren, who was the captain of the Socceroos, Australia's national soccer team. Thanks to Dr. Tooth's surgery, Johnny Warren was able to play again and even captained the team in the 1974 World Cup!

Family Life

In 1956, Richard married Marianne. Her father was the Consul-General for Sweden, Ivar Stenstrom. Richard and Marianne had a daughter named Liane Tooth. Liane became a very successful athlete herself, winning two Olympic gold medals!

His nephew, Tim Walsh, also played first-grade rugby. Tim played for Leeds Carnegie and represented Australia in Rugby Sevens, which is a faster version of rugby with fewer players.

Sources

• Howell, Max (2005) Born to Lead – Wallaby Test Captains, Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ