Sam Backo facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Samson Backo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 January 1961 Ingham, Queensland, Australia |
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Playing information
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| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 kg (18 st 2 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sam Backo (born 1 January 1961) is a famous Australian former professional rugby league player. He played as a prop forward in the 1980s and 1990s. Sam is known as one of the greatest Indigenous Australian players of his time.
He proudly represented his home state, Queensland, and his country, Australia. Sam also played for top clubs like the Canberra Raiders and Brisbane Broncos. He made history as the first Australian forward to score tries in all three games of an Ashes series. After he stopped playing, he was even named in an Indigenous Australian Team of the Century.
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Early Rugby League Days
Sam Backo was born in Ingham, a town in North Queensland. He started his rugby league journey playing as a forward for the Cairns team. Later, he moved to play in other regional competitions. In 1981, he played for Woden Valley in New South Wales. The next year, he returned to Queensland to play for Yeppoon.
Playing for Canberra and Queensland
After playing for Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Sam got his big chance. In 1983, he joined the Canberra Raiders in Sydney's top league, the NSWRFL premiership. He quickly became a key player for the Raiders. In 1987, he played in his first Grand Final with the club, but they lost to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
In 1988, Sam was chosen to play for the Queensland Maroons in the State of Origin series. He played in all three games as a prop forward. Queensland won the series easily. Sam even won "man-of-the-match" awards in two games, which is a big achievement!
Representing Australia
Later in 1988, Sam was selected to play for the Australian Kangaroos. He made his debut against Great Britain in the Ashes series. Sam became the first Australian forward ever to score a try in all three games of an Ashes series. This was a very rare feat! At the end of 1988, he was named the best front rower of the year for the Dally M awards.
Playing in England and Brisbane
After his time with Canberra, Sam went to England. He played for Leeds during the 1988-89 season. He even helped Leeds win the 1988 Yorkshire Cup Final.
Sam then returned to Queensland to play for the Brisbane Broncos for his last two seasons, 1989 and 1990. He continued to play for the Queensland Maroons in 1989 and 1990. Even though he had some knee problems, he still played well for his state and country. His knee injuries eventually led him to retire from top-level football at the end of 1990. In total, Sam played in six Test matches for Australia.
Life After Rugby League
After retiring from professional rugby league, Sam Backo received special recognition for his amazing career. In 2000, he was given the Australian Sports Medal. This award celebrates people who have made a great contribution to Australian sports.
In 2001, Sam was named in the "Indigenous Team of the Century." This team honored the best Indigenous Australian rugby league players of the last 100 years. In 2004, he was also included in the Canberra Raiders' "All Indigenous" team.
Family Life
Sam Backo has a daughter named Elaine Crombie, who is an actress. His son, Daniel Backo, also played rugby league and was signed by the North Queensland Cowboys.
