Eric Gardner

Eric Gardner
Personal information
Full name Eric Arthur Gardner
Date of birth (1881-06-27)27 June 1881
Place of birth Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Date of death 24 May 1905(1905-05-24) (aged 23)
Place of death Västerås, Sweden
Original team(s) Melbourne Grammar
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1900–1903 Melbourne 39 (13)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1903.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Eric Arthur Gardner (27 June 1881 – 24 May 1905) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). The younger brother of Corrie Gardner, Eric was a long kicking forward. He played as a wingman and missed out on playing in Melbourne's 1900 premiership side, in his debut season, through injury.

He entered Trinity College (University of Melbourne) in 1900, where he was a member of the football team that won the 1902 intercollegiate premiership, and also participated in athletics, winning the 120-yard hurdles and coming third in the long jump and at the University sports day in 1902.

Gardner died young in 1905 while in Sweden.