No 53 PETER WALSH
7 feet 0 inches (213cm) Centre
1976 and 1980 Olympic Games
When the tall fourteen year old walked into Albert Park Stadium in Melbourne to meet Ken Watson, Brian Longstaff (a Melbourne Tigers player at the time) observed him in his green school uniform. The teenager’s long arms, long legs and height (over six feet) in the greenuniform prompted Brian to comment,“Ah, we have a grasshopper.” At that moment a lifelong nickname was born and the fourteen year old was to always be known as “Grasshopper” or “Grass”.
Peter Walsh was born January 9th 1954 in Melbourne, Victoria. Hewas 6’3” (190cms) when he was thirteen years of age. His PE teacher at Buckley Park High (who was according to Peter-“a basketball junkie”) organized for Peter to attend a basketball clinic which was run by the Australian Olympian Ken Cole. Ken liked what he saw in Peter and took an interest in the tall skinny kid and invited him to come along to Ken’s Club team Melbourne Church and join their junior program.
Ken Watson (1956 and 1968 Olympic Coach) the Head Coach at Melbourne Church became Peter’s coach until Lindsay Gaze took over Ken’s coaching in the juniors.
Peter’s junior career took off and he was selected for the Victorian Under 18 State side in 1970 and 1971.Both teams won the Australian Championships.
To further his career it was arranged for Peter to attend Bellevue Community College outside Seattle, USA in the 1974/75 basketball season. American Colleges were renowned for developing big tall players and at this stage Peter was already seven feet (213cms) tall.
Destiny intervened when Lindsay Gaze his Coach back home was touring the States coaching an Australian touring team and caught up with Peter. Lindsay liked what he saw in Peter’s improvement and asked him to return to Australia to trial for the Australian 1976 Olympic team.
The Australian squad assembled in Melbourne for the trials and as Peter explains “Over time the squad was cut down in size, those who survived the dreaded cut received a letter weeks later congratulating them on their selection”. Peter got one of those letters. He was off to the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada.
The 1976 Montreal Olympics were a great experience for Peter. “The Opening Ceremony was very special......it really hits you then...where you are and what you are doing and what you are trying to achieve representing Australia.”
Peter’s role on the Olympic team was to give the Australian team some height up front, rebound and to intimidate on defence. The Australians finished the Olympics in 9th place.
After the Montreal Olympics, Peter spent the next four years playing with the Melbourne Tigers as they dominated the Victorian Association(VBA) and Australian basketball, and touring with the Australian Team.Australia, with Peter as a team member, won the Oceania 1978 World Championships Qualification Tournament when they defeated New Zealand in 1977.
In 1978 Peterwas a member of the Australian Team that secured 7th position in the 1978 World Championships held in the Philippines.
Peter continued to play domestically with the Melbourne Tigers and touroverseas with the Tigers and the Australian Team. He was gaining experience, skills and a permanent position as a starter for both teams. Peter played for Australia when they won the 1980 Olympic Qualification Tournament in 1979.
Peter was selected for his second Olympics Games in 1980. However there was still drama to follow as the USA led boycott of the Games threatened Australia’s attendance at the Games. The Australian team got to Europe as quickly as it could and once they got the go ahead from the Australian Government (Malcolm Frazer left it to the athletes to decided whether to attend or not) the team quickly got to Moscow.
Peter comments, “I felt that in the 1976 Olympics the people of Montreal were wonderful and the city was a great place to visit and the people were so proud to show you the culture but I felt Moscow was different! However once you worked through the propaganda.....you realise that people are people wherever they are.”
The Moscow Olympics were a bitter sweet experience for all the players when the Australian Team missed out on the Quarter Finals by the smallest of percentages in what some claimed to be a “contrived” game between Italy and Cuba. “So close. So darn close,” recalls a still disappointed Peter.
The Australians played extremely well and finished the tournament in 8th position Australia’s best Olympic result to that time.
Lindsay Gaze comments. “Grass had the role of shot blocker and rebounder. At the international level he was usually the only tall player we had and was given the difficult task of containing the opposition big men and acting as a decoy on offense. He filled the role well though he rarely got the recognition he deserved for the important role that he played.”
Peter Walsh played in an era of Australian basketball when there were few seven feet tall (213cm) players. He was an exception. He worked hard, was a presence in the keyhole, and a shot blocker. A favourite saying by Lindsay Gaze at basketball practice was “put a lid on it Grass” as Lindsay urged Peter to get above the ring and tip the rebounding ball into the basket.
After the Moscow Olympics, Peter continued to play basketball with the Melbourne Tigers (his only Club) under his mentor Lindsay Gaze. He completed his international career with Australia when he played with the Australian Team in the 1981 Oceania Championshipand helped Australia qualify for the 1982 World Championships.
Peter Walsh retired from basketball in 1992 at the age of 38.
Since retiring from the NBL, Peter has continued to be active in the Australian Basketball community. He joined Princes Hill Basketball team with Clyde Hillier (ex CYMS) and Steve Grey (ex Coburg Giants) and has played in regional, national and international tournaments with great success. Achieving both Gold and Bronze Medals at PanPacific Masters Games and Bronze at a World Masters Tournament, Peter’s love of the game is evident in these further achievements and with no end in sight, there ismore to come.
Peter Walsh became a dual Olympian and played for the Melbourne Tigers to be one of the best players in his era.
Peter Walsh (13) crashes through an opponent at the 1976 Munich Games (courtesy of Peter Walsh and UPI)
Peter Walsh and his basketball daughters left to right Amy, Siobhan and Danielle (P. Walsh)