An icon for the Canberra Raiders and Queensland Maroons, Sam Backo has tragically passed away at the age of 64 after a three-month battle with tropical soil disease meliodosis.
Admitted to Cairns Hospital in April, Backo passed away on Sunday, surrounded by his family and friends.
A rugby league star of the 1980s, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for his contribution to the sport and was named in the Indigenous Team of the Century the following year alongside the likes of Arthur Beetson, Gordon Tallis and John Ferguson.
A seven-time representative for Queensland, Backo is remembered for his tenure at the Canberra Raiders, in which he played 114 matches for the club before making the move to the Brisbane Broncos, where he would play a further 20 games.
He also made six appearances for Australia in 1988 and 1989 and was named in the Rest of the World team in 1988.
“Sam was as tough as they come, a larger-than-life character who was as recognisable as he was resilient,” ARLC Chairman Peter V'landys said in a statement.
“Through a successful career with Canberra Raiders, Brisbane Broncos, not to mention Queensland and Australia, he was a one-of-a-kind footballer.
“He was famously a tryscorer in all three Ashes Tests against Great Britain in 1988.
“A member of the Indigenous Team of the Century, Sam was also a generous and selfless man who was passionate about Indigenous health and advocacy away from the field.
“On behalf of the Commission, I extend our sincerest condolences to Sam's family, and all those who knew him.”
