BIO
In 1939 Claude Raymond Gross received a gold medal at the Black Forest school presentations for being the most brilliant player in the district.
A solidly built rover, the former Norwood colts player appeared a few times for the Norwood reserves in 1948, and showed promise in the club's 1949 pre-season internal trials.
Gross made his league debut against Sturt in round 3, 1949. He was named 19th man, and the Redlegs had a resounding win: 21.14 to 8.12. The following week he played as a half-forward against North Adelaide, at Norwood. He kicked 2.1, helping Norwood win a thriller by one point.
Gross kept his spot for the away victory against Glenelg, and played the following round against Port Adelaide. That was his last senior appearance for 1949.
While he struggled for a regular league game in the powerful Norwood line-up, he was consistently in the best players for the reserves. A dashing ground player, capable of having a run on the ball, he was particularly dangerous near goals, and in 1950 he not only won the reserves best and fairest for the club, but was also awarded the Woolley Medal as the leading goal-kicker in the association, with 50 goals.
Gross only played five league matches for the year, but that included the 1950 Grand Final premiership victory, when he was brought into the side to replace the injured Ron Williams; the selectors deciding to play four rovers against Glenelg,
At the end of the season he travelled to Mount Gambier with the Norwood league team and played a combined side from the South East and Border Football League
Gross played another three league games in 1951.
He later joined Walkerville in the South Australian Amateur Football League, and represented his state as a rover.
Gross served his country in World War 2
R Cialini Feb 2019; R Crompton Mar 2016