Bruce Reid
A towering, fragile fast bowler whose rare moments of fitness delivered match-winning spells for Australia, including a historic World Cup victory.
Born 1963 (age 63)·Australian cricketer·Birthday: March 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
At six foot eight, Bruce Reid cut an imposing and slightly awkward figure off the long run, his left-arm delivering balls that reared from a length. Hailing from Western Australia, his Test debut in 1985 announced a major talent, with 13 wickets against India. Reid’s story, however, became one of tantalizing brilliance punctuated by relentless injury. His body, seemingly too slender for the demands of fast bowling, broke down repeatedly. When fit, he was devastating—his 13 for 148 against England in Melbourne in 1990 remains one of the great Ashes performances. His career was a collection of spectacular highlights rather than a long narrative, culminating in being part of Australia's 1987 World Cup-winning squad, a triumph that defined a new era for Australian cricket.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bruce was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bruce Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Bruce's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Took a match-winning 13 for 148 against England in the 1990-91 Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- Was a key member of the Australian team that won its first Cricket World Cup title in 1987.
- Became the first Australian bowler to take a hat-trick in a One Day International, achieving the feat against New Zealand in 1986.
- Captured 113 Test wickets at an impressive average of 24.63, despite his career being severely curtailed by injury.
Did You Know?
His brother, John Reid, also played first-class cricket for Western Australia.
Reid's nickname was 'Pigeon' due to his tall, thin frame, a moniker later more famously associated with Glenn McGrath.
He once took 8 wickets for 97 runs in an innings against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1992.
After retirement, he worked as a bowling coach for the Australian national team and in the Indian Premier League.
“My body just wouldn't let me do what my mind wanted.”
