Bruce Carruthers (18 January 1903 – 8 March 1988) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). In 1923, Carruthers was involved in a long drawn out clearance dispute. Carruthers, a South Bendigo player applied for a clearance to Rochester, where he was working, but subsequently withdrew it and South Bendigo played Carruthers and a protest was lodged by Rochester. Rochester lost the appeal and Carruthers was allowed to play with South Bendigo.