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Footscray   Ted Whitten   Footscray

Number:

  3 Footscray

Western Bulldogs

Red white and Blue

Height:

   

Weight:

   

Birthday:

  27 July 1935

Period:

  1951 to 1970

Senior Games:

  321

Goals:

  361

Disposals:

   

Recruited From:

  Braybrook
Honours:   Premiership player 1954. Best and Fairest 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1961. Leading goalkicker 1961, 1962, 1964.and 1968. Captain Coach from 1957 to 1966 and 1969 to 1971. Victorian state representative 29 times. Simpson Medallist 1957. Three time All-Australian 1956, 1958 and 1961. Tassie Medalist 1958. Member Team of the Century. Member AFL Team of the Century. Grand final player 1961. One time club games record holder. Member AFL Hall of fame as a Legend. Life member AFL. 3rd Brownlow Medal 1959. Order of Australia Medal 1992. 1950 Braybrook Best and Fairest, 1950 Footscray District League Best and Fairest, 1950 Collingwood Amateurs best and fairest, 1950 Sunday Amateur League Best and Fairest.
  Young Ted was from a poor family in Exhibition Street West Footscray and sometimes there wasn't bread on the table. But that didn't stop Ted from going to see all of the football matches that he could at the Western Oval. He was mad keen Footscray. Not owning a pair of football boots didn't turn him off his first game for Braybrook. Somebody found him a pair of boots and he played for Braybrook on a Saturday and with the Collingwood Magpies Amateurs on a Sunday. At the end of 1950 when Ted was 15 and Victoria Park asked him to come back in a few years after he had filled out a bit. However, Footscray nabbed him, took him on their end-of-season trip and he had his first game on his 16th birthday on 27 July 1951.  

Footscray

 In that first game he was on a half-forward flank on Richmond's "Mopsey Fraser". He went to shake Mopsey's hand but the scum-bag just kicked young Ted in the ankle. Then with his first kick in league football, Ted sent though a glorious goal.  Mopsey later just ran through young Ted and knocked his lights out. He was taken off on a stretcher just before three quarter time.

Later EJ was conscripted to the army but the Prime Minister Menzies intervened and Ted occasionally was able to obtain leave for football.

  
Western Bulldogs We called him "EJ" after his two first names Edward James or just "Teddy". He played as centre-half-back in the premiership side but he could play in any position on the ground. He often played centre-half-forward or as a ruck-rover, sometimes full-forward, sometimes full-back.

 
  He had a full book of skills - high marking, pace, good reader of the play, accurate  and long kick. In addition he was tough and could dish it out and he had great leadership abilities. He was always a team player. Because of his high degree of skills he was dubbed "Mr Football." He was perhaps the greatest footballer of all time. In the early years when setting the team of the year, they would have Ted filling both the Centre-half forward and Centre-half-back positions.

He was almost certain to be picked for his first state match in 1955 when he suffered a bruised eye that if further damaged may have ended the sight in that eye. He played on to ensure that he was selected, he got another black eye, but fortunately in his then good eye.

Sometimes he did things that were not exactly gentlemanly. In the 1961 grand final Hawthorn's Brendan Edwards was killing us in the centre, EJ curtailed his effect in such a manner that Edwards gave the game away after that, saying "If that's the way they are going to play the game I don't want any part of it."

But he also had a good sense of humour, one time he was wrestling in the mud at the top of the goal square at the Western Oval, Geelong Road end with Fitzroy's Kevin Murray. Ted had pinned Murray down and Murray was seething with anger, until he said "Give us a kiss."

 
  Ted, when aged 23 took over the coaching role after the departure of Charlie Sutton in 1957. There was some resistance at first from the senior players but they soon warmed to the task and he took them to the grand final in 1961. Sutton came back for 1967-1968 then Ted took over coaching again. He was Captain-Coach for 12 years. He was the last of the great Captain Coaches as they disappeared with the increased professionalism of the sport.

Do you remember his last game. In front of 19,610 spectators at the Western Oval, 'EJ' played the last of his 321 League games.  At three quarter time, with Footscray leading Hawthorn by just 2 points, 11.10 (76) to 11.8 (74), Whitten delivered an impassioned address to his charges: "It's got to be a do or die effort," he told them.  "It's got to be a determined effort.  You've got to show me all the guts and determination you've got in your body.  You've got to inspire me with this last quarter finish.  You've been in front all day and you've got to stay there."  On a ground that was a virtual quagmire, the 2 teams then played out a tough, slogging final 25 minutes during which only 5 behinds were scored, 3 of them to Footscray.  Amidst a tumultuous outpouring of emotion, the celebrations and reminiscences, which collectively sowed the seeds of a legend, could begin. 

The Western Over was renamed the Whitten Oval, already a new grandstand had been named after him.

  
  Ted coached for one more year then became involved with the media, as a television compere and football caller on the radio. In 1978 he assisted new coach Don McKenzie whilst still maintaining his media commitments.

What pen portrait of Ted would be complete without mention of the famous handshake. He developed two varieties over the years. The first was the squashed-hand variety. Ted, who was as strong as an ox, would squeeze your hands until you thought all the bones would crumble. Very painful. The second was the pull-you-off-your-feet variety. Ted would give you the squeeze AND jerk your hand back alongside his body and pull you off your feet. Very painful and embarrassing.

The only time I ever saw Ted bested was at the 1989 AGM - post fight-back. The place was packed. Ted tried the pull-you-off-your-feet on Dennis Galimberti. Dennis must have known what was coming because when Ted offered him his hand, Dennis moved in very close to Ted and let his right arm hang loose. When Ted jerked it back, Dennis' arm went with the jerk and Dennis stayed on his feet.

  
  There are many questions that are debated regarding Ted's career, one is that he never won Brownlow Medal. Ted's best effort in the Brownlow was in 3rd in 1957. On three other occasions he was the bulldogs' highest vote poller. Its pointed out that the Medal is given by the umpires for the Fairest and best. Whenever one of the opposition whacked one of our guys Ted would be there to deliver retribution and he was continually back-chatting the umpires - something sure not to get him votes.  
  Another debatable point is "Who is the real Mr Football, Ron Barassi or Ted Whitten".  Well, Ted was the better footballer by a country mile.  
Click to return to Home page In the late 60's the Bulldogs had mastered the flick pass and Ted was the grand master. The League introduced a law to outlaw the pass. Coming out of the full back position at the western Oval, Ted flick passes across to Georgie Bisset and gets pinged, the first time in history. I think that Ted stayed on to break the games record and that was too long and that he should have retired two years earlier.  
Ted had developed prostate cancer and it was running away with him. Treatment was not helping. Ted started to lose his sight and he was dying. The league found out and just prior to his death gave him a send off at the Melbourne Football Ground. He stood in an open-topped car with his son Ted Junior holding him up. By this time he had gone completely blind. The fans knew he had gone blind and only had a short time to live. Ted was unaware of their knowledge. Ted smiled and waved at the crowd. they completed a lap of honour. It was very emotional and tear jerking, I still jerk tears today thinking about it.

 
He passed away on 17 August 1995. He was given a state funeral. Another tear jerker. His gravesite is in the memorial park at the top of Grieve Parade North Altona. Stones appropriately coloured in Red, White and Blue, a place for pilgrimage at least once in the life of every Bulldog fan. A statue was also erected outside the Western Oval. Something to revere when you pass by.