Allan Ruthven
Encyclopedia
Allan Ruthven was an Australian rules football
er in the (then) Victorian Football League
. He played his entire 222 game career with Fitzroy
. In 1950, Ruthven won the prestigious Brownlow medal
.
, Ruthven joined Fitzroy
in 1940 as a 17-year old schoolboy star. So impressed with his skill and potential, the club subsequently gave Ruthven guernsey number 7, previously worn and made famous by triple Brownlow Medal
list, Haydn Bunton
.
Universally known as "the Baron", for his dapper dress sense, Ruthven reportedly earned his nickname when a teammate called out "here comes Baron Rothschild" after he turned up to the club in one of his flamboyant suits.
Ruthven stood only 173 centimetres tall and weighed 73 kilograms, but was renowned for his skill, fitness and flawless left-foot kicking. Tough, talented and tenacious, Ruthven was also renowned for his ability to gain possession of the ball under the most challenging of circumstances, and use it purposefully. He was also dangerous near goal, winning Fitzroy's goal kicking award on three occasions. Considered the greatest rover of the 1940s and early 1950s, Ruthven was instrumental in Fitzroy's 1944 premiership win.
His illustrious career was one which nearly ended before it reached its prime. In 1942, Ruthven spent three months in hospital recovering from a seious back injury and missed the entire season. However, he bounced back from injury and in 1946 won Victorian selection for the first time and a league newspaper award as the best player of the year.
Fitzroy almost lost Ruthven in 1949 after the Imperial Football Club offered him £18 a week to be captain/coach. Although he accepted, becoming one of the highest paid coaches in Victoria, Fitzroy refused him clearance, claiming that Imperial had approached Ruthven after they had denied permission to interview him for the position. Eventually, Fitzroy won a protracted battle to keep him. Shortly afterwards, Broken Hill offered Ruthven £36 a week; £20 as a player, £8 as the coach and a weekly bonus of £8. Again Fitzroy refused to clear Ruthven and again the controlling body upheld Fitzroy's claim.
In 1950, Ruthven was reappointed captain after Norm Smith
retired as a player. Ruthven responded by winning the Brownlow medal
with 21 votes, 3 clear of the next player. In 1952, Ruthven was appointed captain/coach, taking Fitzroy to the preliminary final. One of the highlights of Ruthven's career as captain/coach was when he steered the side to a 1 point victory over Carlton
in the 1952 first semi-final. Fitzroy won the game despite having 9 fewer scoring shots at goal than the Blues, with Ruthven snapping the match-winning behind in the dying seconds of the game, in a best on ground performance.
He retired at the end of the 1954 season after 222 games over 15 seasons, finishing second on the club's all-time games list behind Frank Curcio
, at the time of his retirement. Ruthven's 97 career Brownlow votes ranks in the top 5 of Fitzroy's all-time playing list.
Playing career:
Player honors:
Coaching record:
television show, World of Sport
. In later life, Ruthven retired with his wife to the country life of Yarrawonga, in rural Victoria
, where he continued to play his other favourite sport, golf
.
Ruthven was also a vocal supporter of the Brisbane Lions
, after the 1997 merger of Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears
. He was involved in the official unfurling ceremony of the Lions' 2001 premiership flag in Melbourne
in April 2002, but failing health prevented him from being a part of the Lions' successful national tour with the 2002 premiership cup.
at Wangaratta Hospital. He was buried at St Brigid's Catholic Church, Mulwala.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er in the (then) Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. He played his entire 222 game career with Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
. In 1950, Ruthven won the prestigious Brownlow medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
.
Playing career
A product of Falconer Street School in North FitzroyFitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
, Ruthven joined Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
in 1940 as a 17-year old schoolboy star. So impressed with his skill and potential, the club subsequently gave Ruthven guernsey number 7, previously worn and made famous by triple Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
list, Haydn Bunton
Haydn Bunton, Sr.
Haydn William Bunton was an Australian rules football player and coach. He is regarded by some historians and observers of Australian rules as its greatest-ever player.-Playing career:...
.
Universally known as "the Baron", for his dapper dress sense, Ruthven reportedly earned his nickname when a teammate called out "here comes Baron Rothschild" after he turned up to the club in one of his flamboyant suits.
Ruthven stood only 173 centimetres tall and weighed 73 kilograms, but was renowned for his skill, fitness and flawless left-foot kicking. Tough, talented and tenacious, Ruthven was also renowned for his ability to gain possession of the ball under the most challenging of circumstances, and use it purposefully. He was also dangerous near goal, winning Fitzroy's goal kicking award on three occasions. Considered the greatest rover of the 1940s and early 1950s, Ruthven was instrumental in Fitzroy's 1944 premiership win.
His illustrious career was one which nearly ended before it reached its prime. In 1942, Ruthven spent three months in hospital recovering from a seious back injury and missed the entire season. However, he bounced back from injury and in 1946 won Victorian selection for the first time and a league newspaper award as the best player of the year.
Fitzroy almost lost Ruthven in 1949 after the Imperial Football Club offered him £18 a week to be captain/coach. Although he accepted, becoming one of the highest paid coaches in Victoria, Fitzroy refused him clearance, claiming that Imperial had approached Ruthven after they had denied permission to interview him for the position. Eventually, Fitzroy won a protracted battle to keep him. Shortly afterwards, Broken Hill offered Ruthven £36 a week; £20 as a player, £8 as the coach and a weekly bonus of £8. Again Fitzroy refused to clear Ruthven and again the controlling body upheld Fitzroy's claim.
In 1950, Ruthven was reappointed captain after Norm Smith
Norm Smith
Norman Walter "Norm" Smith was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League. After 200 games as a player with Melbourne and Fitzroy, Smith began a twenty year coaching career, including a fifteen year stint at Melbourne...
retired as a player. Ruthven responded by winning the Brownlow medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
with 21 votes, 3 clear of the next player. In 1952, Ruthven was appointed captain/coach, taking Fitzroy to the preliminary final. One of the highlights of Ruthven's career as captain/coach was when he steered the side to a 1 point victory over Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in the 1952 first semi-final. Fitzroy won the game despite having 9 fewer scoring shots at goal than the Blues, with Ruthven snapping the match-winning behind in the dying seconds of the game, in a best on ground performance.
He retired at the end of the 1954 season after 222 games over 15 seasons, finishing second on the club's all-time games list behind Frank Curcio
Frank Curcio
Francis 'Frank' Eduardo Curcio was an Australian rules footballer who played his entire 249 game career for the Fitzroy Lions in the Victorian Football League...
, at the time of his retirement. Ruthven's 97 career Brownlow votes ranks in the top 5 of Fitzroy's all-time playing list.
Career highlights
- In 1998 Ruthven was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of FameAustralian Football Hall of FameThe Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
.
- On 3 May 2001, Ruthven was named in Fitzroy's Team of the CenturyTeam of the CenturyTeam of the Century and Team of the Decade are terms used in team sport to name a hypothetical best team over a given time period.For the century team, it can be either 100 years, or for a century...
, in the forward line.
- In 2007, the Brisbane Lions recognised Ruthven as one of the two greatest players from the era 1927 to 1956. The other player being Haydn BuntonHaydn Bunton, Sr.Haydn William Bunton was an Australian rules football player and coach. He is regarded by some historians and observers of Australian rules as its greatest-ever player.-Playing career:...
.
Playing career:
- Fitzroy: 1940–1941, 1943–1954 (Games 222; Goals 442; Brownlow votes 97).
Player honors:
- Brownlow MedalBrownlow MedalThe Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
: 1950. - Fitzroy Best and FairestBest and FairestBest and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
: 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949. - Fitzroy club leading goalkicker: 1944, 1945, 1954.
- Fitzroy captain: 1948, 1950–1954.
- Fitzroy premiership: 1944
- Victorian representative: (17 games, 47 goals)
Coaching record:
- Fitzroy 1952–1954 (57 games, 28 wins, 28 losses, 1 draw).
Post career
After retiring as a player, Ruthven became a household name when he appeared as a regular panelist on the Channel 7Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
television show, World of Sport
World of Sport (Australian TV series)
World of Sport was an Australian sports program that was broadcast live by HSV 7 in Melbourne from 1959 to 1987 on Sundays between 11am and 2pm...
. In later life, Ruthven retired with his wife to the country life of Yarrawonga, in rural Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, where he continued to play his other favourite sport, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.
Ruthven was also a vocal supporter of the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
, after the 1997 merger of Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears
Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
. He was involved in the official unfurling ceremony of the Lions' 2001 premiership flag in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in April 2002, but failing health prevented him from being a part of the Lions' successful national tour with the 2002 premiership cup.
Passing
On 14 March 2003, 34 days short of his 81st birthday, Ruthven died after suffering a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
at Wangaratta Hospital. He was buried at St Brigid's Catholic Church, Mulwala.
See also
- List of Brownlow Medal winners
- Fitzroy FC honour rollFitzroy FC honour rollThis is a list of coaches and captains of the Fitzroy Football Club, along with best-and-fairest award winners and leading goalkickers, for every year of the club's participation in the Victorian Football Association and the Victorian/Australian Football League....
- Notable Fitzroy playersNotable Fitzroy playersThis is a complete list of players to have represented the Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian/Australian Football League.Players are listed by the date of their VFL/AFL debut with the club...
- List of Fitzroy Football Club coaches
- Australian rules footballers with 200 games for one clubAustralian rules footballers with 200 games for one clubThis is a list of Australian rules footballers who have played at least 200 games for a single club in the Australian Football League . Footballers who are still playing with the club that they are listed under are in bold. Statistics are correct as of Round 24 of the 2011 season...