Ted Whitten
E.J. Whitten - part 1 - The early years 1951-53 |
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8:12:00 PM Thu 24 January, 2002 | |||||
Young Ted Whitten played his first game for Footscray in
Round One, 1951 aged 16. He was selected to play at centre half forward
against Richmond. Peter Box also made his debut in the same game.
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On Tuesday, 9 July 1957 the football world was rocked when Charlie
Sutton was deposed as coach.
He had been the club's most successful coach, having taken them into the finals
four times and winning the 1954 Premiership.
Young Ted Whitten was 23 years old when he was thrust into the role of
captain-coach on the Thursday evening before Round 13 of 1957.
He was reluctant to accept, but the Board told him, that unless he did, an
outsider would be appointed.
Already a champion player, Ted Whitten became the youngest coach in the league.
He stumbled his way through his first pre-match address at St Kilda when, in
defiance of the committee, Charlie Sutton walked into the rooms.
"Good luck, son!" he said. "In future take your time when you
talk to the players."
Coaching proved to be a difficult time. He met early resistence from some of the
older players. Harvey Stevens and Wally Donald were obliged to step down as
captain and vice-captain, and Whitten's rivalry with centreman Peter Box was
aggravated.
Footscray lost their next four games in 1957, although they only missed the
finals by a game and a half.
They did however, manage to win their first night match, against Fitzroy in the
1957 night football series.
The next three years were bleak, as gradually all of the stars of 1954 retired
from the team. In 1959, Footscray tried fifteen new players as it slumped to its
worst season in the League.
They finished last with only three wins.
At the end of the season, Ted Whitten launched a summer fitness campaign and
introduced weighlifting the following May.
The on field results though were still poor. The team finished tenth with six
wins.
The young Footscray side however, was able to turn the tide in 1961.
Footscray finished third last in 1960 with only six wins.
However, the following season captain-coach Ted Whitten was able to guide his
young team to one of the most successful seasons in the club's history.
The Bulldogs won the opening four games, but then lost the next three, and won
six of the last eight.
In the final round, a crowd of 42,015 packed into the Western Oval for the
Bulldogs 21 point defeat of the Cats to clinch a berth in the final four.
The Bulldogs had confounded their critics.
A record crowd of 86,411 at the MCG watched the Bulldogs play a fast, open game
in the first semi final aginst St Kilda to win a close game by nine points.
Footscray went on to defeat Melbourne in the preliminary final by 27 points to
earn a place in the 1961 Grand Final against Hawthorn.
When Captain-coach Ted Whitten led his team onto the MCG that day, he became the
only player in the club's history to have played in both of Footscray's Grand
Finals.
He was the sole survivor of the triumphant 1954 side.
Unfortunately, Ted Whitten's young side could not match it with the rugged
Hawthorn outfit and went down by 43 points.
Ted Whitten was Footscray's leading goalkicker with 3 goals, and was the team's
best player.
The Footscray supporters gave him a thunderous ovation later that night at the
Footscray Town Hall, when he announced "I'm sorry for you people that we
did not win."
Footscray finished tenth at the end of the 1966 season. Ted Whitten had been
coaching the team for ten seasons.
The team never progressed after the 1961 Grand Final, and had five seasons with
very poor results.
They finshed 1966 with a 104 point defeat to Collingwood.
The poor results were beginning to take its toll, and the committee decided to
replace Ted as coach.
They turned again to Charlie Sutton.
Ted was bitterly disappointed and was tempted by an offer to go and play with
Richmond.
However, he decided to stay and set his sights on breaking Arthur Olliver's club
record number of games.
Ted Whitten reached the club record of 272 games in 1967 against Carlton at home
at the Western Oval.
The crowd gave him a rousing ovation as he ran a lap of the ground with John
Schultz and Carlton captain Ron Barassi. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs went down
by sixteen points.
The following year, 1968, saw the construction of the new E.J.Whitten
Grandstand, and in 1969 Whitten was again appointed captain-coach with the
resignation of Charlie Sutton.
Ted went on to celebrate his 300th game with a big win over Fitzroy in Round One
1969. The match also marked the debut of Barry Round.
Ted Whitten, "Mr Football", played his last game for Footscray on May
2, 1970 against Hawthorn at the Western Oval.
Ted was bitterly disappointed when told by the Footscray committee that he would
play just four games in season 1970, sufficient to enable him to break Dick
Reynold's VFL record of 320 games.
Reynolds was in the rooms before the match to personally hand over his 320 games
record to Ted.
Once on the ground, the crowd of 19,610 roared its emotion as Ted tossed the
coin for the last time.
The game was a tough and desperate battle. Although Ted was not winning many
kicks he inspired his side with his hard tackling.
At three quarter time, Footscray was two points up, and Ted Whitten made his
last, impassioned and now famous address to his players:
"It's got to be a do-or-die effort. 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."
Only five points were kicked in a slogging last quarter, three of them by
Footscray to give a great three point victory to Ted and his team.
Gary Dempsey hoisted Ted onto his shoulders and carried him to the front of the
John Gent Stand. He raised his hands in acknowledgement as he called his players
over to join him.
He raised his hands in acknowledgement, while the siren sounded a few blasts.
Thousands stood in the rain to farewell "Lord Ted", singing "For
He's A Jolly Good Fellow", and expressing their disapproval of the
committee's decision to curtail his career.
Field umpire Maurie Marks gave Ted a mounted gold plated whistle - a humorous
reference to Ted's reputation for being an on-field umpire.
Jack Collins and the Chief Commissioner of Police made speeches and a
presentation.
Ted said that it was an honour to have played his last game at home on the
Western Oval.
"I'm sad and sorry, but I'm happy with my boys. I thank all supporters, who
have stuck by me over the years....you are fantastic....magnificent is the
word... I love you all," said Mr. Football, with tears in his eyes.
"I hope you stick with us."
Ted Whitten's 321 games stood as a club record until 1993 when it was broken by
another Footscray legend, Doug Hawkins.
Ted Whitten's passion for Footscray was only matched by his passion for the Big
V. To pull on the Victorian jumper and represent his state gave Ted some of his
prodest moments in football.
Ted first played for Victoria on 16 July, 1955 against South Australia at the
Adelaide Oval, which Victoria won by 37 points.
In 1958, Ted tied with Allen Aylett for the Tassie Medal as the best and fairest
player in the Interstate Football Carnival played in Melbourne. Aylett won the
medal on a countback.
In 1995, much to his delight, Ted was awarded the Medal retrospectively.
Ted represented Victoria 29 times between 1955 and 1966.
During that time Victoria only lost two matches.
Ted was captain coach of Victoria in 1962 in matches against South Australia and
Western Australia, and captained the team in 1996 against the VFA.
He represented Victoria in four carnivals, 1956, 58, 61 and 66, and won All
Australian blazers in 1956, 58 and 61. He won the Simpson medal in 1957 against
WA in Perth.
Ted continued his committment to interstate football when, in 1985 he became a
Victorian selector, and then in 1987 he was appointed a Chairman of Selectors.
During this time Ted became the public face of interstate football, and his
showmanship almost singlehandedly maintained public enthusiasm for interstate
football.
The pinnacle was reached in 1989 when 92,000 flocked to the MCG to see Victoria
"stick it up" the South Australians.
In all, Ted was on the selection panel for 28 Victorian matches between 1983 and
1994, for 14 wins and 14 losses.
In 1981, the tradition continued when Ted Whitten jnr was selected to play for
Victoria against WA, a great moment for EJ.
It was Ted jnr who announced to the football world in at a Press Conference in
1994 that EJ would be resigning from his position as Victorian Chairman of
Selectors to concentrate on his battle with cancer.
Ted was at his son's side, unable to speak due to his illness.
Thus began the final phase in the life of Mr Football.
The football public said farewell to Ted Whitten in an emotion charged day at
the MCG on June 17, 1995, two months before his death.
Ted was blind and stricken with cancer, but summoned all of his trength to go on
a lap of honour before the State of Origin game against South Australia,
accompanied by his son, Ted jnr, and his grandchildren, Dean, Jarrod and Kate
The Victorian football public gave Ted a wonderful farewell.
There was not a dry eye amongst the 60,000 Victorian fans, and former players,
colleagues and family members who had all gathered that day.
Ted of course went into the rooms before ther match and spoke to every player
before they took their place on the field.
The Victorians won the game, which was the last State of Origin match in Ted's
lifetime.
The E.J. Whitten medal for the best Victorian player that day was won by Tony
Lockett.
Ted died two months later on August 17, 1995. The Western Oval became a shrine
to the great man as news of his death spread throughout Melbourne.
A huge painting of Ted became the focus for people as they brought flowers and
other tributes to the Western Oval.
Ted was accorded a State Funeral at St Patrick's Cathederal on August 22, 1995.
Two thousand fans packed into the Social Club at the Western Oval to watch a
live broadcast of the funeral and pay their last repects to their champion.
Thousands packed the streets and cheered as the funeral cortege wound through
Footscray, past the Western Oval to the crematorium at Altona North.
The Eulogy at the Funeral was deivered by one of Ted Whitten's best mate Bob
Skilton.
"This country needs heroes like Ted Whitten and "Weary" Dunlop,
inspirations to us all.
"It is not often that you say goodbye to a man of such calibre. Truly a
momentous occasion. Mr. Football - no name could evre have been more apt.
"For those who did not see him play, he was the greatest. As a player, a
complete package. A fine athlete, wonderful skills, tough as nails, a fierce
competitor, thriving on the thrill of the contest. The better the opposition,
the more he loved it. He revelled in responsibility.
"Ted was unique in that, while all this was going on,he could still inject
fun and humour into the game. A laugh, a joke, even in the heat of the moment.
"And, seeing the opposition relax - whack! Somebody's nose was pointing in
a different direction. But the same EJ would then offer to take him to hospital
and for a drink afterwards.
"Ted was fiercely proud. Proud of his upbringing, proud of Braybrook, proud
of Footscray, proud of Victoria. He was, and always will be, a symbol for the
western suburbs.
"The legend has certainly been enhanced by his tenure as Chairman of
Selectors for the Big V. A born leader, on and off the field, EJ and his
adversities - Neil Kerley and Mal Brown - kept State of Origin Football alive.
Sure, a lot of it was theatrics, but Ted's driving force was his immense love
for football. He trule wanted to see the game live up to his high expectations.
He wanted to see others share some of his loves and joys at wearing the Big V.
"As great a footballer as he was, he was upstaged by EJ the person. Those
not fortunate to know him personally may well find it hard to believe that the
seemingly brash, arrogant maniac hamming it up before a State of Origin match
could within seconds become the most warm, caring, compassionate, generous
person one could know.
"Mere words could never do justice to EJ the man. Ted was a hero. He gave
so much to us all. Ted was a people person. He had a feeling for people. He
could make the common man feel like a king.
A wink or a nod from the great man would work wonders. Mind you, he could just
as quickly reverse those roles if he felt the situation warranted it.
"Ted had a wonderful empathy for those in need. If anyone, particularly a
mate, was ill or needed help in any way, EJ was first there....he never looked
for thanks, just got on with things, hoping that he had left others to cope.
"A Braybrook boy who never forgot his background, he never lost that common
touch that made him relate to all. Ted loved life; he lived it to the fullest.
Some would say he grabbed it by the throat and shook the hell out of it.
"His great love was his family, Val and young Ted, who together nursed him
through the final trying times. Ted's pride in his son could not have been
greater than in those last few months. The bond between the two never more
obvious and beautiful than State of Origin day, when the Melbourne public gave
Ted a wonderful tribute and send-off. Ted's last public show of spirit and
courage ensured the Vics were never going to lose that one. As exhausted as he
was, being the catlyst for a Big V victory would have delighted him.
"EJ Whitten left his mark on us all. From the infamous handshake, that
mischievous smile, one would never forget the man's charisma, strength of
character, obsession for not letting anyone down.
"It was a privelege to know Ted. It was an honour to be his mate. He
epitomised just what life is all about. He epitomised what sport is all about.
"All of us are richer for having known him. His passing has left us the
loser. Certainly there will never be another EJ. Nobody could possibly replace
him.
"To borrow a phrase from Tina Turner and rugby league - Edward James
Whitten, simply the best."