Footy World Pays Tribute to A Legend

' Day Footy Fans -

This would not fit into my regular report, so I had to do this separately. Parts of this report are from the Melbourne Age and the AFL site.

He started his career as a lanky 17 year old and became one of the most feared ruckmen of his era. His nickname "Captain Blood" came after he flattened 2 Fitzroy players in 1935. At the time, the Errol Flynn swashbuckler movie of the same name was in the theatres and a newspaper cartoonist sketched Dyer as a pirate, complete with cutlass in mouth and the name stuck.
But Dyer was a completely different character off the field, described by all as a gentleman, who never swore in front of women and chastised anyone who did.
After a brilliant career of 312 games (a league record at the time), he coached for several years and then went into radio. He moved to TV to co-host the popular World of Sport.
His role on World of Sport, Channel Seven's long-running madcap blend of sports of all sorts and comedy, made him one of the most recognizable and enduring figures in Australian sport. It was compulsory viewing every Sunday lunchtime from 1959 until 1987. If the show wasn't responsible for the liquid lunch, it did its cause no harm. It was never crass or vulgar. Chaotic, yes, charmingly so.
His square jaw softened by a wry smile, Dyer enjoyed playing Captain Blood on WoS. But he was no calculating showman. He was the arbiter of which players were tough and those that weren't. "A good, ordinary player" was his kind way of saying so-and-so lacked a little heart. Later, three WoS pioneers - Dyer, Lou Richards and Bob Davis - portrayed as the three wise monkeys and sporting traditional WoS livery, jackets and ties - joined forces in a Thursday night program on Channel Seven called League Teams - a riot of slapstick, reminiscences, recipes for curried sausages and occasional references to who was in and out. The show was a forerunner of today's Footy Show.
Dyer's wit and mangling of the English language combined to make him a star. If Dyer floored his share of rivals on the field, he had the same impact away from it, reducing many a gathering to stitches with a rare repertoire of colloquialisms and reminiscences, many against himself, accompanied by infectious chuckles. His Malapropisms were a delight - "Yes, we had an enjoyable time on the French Riverina".
Once during a radio trial to broadcast football, he asked Phil Gibbs to pass "the benicolars". Dyer's long-time sparring partner Lou Richards reckoned Captain Blood "failed Plasticine" at school. Chuckling, he once said of Richards: "Lou hasn't got any enemies but his friends don't like him." Touche!

Of course, the stories and tributes poured out as everyone remembered the gentle giant. One story came from Bobby Davis, former Geelong player and coach and one of the larrikins of League Teams.
Some years ago, according to Davis, Dyer had been drinking at a beachside hotel owned by former Magpie star Ron Todd, It came to the 6:00 closing, and Dyer drove his car out the front gates, went straight across the road, down the cliff, across the next road, down the cliff again and landed on the beach.
Of course, everybody ran down expecting to see Jack all mangled and sitting there behind the wheel. Someone asked, 'What's up, Jack, are you drunk?'" He said, 'Of course, I'm drunk. You don't think I'm Evil Knievel do you?'

Richards said some of his fondest memories of Dyer were during the filming of League Teams and World of Sport, in which Dyer would mutilate the English language with his famous "Dyer-isms".
Richards said Dyer was the player who popularized the drop punt.
One famous story concerns a shot for goal Dyer had during a match. A goal would level the scores. According to Richards, Dyer claims to have won the game for his side. When asked how by Richards, Dyer claimed that when he kicked the ball, it burst with the bladder going through the goal posts and the cover through for a point, giving him and the Tigers 7 points.

Although he will forever be remembered as one of the hard men of football, the fact that Dyer polled 17 votes in the 1939 Brownlow Medal, finishing equal fourth, was a vote of confidence in his ability by the umpires, with whom he was not always on the best of terms.
His favorite saying, "If ya don't mind, umpire", stemmed from a run-in with field umpire Bob Scott at Fitzroy one day. After vigorously brushing aside a rival with the palm of his hand, Dyer, with the ball tucked under his left arm, headed goalwards, only to be stopped in his tracks by the umpire's whistle. "Against you, No. 17, rough play," barked Scott. "Rough play," cried Dyer. "If ya don't mind, umpire, where's that in the rule book?"
Dyer's saying is used to this day to embrace any perceived indignity, whether executed on the football field, in the office, kitchen or on the highway. For all his onfield ferocity, Dyer was reported only five times and suspended once, for four weeks.

He took over as coach in 1941.
As captain-coach he led Richmond into three consecutive grand finals in 1942-43-44 for one win over Essendon in 1943. One of the stars of that torrid five-point victory was Tiger character Jack Broadstock, who went AWOL from army camp to play. After the grand final at Princes Park, Military Police were waiting to arrest him, but Dyer talked the CO into allowing Broadstock to join in the victory festivities, which he did with gusto. As promised, Dyer delivered Broadstock, somewhat the worse for wear, at the railway station the following morning to return to army camp.

Dyer's fierce loyalty to the Tigers reached a crescendo in 1989 when financial troubles sparked talk of a merger with St Kilda. He reacted by giving VFL president Ross Oakley a verbal shirtfront. "The commissioners forget that when Richmond is competitive they draw the greatest crowds. If Oakley doesn't realize that he should be back peddling insurance." Dyer was scathing of VFL house.
The Richmond faithful rallied behind Captain Blood. Money rolled in, the club was saved and one of the spin-offs was the formation of the Jack Dyer Foundation, characterized by gleaming new club rooms and equipment. A far cry from the spartan clubrooms Dyer first walked into 70 years ago. The launch of the Foundation at Punt Road one Sunday morning in 1996 was one of Dyer's last official appearances. Upwards of 1000 Tiger supporters gathered in the refurbished, landmark grandstand, built in 1913, the year Dyer was born. "There he is," someone cried as Dyer, wearing a light-colored suit and tie, emerged from the social club. Applause greeted his every slow step as the slightly stooped, proud figure made his way 100 metres to a dais in front of the grandstand, across the turf he had trod with distinction, fearsomely so, for 19 years. As usual, he was in good humor, when greeted by current players Matthew Knights, Matthew Richardson, Wayne Campbell and Co. Asked by club president Leon Daphne if he had been in the habit of hanging his No.17 jumper on a nail in the old clubrooms, Dyer chuckled and replied: "Yes, but you had to bring your own nail." It was typical Dyer.
No man got more laughs at Punt Road, no man was more respected. His jumper No. 17 is considered the club's most important.

Tributes from some who knew him:
Richmond games record-holder, Kevin Bartlett:
"He was a person who led his troops into battle. He was famous for his courage. He was famous for how hard he attacked the ball. Sometimes, people forget that he was a brilliant player."

AFL chief executive, Wayne Jackson:
"It's a celebration of a life and what a man has given to a football club. It's very, very sad for the family, but a celebration of what someone like Jack can contribute to a club, our society and to a game."

Four-time Richmond premiership coach, Tom Hafey:
"Commiserations of course to all his family, but he’s left a legacy that’s going to be hard for anybody to overtake as far as the Tigers are concerned. I’m quite certain that if you cut him in half, he would bleed black and yellow."

Former Magpies captain, media personality, Lou Richards:
"Jack put Richmond on the map. Everyone knows that Jack was part of Richmond more than the Richmond Football Club."

AFL legend, Ron Barassi:
Knowing Jack, he wouldn't want us to be sombre. He was a marvellous figure in football - a legend. I was told by my coach, Norm Smith that he rated Jack very highly as a player. And of course as a personality, he was second to none. He was an absolute Aussie character."

Essendon coach, Kevin Sheedy:
"It will be a sad loss, but the best issue I always say to a lot of people is that your memory is a video, and I can always just move straight back onto somebody who is deceased and I love them because of the good times. I can always remember. I can relate back to Jack and have some beautiful memories of a guy called Jack Dyer. Tiger fans should celebrate a beautiful person. He meant a lot to a lot of people."

Some of Dyer’s many famous one-liners – some of which were definitely true and some of which may be myth included:
- during his time as coach when he told his players to “pair off threes.”
- when told of the change to the AFL’s finals system in 1972: “Things won’t be the same now there are five teams in the four.”
- or when talking about a goal he kicked from a tight angle one day, he said the angle was so tight “the ball was wedged between the posts.”
- or when asked what was wrong with the modern-day players, he replied: “All they want to do is sit around and smoke marinara.”
His thoughts on players also made for hilarious television such as when he described then boom Carlton recruit Peter Bosustow in the early 1980’s as “a good, ordinary player.”
Or when asked why a player was out of form – Dyer simply said “he keeps getting where the ball ain’t”.
Dyer also had another term for big-name recruits, who arrived with huge reputations before even playing a VFL game. They were simply referred to as “March champions”.

"I won't say anything in case I say something."
"Bartlett's older than he's ever been before." (1980).
"Johnston missed one from the 10 yard square - it was impossible to miss that." (1981).
"The only way to tackle Justin Madden. I don't know." (1981).
"Henshaw passes the ball to Kelly and Kelly gives a Henshaw to Glendinning." (1982).
"That's the beauty of being small - your hands are close to your feet." (1982).
"There weren't too many best mans on the ground." (1982).
"He's tuckled strongly by Tack." (1983).
"He sets himself for a high mark - actually, that was a low high mark." (1983).
"He's put the game beyond result." (1983).
"Bamblett made a great debut last week, and an even better one today." (1983).
"The ball goes to Marceesie ... Marcheson ... McKann, er ..." before co commentator Ian Major interjected: "Actually, Jack I don't think Marchesani was in that passage of play." (1981).
Dyer once observed a player was "carrying a bit of a knee" and noted that "They've got a couple of good players in Harvey".
And then there was "a rather difficult goal kicked very easily".
"Diamond Creek was a long way away once."
"Mark Lee's long arms reaching up like giant testicles."
"Flanagan's trying to use some pace that he hasn't got."
"They should have kicked 12 goals in that third quarter because they were right on top and hardly doing a thing right."
"The goal posts are moving so fast I can't keep up with the play."
And once, on the long-running Sunday television show World Of Sport, Dyer declared that Fitzroy had "copulated to the opposition".

John Raymond Dyer 1913 – 2003
- Retired as the game’s longest serving player with 312 games in 1949
- Won a record six best and fairest awards at Richmond
- The Richmond Football Club Best and Fairest award is named “The Jack Dyer Medal” in his honor
- Was an inaugural legend in the AFL Hall of Fame
- The inaugural ‘Immortal’ in Richmond’s Hall of Fame
- A member of the AFL Team of the Century
- Captain of Richmond’s Team of the Century
- Premiership player in 1934
- Premiership Captain-coach in 1943

Lisa

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