by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
This week's round, designated as the Heritage Round, pays homage to the 1970s. The decade, like all decades of footy, had some memorable moments but also saw a number of new developments to push the game's evolution. The decade saw the first live telecast of the Brownlow Medal count and the introduction of the interchange bench.
Other Key Moments:
1970
Waverley Park, aka VFL Park, opens. St. Kilda and Hawthorn played their home games there until the ground closed in favor of the newly constructed Telstra Dome (nee Colonial Stadium) in 2000.
The first Sunday match was played.
Highest ever VFL/AFL attendance: 121,696 fans watched Carlton come back from 44 points down at half time to defeat Collingwood by 10 points in the Grand Final. It was in this game that Carlton's Alex Jesaulenko took his famous soaring leap and catch of the ball (mark).
First Brownlow Medal count live broadcast.
1971 - Hawthorn's Peter Hudson equals the all time record of 150 goals in a season (originally set by South Melbourne's Bob Pratt in 1934).
1972 - Umpires toss the coin for captains before each game for the first time.
1973 - VFL Players Association formed and Hawthorn played their final match at their suburban home Glenferrie Oval.
1975 - Football is broadcast in color and teams wore colored shorts for the first time. Video evidence becomes admissible at Tribunal hearings.
1976 - Two field umpires introduced for each match.
1977- First Grand Final Parade and the first time the Grand Final is telecast live in Melbourne, as was the replay the following week (the first game ended in a tie and was replayed a week later). The premiership medals were presented on the field for the first time after the Grand Final.
1978 - Interchange system first introduced and Mike Brady sings "Up There Cazaly" for the first time, now considered one of the most popular footy songs around.
1979 - Two VFL matches for premiership points played in Sydney and telecast into Victoria and the first Norm Smith Medal, won by Carlton's Wayne Harmes is awarded.
All 16 clubs have chosen special guernseys to commemorate the decade:
ADEALIDE will wear guernseys in the color of the South Australian State of Origin guernsey combined with the Adelaide Football Club shield and the colors of each SANFL Club.
BRISBANE will the Fitzroy guernsey worn throughout the 1970s.
ESSENDON will wear bright red shorts as they did when color television was introduced. Their playing guernsey has not changed over the years.
FREMANTLE will wear royal blue and white vertical panels with a blue back, the guernsey worn by WAFL team East Fremantle when they won their two premierships.
HATHORN will wear its traditional brown and yellow with white shorts trimmed with gold and yellow.
MELBOURNE will wear a guernsey featuring royal blue instead of the current navy blue.
PORT ADELAIDE will wear its famous black and white "prison bar" colors as they did in the SANFL. The club also celebrates the 30th anniversary of its 1977 premiership after which the club went on to win 11 of the next 20 SANFL Grand Finals. The guernsey also features a patch commemorating the first 100 years of the SANFL, 1877-1977.
RICHMOND also has an unchanged guernsey but sported bright yellow shorts as they did in the 1970s.
SYDNEY will pay homage to its South Melbourne roots wearing the white guernsey with a red V.
WEST COAST celebrates the 30th anniversary of the first State of Origin match between Western Australia and Victoria, wearing the WA state guernsey of the 1970s: a gold design with a black sash across the front and an all gold back. The top of the sash features a map of Western Australia and the names of the members of the 1977 State of Origin team are printed on the back.
WESTERN BULLDOGS will wear the traditional royal blue guernsey with red and white horizontal stripes and red shorts with blue and white trim.
Umpires donned white uniforms as worn in the 1970s.
The AFL Record features heroes and icons of the 1970s, including a photo essay featuring some who made significant contributions: Ron Barassi, Tom Hafey, Bob Skilton, Allen Aylett, Peter Hudson, Alex Jesaulenko, Royce Hart, Graham Moss and Barrie Robran.
Source: Michelle Clyne, AFL Media Release; Hitaf Rasheed, Port Adelaide Media Release & author notes
This week's round, designated as the Heritage Round, pays homage to the 1970s. The decade, like all decades of footy, had some memorable moments but also saw a number of new developments to push the game's evolution. The decade saw the first live telecast of the Brownlow Medal count and the introduction of the interchange bench.
Other Key Moments:
1970
Waverley Park, aka VFL Park, opens. St. Kilda and Hawthorn played their home games there until the ground closed in favor of the newly constructed Telstra Dome (nee Colonial Stadium) in 2000.
The first Sunday match was played.
Highest ever VFL/AFL attendance: 121,696 fans watched Carlton come back from 44 points down at half time to defeat Collingwood by 10 points in the Grand Final. It was in this game that Carlton's Alex Jesaulenko took his famous soaring leap and catch of the ball (mark).
First Brownlow Medal count live broadcast.
1971 - Hawthorn's Peter Hudson equals the all time record of 150 goals in a season (originally set by South Melbourne's Bob Pratt in 1934).
1972 - Umpires toss the coin for captains before each game for the first time.
1973 - VFL Players Association formed and Hawthorn played their final match at their suburban home Glenferrie Oval.
1975 - Football is broadcast in color and teams wore colored shorts for the first time. Video evidence becomes admissible at Tribunal hearings.
1976 - Two field umpires introduced for each match.
1977- First Grand Final Parade and the first time the Grand Final is telecast live in Melbourne, as was the replay the following week (the first game ended in a tie and was replayed a week later). The premiership medals were presented on the field for the first time after the Grand Final.
1978 - Interchange system first introduced and Mike Brady sings "Up There Cazaly" for the first time, now considered one of the most popular footy songs around.
1979 - Two VFL matches for premiership points played in Sydney and telecast into Victoria and the first Norm Smith Medal, won by Carlton's Wayne Harmes is awarded.
All 16 clubs have chosen special guernseys to commemorate the decade:
ADEALIDE will wear guernseys in the color of the South Australian State of Origin guernsey combined with the Adelaide Football Club shield and the colors of each SANFL Club.
BRISBANE will the Fitzroy guernsey worn throughout the 1970s.
ESSENDON will wear bright red shorts as they did when color television was introduced. Their playing guernsey has not changed over the years.
FREMANTLE will wear royal blue and white vertical panels with a blue back, the guernsey worn by WAFL team East Fremantle when they won their two premierships.
HATHORN will wear its traditional brown and yellow with white shorts trimmed with gold and yellow.
MELBOURNE will wear a guernsey featuring royal blue instead of the current navy blue.
PORT ADELAIDE will wear its famous black and white "prison bar" colors as they did in the SANFL. The club also celebrates the 30th anniversary of its 1977 premiership after which the club went on to win 11 of the next 20 SANFL Grand Finals. The guernsey also features a patch commemorating the first 100 years of the SANFL, 1877-1977.
RICHMOND also has an unchanged guernsey but sported bright yellow shorts as they did in the 1970s.
SYDNEY will pay homage to its South Melbourne roots wearing the white guernsey with a red V.
WEST COAST celebrates the 30th anniversary of the first State of Origin match between Western Australia and Victoria, wearing the WA state guernsey of the 1970s: a gold design with a black sash across the front and an all gold back. The top of the sash features a map of Western Australia and the names of the members of the 1977 State of Origin team are printed on the back.
WESTERN BULLDOGS will wear the traditional royal blue guernsey with red and white horizontal stripes and red shorts with blue and white trim.
Umpires donned white uniforms as worn in the 1970s.
The AFL Record features heroes and icons of the 1970s, including a photo essay featuring some who made significant contributions: Ron Barassi, Tom Hafey, Bob Skilton, Allen Aylett, Peter Hudson, Alex Jesaulenko, Royce Hart, Graham Moss and Barrie Robran.
Source: Michelle Clyne, AFL Media Release; Hitaf Rasheed, Port Adelaide Media Release & author notes
Article last changed on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 - 2:24 PM EDT
