Teddy EJ Whitten

[Twodogs]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

EJ Whitten does not and has not ever played reserves grade football and he is not about to start now. Good luck to yers was the exact quote.


He almost went to Richmond at the end of 1966 too;


https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2...-join-richmond

I've been thinking about Teddy going to Richmond. I didn't know until I found it yesterday on Google.

Could you imagine the pain if Teddy had gone to Richmond? Would it have diminished him in ther eyes of us supporters? Personally I couldn't think of a bigger betrayal.

[Missing Dog]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

I never heard this before either I couldn't even begin to imagine. I remember watching The Hawk play for Fitzroy it was heartbreaking but he still had his tricks and I never hated him for it but gee it was hard to watch.

[Axe Man]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Came across this on Facebook:


A Colourised Photo of Ted Whitten taking a Screamer against North Melbourne at Arden Street in 1960. (Source Peter Vasic - Past Colours)

[GVGjr]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Great mark, he was a genuine star.
How awesome does the jumper look?
Even Norths looks better than now

Thanks for posting Axe

[Eastdog]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Great photo of the great EJ!

[Bornadog]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Great mark, he was a genuine star.
How awesome does the jumper look?
Even Norths looks better than now

Thanks for posting Axe

Jumper is the best one we have had. Current one - red stripe and white stripe are too low and not wide enough.

Red stripe should be under arm pit as in the Teddy photo. Agree on North as well - much better jumper.

[Avoid the rush]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

I thought you might like this ode I wrote to the great man a couple of years ago

TED
I never will forget it,
It’s etched inside my head,
It was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
The first time I saw TED.
All the players looked identical
In their white, blue and red,
But one stood out like Superman—
This man that they called TED.
Afterwards, when we came home,
I’d take speckies on my bed
And pretend I wore the number 3
Just like my hero TED.
He’d shake hands with his opponent
Then he’d smack him in the head,
Then he’d drive him to the hospital
This champion bloke named TED.
He’d flash his famous ‘flick pass’,
‘It’s illegal!’ they all said.
So they changed the rules and banned it,
But that didn’t worry TED.
He still dominated matches.
Men followed as he led.
They called him ‘Mr Football’.
He was a beauty, TED!
He made the ‘Vics’ a power
That others used to dread.
He was bigger than the game he played
You ‘stuck it up ’em’, TED!
I remember when I read the news
The great E.J. was dead,
I could not make myself believe,
That you were human, TED.
Now I’ve grown old and he is gone
And there’s no-one in his stead,
’Cause there’s none that can replace him
The legend that was TED.

[EasternWest]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

I thought you might like this ode I wrote to the great man a couple of years ago

TED
I never will forget it,
It’s etched inside my head,
It was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
The first time I saw TED.
All the players looked identical
In their white, blue and red,
But one stood out like Superman—
This man that they called TED.
Afterwards, when we came home,
I’d take speckies on my bed
And pretend I wore the number 3
Just like my hero TED.
He’d shake hands with his opponent
Then he’d smack him in the head,
Then he’d drive him to the hospital
This champion bloke named TED.
He’d flash his famous ‘flick pass’,
‘It’s illegal!’ they all said.
So they changed the rules and banned it,
But that didn’t worry TED.
He still dominated matches.
Men followed as he led.
They called him ‘Mr Football’.
He was a beauty, TED!
He made the ‘Vics’ a power
That others used to dread.
He was bigger than the game he played
You ‘stuck it up ’em’, TED!
I remember when I read the news
The great E.J. was dead,
I could not make myself believe,
That you were human, TED.
Now I’ve grown old and he is gone
And there’s no-one in his stead,
’Cause there’s none that can replace him
The legend that was TED.

You were right.

[GVGjr]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

I thought you might like this ode I wrote to the great man a couple of years ago

TED
I never will forget it,
It’s etched inside my head,
It was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
The first time I saw TED.
All the players looked identical
In their white, blue and red,
But one stood out like Superman—
This man that they called TED.
Afterwards, when we came home,
I’d take speckies on my bed
And pretend I wore the number 3
Just like my hero TED.
He’d shake hands with his opponent
Then he’d smack him in the head,
Then he’d drive him to the hospital
This champion bloke named TED.
He’d flash his famous ‘flick pass’,
‘It’s illegal!’ they all said.
So they changed the rules and banned it,
But that didn’t worry TED.
He still dominated matches.
Men followed as he led.
They called him ‘Mr Football’.
He was a beauty, TED!
He made the ‘Vics’ a power
That others used to dread.
He was bigger than the game he played
You ‘stuck it up ’em’, TED!
I remember when I read the news
The great E.J. was dead,
I could not make myself believe,
That you were human, TED.
Now I’ve grown old and he is gone
And there’s no-one in his stead,
’Cause there’s none that can replace him
The legend that was TED.

Thanks for posting, you don't post a lot but it's great when you do.

[Avoid the rush]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Thanks for posting, you don't post a lot but it's great when you do.

Thank you. I really meant every word when I wrote this. E J was the reason we used to go to the footy.

[Eastdog]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Good stuff Avoid the rush. I would have loved to have met Ted.

[Bulldog4life]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Good stuff Avoid the rush. I would have loved to have met Ted.

You'd have a very weakened right hand if you did Easty.

[jazzadogs]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

I just read on Facebook that the demolition of the Whitten Stand is starting next week - has anyone heard about whether the old seats will be available for purchase? Would be a cool memento.

[merantau]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Your tribute to EJ was spot on. He was a giant and the accolade, "Mr Football" was perfect because not only was he the best player in the comp, he dominated the football world although our Club only played in 4? Finals campaigns during his 20 year career.

I leant to read well because I wanted to follow EJ and the Bulldogs in the Herald and the Sporting Globe on Saturdays after the game.

Had the pleasure of meeting him in 1960 when I was 11. He had a Driving School and took my brother to get his licence. After the test he came back to our place, came in and had a cup of tea. Treasured memory for me as he was my childhood hero.

Other club's might have had a lot more success . But we had Ted and they didn't and that sustained me during some very lean years from 1962 to 1970. Great player.

[Missing Dog]

Re: Teddy EJ Whitten

Good thread BT.

I've mentioned on here before how my grandparents revered Ted Whitten but perhaps a few snippets might add to the thread.

My Nan would only buy her fruit and veges and groceries from the store that a young Ted worked at and I think only on the days she knew he would be there. She would grab her jeep and stroll to the shop frequently stopping along the way to talk to people because most people weren't inside there homes watching the TV or on the phone etc they were in their gardens either picking their fruit trees or looking after their almost manicured lawns. A 15 minute walk to the shop would probably take Nan closer to 30 minutes because she was such a friendly and engaging person she would have to stop and say hello. During the footy season the conversations were often about Footscray and I'm led to believe Ted.

Once she eventually got to the shop she was greeted with a loud "Hello Mum" from the larger than life Ted "What can I get you today?" A quick chat about the footy would follow as Ted carefully filled her jeep with the chosen goods. The trip home probably took her even longer as she now could tell people that Ted helped her fill the jeep.

My Nan was a very tolerant lady and accepted peoples differing views but not when it came to opinions on Ted Whitten. He was the one and only from her point of view and could do no wrong.

My Grandfather wasn't anywhere near as tolerant as Nan. Most footy conversations with Bob would somehow lead into how good Whitten was. My favourite player was Bernie Quinlan and to be honest Bob never rated him that highly and I think he had some question marks on the level of courage Bernie displayed. Bob got it wrong but I could have never said that to him.
Whenever I mentioned how good I thought Bernie was Bob would quickly counter with how much better Ted was. You listened and nodded the head because to challenge it was an argument you would never win.

My memories of seeing Ted the player are somewhat limited but the memories of the conversations I had with so many people over the years about his abilities on the field will live with me forever.

I've read a lot of article and even found some books where Ted shared his views on how positions should be played and there is no doubt he was a modern day attacking player and brutally loyal to his team mates.

From everything I have gathered in a lifetime of listening to things about Ted Whitten and reading anything I could get my hands on about him I'd have to say the one word to describe him was "visionary"

He was ahead of his time on the playing field, he was one of the first to because a sports entertainer and his ability to unite the AFL community behind the Big V was remarkable. So many AFL people regard Ted as one of the best ever footballers but on top of that I think he was also a remarkable person off the field. Ted led and people followed. He was simply the centre of attention.

I don't think that Bob got it wrong at all, he certainly was not on his own with that thinking about Bernie, i was so happy to watch his career blossom after he left us and he exacted his full potential. However, I have heard a lot of old timers mention the same thing as your Bob.