Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

[bulldogtragic]

Self explanatory. Peter Gordon, yes, you can nominate yourself

[Eastdog]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Peter Gordon and David Smorgon. Both have been fantastic for our club.

[Jeanette54]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Who was the successful President in 1954, and also in 1924 (Victorian Champions & VFA Premiers) ? They should rate a mention too.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Footscray’s/Western Bulldog's Presidents, only 26 of them:

Year President/Chairman

1886-1893 David Mitchell (1)
1894 James Tucker
1895-1911 James Cuming
1912 Frank Shillabeer
1913-1915 Arch Crow
1916 Competition suspended due to
increased seriousness of World War 1
1917 Competition suspended due to
increased seriousness of World War 1
1918-1919 Arch Crow
1920 David Mitchell (2)
1921 Arch Crow
1922 George Sayer
1923 James Stephens
1924 George Farnsworth
1925 L. Caldecott
1926 George Sayer / Kevin McCarthy
1927-1938 Dr. Kevin McCarthy
1939-1941 Bert Jamieson
1942-1946 Con Curtain
1947-1949 Otto Grobbecker
1950-1952 Con Weickhardt
1953-1955 Otto Grobbecker
1956-1960 Bernie Barry
1961-1962 Harry Dolphin
1963-1966 Jim Miller
1967-1973 Jack Collins
1974-1978 Dick Collinson
1979-1981 Charlie Sutton
1982-1987 Dr. Tony Capes
1988 Barry Beattie
1989 Nick Columb
1990-1996 Peter Gordon
1997-2012 David Smorgon
2013-Current Peter Gordon

[Bornadog]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Peter Gordon, hands down

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Peter Gordon, hands down

Hands down? He's been really great. But Smorgon has claim to reviving us in the 1990's and the robo dog. I'm not sure which president gets credit for us moving from the VFA to VFL, but that was a huge achievement in club history. That's as important as anything done by a president. Not sure it's a hands down thing is it?

[Bornadog]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Hands down? He's been really great. But Smorgon has claim to reviving us in the 1990's and the robo dog. I'm not sure which president gets credit for us moving from the VFA to VFL, but that was a huge achievement in club history. That's as important as anything done by a president. Not sure it's a hands down thing is it?

1989 Fight back - we were gone. Fitzroy were already at the club working out which staff stay and what office furniture they want.

[Axe Man]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Hands down? He's been really great. But Smorgon has claim to reviving us in the 1990's and the robo dog. I'm not sure which president gets credit for us moving from the VFA to VFL, but that was a huge achievement in club history. That's as important as anything done by a president. Not sure it's a hands down thing is it?

As a Futurama fan I am voting for Farnsworth. As an added bonus he was president in 1924, the season that lead to us being admitted to the VFL the following year.

[Twodogs]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

George Sayers. He turned Footscray from a VFA also ran into a VFA super power and then into a VFL club. He recruited Vernon Banbury's to the club, kept him in beer tickets and was his best mate. Vernon Banbury is the greatest Footscray player of all time.

As one of the conditions of entry into the competition the VFL refused to allow Sayers remain as president (they thought he was corrupt and they weren't far wrong!). Sayers used to run a lottery called the Footscray lottery every week and unsuprisingly one of his mates usually ended up winning it! Unless one of the players won it.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/242730687/26346011

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/88798794

Although James Cuming was a name from the early days that keeps bobbing up, he bankrolled those first three premiership teams in 1989-99-1900.

[Twodogs]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

As a Futurama fan I am voting for Farnsworth. As an added bonus he was president in 1924, the season that lead to us being admitted to the VFL the following year.

He had Farnsworth avenue that runs between the rope factory and Footscray Secondary College named after him too.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

TD, being that EJ could pretty much do whatever he wanted, any idea why he never wanted the presidency?

[Twodogs]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

TD, being that EJ could pretty much do whatever he wanted, any idea why he never wanted the presidency?

I'm guessing that he deferred to the only person he ever deferred to in his life and let Charlie take the presidency in the late '70s and early '80s. Other than that he was the coach or looking to play for other teams (North, Fitzroy and Willy) in the time (67-73) that Collins held the job so he would have been ineligible then. Also I don't think that Teddy was all that happy that the club made him retire as a player in 1970 either. In between those two (Sutton and Collins) it was Dick Collinson and the club was lucky to survive his presidency. Charlie Sutton was very much a compromise candidate after the Social Club locked the footy club out of it's premises during Collinson's tenure.

[Bornadog]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Also under PG we have wiped out all debts, and recorded million dollar profits over the past three years, a premiership, 2 x VFL premierships and an AFLW premiership.

[Axe Man]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

He had Farnsworth avenue that runs between the rope factory and Footscray Secondary College named after him too.

George or Hubert?

He was also the mayor of Footscray apparently.

[GVGjr]

Re: Best President in Footscray/Western Bulldogs History?

Also under PG we have wiped out all debts, and recorded million dollar profits over the past three years, a premiership, 2 x VFL premierships and an AFLW premiership.

It's a hugely impressive performance. 2 women's teams, our own VFL side for the men and success has followed all four teams indicating it's been done right. We were pioneers for the ladies in football, set-up a new venture in Ballarat and we have a highly representative board. We've also been very visible in the community with health initiatives.
We would be the envy of some other clubs I suspect and we have a number of other projects that are well advanced in planning and funding.

I couldn't be more proud of what this club has achieved under Gordon's leadership.