Hugh Mitchell (footballer)

Infobox afl player | firstname = Hugh
lastname = Mitchell




birthdate = 22 November 1934
birthplace =
originalteam = Moonee Imperials
heightweight = 183cm / 80 kg
dead =
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = 15 August, 1953
debutteam = Essendon
debutopponent = Melbourne
debutstadium = Melbourne Cricket Ground
playingteams = Essendon (1953-1967)
* 224 games, 306 goals
Dandenong Football Club (1967-1968)
coach =
coachingteams =

* Eltham Football Club (1969)
* Dandenong Football Club (1970-1973)
* Essendon Football Club (coach of promising junior players in the Essendon District Football League) 1974-1975
* Carlton Reserves (1976-1977)
statsend = 1977
careerhighlights =

* Nine goals ia a VFL senior match: 4 June, 1955
* Essendon F.C. Best and Fairest 1959
* Equal Third, 1959 Brownlow Medal (14 votes)
* Victorian State Team: 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 (13 goals)
* Essendon Vice-Captain: 1963
* Essendon Acting Captain: 1961 (once), 1965 (once)
* Essendon Football Club Life Member 1962
* Essendon Premiership player 1962, 1965
* Essendon leading goalkicker 1955 (51), 1961 (33), 1964 (32)
* Essendon F.C. Promotional Officer 1974-1975
* Dandenong Football Club "Team of the Century" (ruck-rover): 2004

Hugh Mitchell (born 22 November 1934) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who played for Essendon in the VFL and Dandenong Football Club during the 1950s and 60's.

Early career at Essendon

Recruited from the local junior team the "Moonee Imperials", Mitchell was so impressive with the Essendon Thirds (under-19s) in his first season that he was promoted to the Firsts; and, apart from times when injured (he was prone to leg injuries), he played as a Firsts regular. He played 77 consecutive games for the Firsts from 1954 to 1958.

He was a fast and very clever footballer, a beautiful drop kick and very elusive; he had an astounding ability to anticipate opponents and often popped up unexpectedly just where he was needed.

In his early career he played on the forward line — he played at full-forward in the side that lost 7.11 (53) to Geelong's 9.7 (61) in the 1955 First Semi-Final. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_VFL_season#First_Semi-Final] — and, as his career progressed he developed into Essendon's first genuine specialist ruck-rover who, for many years rucked in tandem with Geoff Leek, alternating with Mal Pascoe.

He played his first senior match for Essendon on Saturday 15 August 1953, in round 16 of the 1953 home-and-away season, when Essendon beat Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to 12.10 (82) to 8.9 (57), with Mitchell scoring the first of his 301 career goals for Essendon.

He kicked five goals in a match on four occasions, six goals in a match on two occasions, and nine goals, in an Essendon team score of 13.14 (92) against South Melbourne 7.12 (54), at Windy Hill on Saturday 4 June 1955. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_VFL_season#Round_8]

Senior career at Essendon

His senior record with Essendon is impressive:
* 1953: 2 games, 1 goal
* 1954: 18 games, 19 goals
** 1954: Essendon Football Club's Most Unselfish Player
* 1955: 19 games, 51 goals, with 9 goals in one game
** 1955: full-forward in losing First Semi-Final team). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_VFL_season#First_Semi-Final]
** 1955: Leading goal-kicker Essendon Football Club (51 goals)
* 1956: 18 games, 16 goals
** 1956: Essendon Football Club's Most Unselfish Player Award
* 1957: 20 games, 15 goals (plus 1 night game, 3 goals)
** 1957: ruck-rover in losing Grand-Final team) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1957_VFL_season#Grand_Final_Teams] (plus 1 night game, 3 goals)
** 1957: Essendon Football Club's Best Utility Player Award
* 1958: 13 games, 23 goals (plus 2 night games, 2 goals).
* 1959: 21 games, 38 goals
** 1959: ruck-rover in losing Grand-Final team) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_VFL_season#Grand_Final_Teams]
** 1959: Victorian State Team
** 1959: Equal Third in Brownlow Medal [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/brownlow/brownlow1959.html]
** 1959: Essendon F.C. Best and Fairest
* 1960: 8 games, 11 goals [Mitchell sustained a knee injury whilst playing for Victoria against Tasmania. It required surgery, and he was out for the rest of the season. (Maplestone, 1996, p.190.)]
** 1960: Victorian State Team
** 1960: Essendon Football Club's Best Clubman Award
* 1961: 17 games, 33 goals (plus 1 night game, 1 goals)
** 1961: Acting Captain (12 August 1961) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_VFL_season#Round_16]
** 1961: Victorian State Team
** 1961: Leading goal-kicker Essendon Football Club (33 goals)
** 1961: Essendon Football Club's Outstanding Services Award
* 1962: 20 games, 29 goals
** 1962: Victorian State Team
** 1962: ruck-rover in Premiership team) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962_VFL_season#Grand_Final_Teams]
** 1962: Essendon Football Club Life Member
* 1963: 9 games, 7 goals (plus 1 night game)
** 1963: Essendon Vice-Captain
** 1963: Essendon Football Club's Best Clubman Award
* 1964: 19 games, 32 goals
** 1964: ruck-rover in losing First Semi-Final team) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_VFL_season#First_Semi-Final]
** 1964: Leading goal-kicker Essendon Football Club (32 goals)
** 1964: Essendon Football Club's Best Utility Player Award
* 1965: 21 games, 20 goals
** 1965: Acting Captain (5 June 1965) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_VFL_season#Round_8]
** 1965: Essendon Football Club's Most Consistent Player Award
** 1965: ruck-rover in Premiership team) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_VFL_season#Grand_Final_Teams]
* 1966: 17 games, 11 goals (including reserve in winning First Semi-Final team [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_VFL_season#First_Semi-Final] and reserve in the losing Preliminary Final team) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_VFL_season#Preliminary_Final]
** 1966: reserve in winning First Semi-Final team [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_VFL_season#First_Semi-Final]
** 1966: reserve in losing Preliminary Final team) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_VFL_season#Preliminary_Final] * 1967: 2 games

After Essendon

Mitchell left Essendon after the second round of the 1967 season, when both he and Jack Clarke retired following their protests at their unceremonious relegation to the Seconds, following the First teams embarrassing losses to Richmond and St KIlda respectively in the first two rounds.

A disappointed Mitchell crossed to VFA team Dandenong as, as ruck-rover, played in Dandenong's highly controversial 1967 (televised) Grand Final victory over Port Melbourne at the Punt Road Oval. [http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/1976_vfa_grand_final.htm] He played another season for Dandenong in 1968.

He coached Eltham Football Club to a premiership in 1969. Then he returned to Dandenong as non-playing coach, coaching them to another premiership in 1970. He left Dandenong at the end of 1973, and was appointed a special promotional officer at the Essendon Football Club; his special duties included assisting in the coaching of promising young players in the Essendon District Football League in 1974 and 1975. He coached the Carlton Reserves from 1976 to 1977.

Later, he went on to become a television and radio commentator.

Footnotes

References

* Maplestone, M., "Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872-1996", Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-959-17402-8
* Miller, W., Petraitis, V. & Jeremiah, V., "The Great John Coleman", Nivar Press, (Cheltenham), 1997. ISBN 0-646-31616-8
* Ross, J. (ed), "100 Years of Australian Football 1897-1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported", Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0

External links

* [http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/H/Hugh_Mitchell.html AFL Statistics: Hugh Mitchell]
* [http://www.essendonfc.com.au/champions/profile.asp?ID=43 Champions of Essendon Profile: Hugh Mitchell]
* [http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/m.htm#Hugh%20Mitchell%20(Essendon%20&%20Dandenong) Full Points Footy Biography: Hugh Mitchell]