Bert Chadwick

DOB: 15 November, 1897
Died: 27 October, 1983

Debut: Round 1, 1920 against South Melbourne at MCG
Last MFC Game: Semi Final Replay 1928 against Collingwood at MCG

Games: 141 (158 total)
Goals: 45 (53 total)
Career Statistics (external link)

Wins	Draws	Losses	Winning %
71	3	67	50.35

From: Prahran

Number: 17 1920-1928

Honours:
Premiership Player - 1926
Captain - Coach - 1924 - 1927
Team of the Century member
150 Heroes selection
Australian Football Hall of Fame member
Victorian state player - 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928 (22 games including 10 as captain/coach).

Enlisting in the RAAF Flying Corp as a 19-year-old, Chadwick served in Palestine wnd was Mentioned in Dispatches for his courageous work in supporting the Light Horse regiment against better equipped German forces.

With the war won, Chadwick returned to Australia and was discharged. Having played both Australian Rules and Rugby in the army he went to Toorak Park to watch a VFA game and realised that he could probably match it with the Association players. Voicing his opinion to the man standing next to him it turned out that his fellow spectator was the secretary of Prahran. He ironically invited Chadwick to come to training on the Tuesday and show the players how to do it. He slipped into training unnoticed, and by the end of the session was signed by the Two Blues and debuted that Saturday.

He played out the rest of the season, showing promise as a ruckman, and wrote a letter to Melbourne asking for a chance to play. Secretary Andrew Manzie later said that while he thought Chadwick was just another youngster trying to chance his way onto a VFL list he decided to take a closer look at him based on the neatness of his handwriting and the courtesy of his letter.

The next year he debuted in the VFL, played 16 games and was selected in the state side.

Reinventing himself at the MCG as a tough centre-half back, Chadwick was appointed captain in 1924, a year when he was also runner-up by one vote in the first ever Brownlow Medal.

In 1928, his last season, Chadwick ceded the captaincy to Ivor Warne-Smith and was appointed vice-captain.

Coaching

First game: Round 1, 1925 vs St. Kilda at MCG
Last game: Round 18, 1927 vs Footscray at Western Oval

Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	%
58	42	1	15	73.28

In 1925 Chadwick was appointed Captain/Coach to replace Gordon Rattray. A year later he had coached a premiership - Melbourne's first since 1900. Despite having missed eight weeks after suffering an injury in the Round 1 victory over St. Kilda, Chadwick returned in round 9 and missed just one more game for the year en route to the Grand Final success.

The club went empty handed the next year and Chadwick stepped down as coach after the 1928 season to be replaced by Ivor Warne-Smith.

Having retired at the end of that year he was persuaded to move to Hawthorn as playing coach in 1929.

Chadwick played 19 games for Victoria and was captain on many occasions. He was named on the interchange of the Melbourne "Team of the Century"

Presidency

During World War II Chadwick was the director of recruiting for the RAAF. Employed as an engineer throughout his career, Chadwick became chairman of the Victorian Gas and Fuel Corporation and was President of the Melbourne Cricket Club from 1965-1979. He was knighted Sir Albert in 1974.