Jump to content

Brian Dixon (Australian footballer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brian Dixon
Personal information
Full name Brian James Dixon
Date of birth (1936-05-20) 20 May 1936 (age 88)
Original team(s) Melbourne High School
Height 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 70 kg (154 lb)
Position(s) Wing
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1954–1968 Melbourne 252 (41)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1971–1972 North Melbourne 44 (6–37–1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1972.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Brian James Dixon (born 20 May 1936) is a former Australian rules footballer and Victorian politician.

Dixon played 252 VFL games for Melbourne between 1954 and 1968, playing mostly on the wing. He played in five premierships, winning Melbourne's best and fairest in 1960, while in 1961 he was selected in the All-Australian team and he also won the Tassie Medal for his performances at the 1961 Brisbane Carnival. In 2000 he was named in Melbourne's Team of the Century.

Despite still playing football for Melbourne, he entered parliament in 1964, as the member for the now abolished seat of St Kilda, representing the Liberal Party.[1] Being from the moderate wing of the party he clashed with then Premier Henry Bolte, especially over the hanging of Ronald Ryan which Dixon strongly opposed.[2]

After Rupert Hamer took over as Liberal Party leader and Premier, Dixon was promoted to the ministry. He variously served in several portfolios including Youth, Sport and Recreation, Housing and Aboriginal affairs. His best-remembered achievement was introducing the iconic Life. Be in it. program.[3]

In 1979, Dixon won St Kilda by an extremely narrow margin, which crucially gave the Hamer Liberal government a majority of one seat in the Legislative Assembly, and meant that the Liberal Party did not need to form a Coalition, with the National Party, with which relations were traditionally poor in Victoria. However, in 1982 Dixon was defeated when the Liberal Party lost government after 27 years in office.

After his defeat, Dixon worked predominantly in sports administration and he ran public speaking seminars.

He travelled the world representing the Trim and Fitness International Sport for All Association (TAFISA) and the Asiania Sport For All Association (ASFAA). He was also president of AFL South Africa, taking a keen interest in other countries playing Australian rules football.[4]

Statistics

[edit]

Playing statistics

[edit]
[5]
Legend
  G  
Goals
  K  
Kicks
  D  
Disposals 
  T  
Tackles
  B  
Behinds 
  H  
Handballs 
  M  
Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1954 Melbourne 9 8 2 0.3
1955 Melbourne 9 16 7 0.4
1956# Melbourne 9 17 5 0.3
1957# Melbourne 9 21 2 0.1
1958 Melbourne 9,16 20 2 0.1
1959# Melbourne 9 20 2 0.1
1960# Melbourne 9 20 4 0.2
1961 Melbourne 9 16 2 0.1
1962 Melbourne 9 18 2 0.1
1963 Melbourne 9 18 3 0.2
1964# Melbourne 9 17 1 0.1
1965 Melbourne 9 13 1 2 260 23 283 78 0.1 0.2 20.0 1.8 21.8 6.0
1966 Melbourne 9 11 0 3 222 20 242 48 0.0 0.3 20.2 1.8 22.0 4.4
1967 Melbourne 9 18 6 6 357 56 413 77 0.3 0.3 19.8 3.1 22.9 4.3
1968 Melbourne 9 19 2 1 395 51 446 123 0.1 0.1 20.8 2.7 23.5 6.5
Career 252 41 12 1234 150 1384 326 0.2 0.2 20.2 2.5 22.7 5.3

Coaching statistics

[edit]

[6]

Legend
 W  Wins  L  Losses  D  Draws  W%  Winning percentage  LP  Ladder position  LT  League teams
Season Team Games W L D W % LP LT
1971 North Melbourne 22 5 16 1 25.0% 9 12
1972 North Melbourne 22 1 21 0 4.5% 12 12
Career totals 44 6 37 1 14.8%

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Brian James Dixon". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  2. ^ Gold Coast City Council – The Mayor's Views – 10 December 2005 Archived 24 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Editor, Jewel Topsfield, Education (23 July 2011). "This couch potato still appeals". The Age. Retrieved 30 May 2017. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Dixon's world tour to advance the cause, by Brett Northey – worldfootynews.com, 13 September 2006
  5. ^ Brian Dixon's Player Profile at AFL Tables
  6. ^ "Brian Dixon". AFL Tables. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
[edit]
Victorian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for St Kilda
1964–1982
Succeeded by