Doug Hawkins
| Doug Hawkins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Original team(s) | Braybrook Football Club / Western U18 | ||
| Debut | Rd 11, 9 June 1978, Footscray vs. Carlton, at Whitten Oval | ||
| Height / weight | 1.80 m / 79 kg | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
|
Footscray (1978-1994) 329 games, 216 goals Fitzroy(1995) 21 games, 11 goals | |||
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2007. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Doug Hawkins (born May 5, 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL who made a name for himself in the media in his post-football career.
Early career
Hawkins hailed from the industrialised, working class western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and although he was a North Melbourne supporter in his youth, competition zoning rules in effect prior to the adoption of a national draft, dictated that Hawkins' rights were 'zoned' to the Footscray Bulldogs, given his suburb of residence was nearby Braybrook. He got his wish, making his VFL debut for Footscray in 1978 as a teenager.
Rise to stardom
Hawkins made a name for himself over the ensuing years as one of the finest wingers the game has ever seen, so much so that at the team's home ground, the Western Oval, one of the wings of the ground was named the "Doug Hawkins Wing". Much has also been made about his rocky relationship with coach Mick Malthouse during the 1980s, but during Hawkins' Australian Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2004, Hawkins played this down.
In 1994, Hawkins broke Ted Whitten snr.'s long-standing club record of 321 games for Footscray, and Whitten snr was on hand to congratulate him. However, after playing 329 games and kicking 216 goals for the Bulldogs, Hawkins' contract was not renewed, and so he moved to the financially strapped Fitzroy Football Club for one last season in 1995, one year before the team folded. He played 21 games and kicked 11 goals for the club, before announcing his retirement.
Career highlights
Playing career:
- 1978-1995 (Games: 350, Goals: 227)
- Footscray 1978-1994 (Games: 329, Goals: 216)
- Fitzroy 1995 (Games: 21, Goals: 11)
Player honors:
- Foots/WB Team of the Century
Media career
Off the field, Hawkins was known as an old-fashioned Aussie larrikin, someone who himself acknowledged he was not one of the smartest people going around, but was always up for a laugh. As a panel member of the Nine Network's The Footy Show during the mid-1990s, he was bagged mercilessly by Sam Newman and Jason Dunstall. In 1999, Hawkins moved to the Seven Network and appeared on a Wednesday night rival to The Footy Show, Live and Kicking.
Personal life
Hawkins is married to Raelene, who appeared on Fox Footy's "Living With Footballers" before it was axed at the end of 2004. They have three children - a son, Ricky, and two daughters, Toni and Leah.
References
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