William Henry Hutchison (28 April 1923 – 18 June 1982), often referred to as "Hutchy", was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL) with the Essendon Football Club, who played 290 VFL games, from 1942 to 1957, and kicked 496 goals. Generally considered one of the finest rovers ever to play the game, he captained Essendon from 1951 to 1957, and was a vital part of Essendon's premiership sides in 1942, 1946, 1949 and 1950.

Family

The son of Scottish parents, Henry Kearton Hutchison (1884–1962) and Agnes Caskie Hutchison (1889–1977), née Brown, William Henry Hutchison was born at Kensington on 28 April 1923. He married Helen Isabel "Nell" Giles (1923–2011) in 1947.

Football career

Hutchison played with Essendon from 1942 to 1957.

Debut

He made his First XVIII debut on 16 May 1942 as a wingman, against Footscray, in Round 2 of the 1942 season; originally listed as an emergency, he was a last-minute replacement for the unavailable Les Griggs.

Interstate (VFL)

Selected in every season from 1945 to 1954, inclusive, and again in 1956, Hutchison played 30 games for Victoria and kicked 67 goals. He was selected in the All-Australian team in both 1953 and 1956, the two years in which he also captained Victoria at the ANFC Carnivals in Adelaide and Perth, respectively. He was also selected on eight separate occasions in the Sporting Life Team of the Year: 1947, 1948, and 1950–1955.

Last match

His last match was against Melbourne in the 1957 VFL Grand Final. He was captain and first rover in the Essendon team that lost to Melbourne 7.13 (55) to 17.14 (116). He retired after the Grand Final, and he did not participate in the end-of-season night football competition that was held immediately after the final series.

Brownlow Medal

Once established as a rover, he consistently polled well in the Brownlow Medal vote count:

Death

He died on 18 June 1982, after a short illness.

Legacy

Champions of Essendon

In 2002, at a "Champions of Essendon" gala event, Hutchison was voted the fourth-greatest Essendon player of all time. The man who was voted Champion, Dick Reynolds, famously said: "I don't deserve this honour... Bill Hutchison was the best player I've seen."

Australian Football Hall of Fame

In 2003, Hutchison was inducted as the 18th "Legend" in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

W. Hutchison Medal

The W. Hutchison Medal is awarded annually to the best and fairest player in the First Division of the Essendon District Football League.

Footnotes