Carl Robert Ditterich (born 10 October 1945) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for the

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...

and

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL). He also coached Melbourne for two years, as a playing coach. Ditterich, known as the "Blonde Bombshell", made an impressive debut as a 17-year-old for St Kilda against

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in the opening round of the 1963 VFL season, with his speed, high leaping and endurance noted. He became a tough ruckman and often appeared at the VFL Tribunal, in particular missing St Kilda's only premiership victory in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

through suspension. In 1973, he transferred to Melbourne under the VFL's short-lived " 10-year rule", which allowed players with ten years' service at one club to move to another club without a clearance, before returning to St Kilda in 1976, due to his six-year deal being too expensive for Melbourne to continue. In 1979 he switched again to Melbourne to become their captain-coach for two years; during this period, the Demons suffered the worst defeat in VFL/AFL history, losing to by 190 points in Round 17, 1979.

After football

Ditterich purchased a wheat farm near

Swan Hill, Victoria Swan Hill is a List of cities in Australia, city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River, Victoria, Loddon River. At the , ...

. He coached nearby Woorinen ( Mid Murray FL) for two seasons 1983 and 1984. Eighteen years later he coached Boort in the North Central Football League in 2002 and 2003. Ditterich unsuccessfully stood as an independent candidate for the seat of Swan Hill in the 1999 Victorian state election. In April 2024, Ditterich was charged with historical child sex offences. The charges were dropped in January 2025.

Statistics

, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, , 10 , , 17 , , 3 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.2 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, , 10 , , 17 , , 5 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.3 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, , 10 , , 13 , , 8 , , 13 , , 199 , , 28 , , 227 , , 70 , , , , , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 15.3 , , 2.2 , , 17.5 , , 5.4 , , , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 10 , , 12 , , 9 , , 13 , , 167 , , 36 , , 203 , , 41 , , , , 116 , , 0.8 , , 1.1 , , 13.9 , , 3.0 , , 16.9 , , 3.4 , , , , 10.5 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, , 10 , , 12 , , 18 , , 18 , , 169 , , 19 , , 188 , , 49 , , , , 185 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 14.1 , , 1.6 , , 15.7 , , 4.1 , , , , 15.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, , 10 , , 20 , , 5 , , 9 , , 317 , , 71 , , 388 , , 123 , , , , 335 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 15.9 , , 3.6 , , 19.4 , , 6.2 , , , , 16.8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1969 , , 10 , , 8 , , 16 , , 8 , , 90 , , 20 , , 110 , , 39 , , , , 59 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 11.3 , , 2.5 , , 13.8 , , 4.9 , , , , 7.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

, , 10 , , 16 , , 14 , , 13 , , 202 , , 56 , , 258 , , 94 , , , , 96 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 12.6 , , 3.5 , , 16.1 , , 5.9 , , , , 6.0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, , 10 , , 16 , , 23 , , 12 , , 233 , , 50 , , 283 , , 91 , , , , 137 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 14.6 , , 3.1 , , 17.7 , , 5.7 , , , , 8.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

, , 10 , , 22 , , 22 , , 14 , , 317 , , 101 , , 418 , , 127 , , , , 241 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 14.4 , , 4.6 , , 19.0 , , 5.8 , , , , 12.0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, , 10 , , 22 , , 5 , , 13 , , 256 , , 44 , , 300 , , 96 , , , , 298 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 11.6 , , 2.0 , , 13.6 , , 4.4 , , , , 13.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, , 10 , , 19 , , 12 , , 9 , , 214 , , 78 , , 292 , , 79 , , , , 8 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 11.3 , , 4.1 , , 15.4 , , 4.2 , , , , 8.0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, , 10 , , 12 , , 18 , , 6 , , 114 , , 57 , , 171 , , 34 , , , , 18 , , 1.5 , , 0.6 , , 10.4 , , 5.2 , , 15.5 , , 3.1 , , , , 3.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, , 10 , , 18 , , 11 , , 3 , , 154 , , 72 , , 226 , , 51 , , , , 203 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 8.6 , , 4.0 , , 12.6 , , 2.8 , , , , 11.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, , 10 , , 11 , , 6 , , 4 , , 83 , , 39 , , 122 , , 27 , , , , 99 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 7.5 , , 3.5 , , 11.1 , , 2.5 , , , , 9.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, , 10 , , 21 , , 16 , , 13 , , 172 , , 80 , , 252 , , 60 , , , , 197 , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 8.2 , , 3.8 , , 12.0 , , 2.9 , , , , 10.4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, , 10 , , 17 , , 6 , , 4 , , 178 , , 103 , , 281 , , 70 , , , , 175 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 10.5 , , 6.1 , , 16.5 , , 4.1 , , , , 10.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, , 10 , , 12 , , 2 , , 6 , , 76 , , 76 , , 152 , , 28 , , , , 122 , , 0.2 , , 0.5 , , 6.3 , , 6.3 , , 12.7 , , 2.3 , , , , 10.2 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 285 ! 199 ! 158 ! 2941 ! 930 ! 3871 ! 1079 ! ! 2289 ! 0.7 ! 0.6 ! 11.8 ! 3.7 ! 15.5 ! 4.3 ! ! 11.0

References

External links

*
Carl Ditterich's coaching statistics
from AFL Tables * *
Demon Wiki profile

Carl Ditterich: ''Boyles Football Photos''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ditterich, Carl 1945 births Living people Trevor Barker Award winners St Kilda Football Club players Melbourne Football Club players Melbourne Football Club coaches Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners Australian people of German descent Melbourne Football Club captains Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)