Simon Madden (born 30 December 1957) 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 oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played his entire 19-season career with the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

from 1974 until 1992. Madden is one of the most decorated players in the club's history and widely regarded as one of the finest ruckmen to ever play the game.

Early life

Madden was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

; he attended primary school at St Christopher's in Airport West and had his secondary schooling at St. Bernard's College in

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

, a school renowned for its sporting prowess. He then studied teaching at the Institute of Catholic Education (now the

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

AFL career

In all, he played 378 senior matches, the second-most by any Essendon player (behind

Dustin Fletcher Dustin Fletcher (born 7 May 1975) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire 23-season career for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is widely acknowledged as one of the fines ...

), and sixth-most in league history (behind Michael Tuck, Kevin Bartlett,

Brent Harvey Brent Harvey (born 14 May 1978), often known by his nickname "Boomer", is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He holds the record for most matches playe ...

, Robert Harvey, and

). In addition to playing in the ruck, Madden was a handy part-time forward, kicking 575 goals in his career, a club record that stood until it was broken in 2003 by full-forward

Matthew Lloyd Matthew James Lloyd (born 16 April 1978) is a former professional Australian rules footballer, who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A highly decorated full-forward, Lloyd's AFL's honours include ...

. Madden won four Essendon best and fairest awards (1977, 1979, 1983 and 1984) and captained the side in the 1980 and 1981 seasons. He played in the back-to-back premiership sides in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, winning the

Norm Smith Medal The Norm Smith Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best on ground in the Grand Final of the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to 1990 the competition was known as the Victorian Footbal ...

for best on ground in the 1985 Grand Final. In 1986, Madden rejected an unheard-of offer for a 3-year contract totalling $550,000 (~$1.54 million in 2021 terms) by the eccentric

Geoffrey Edelsten Geoffrey Walter Edelsten (2 May 1943 – 11 June 2021) was an Australian businessman and former physician known for founding the health care company Allied Medical Group. Edelsten was a general practitioner whose unconventional clinics a ...

on behalf of the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a rese ...

, instead choosing to remain with Essendon for his entire career. Regarding the offer, Madden replied, "You can take the boy out of Essendon, but you can't take Essendon out of the boy." However, Madden estimated that, in 2009 dollars (when he was interviewed) and taking into account the cost of buying a house, etc., it was actually the equivalent of $4.4 million over three years. However, Madden claimed that he never regretted the decision. He was named in the

All-Australian Team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

on three occasions (1983, 1987 and 1988). Madden captained the Victorian interstate team in 1989–91, and in 1990 received the

Simpson Medal The Simpson Medal is an individual prize awarded for Australian rules football in Western Australia. The medal has been donated by Dr Fred Simpson and family since 1945. Simpson Medals are currently awarded to the following players: *The best pla ...

for best on ground in the

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

vs.

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

match played in Perth. He was named in the ruck in Essendon's Team of the Century and named as the fifth-best player ever to play for the club in the "

Champions of Essendon The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their A ...

" list. After his playing days were over, Madden had a brief stint as ruck coach for Carlton. He was with the Blues for the

1993 season File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The White House (Moscow), Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Cze ...

, in which they made the grand final but lost to Madden's former club, Essendon. He was president of the

AFL Players' Association The AFL Players Association (AFL PA, also simply known as AFL Players) is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players. The AFL PA promotes and protects its membe ...

from 1985 until 1989. His brother

Justin Justin may refer to: People * Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin * Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire * Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...

was also a top-class ruckman for Essendon and Carlton, and they are the only set of brothers to each play 300 games at VFL/AFL level. Both brothers had their secondary schooling at St Bernard's College, Melbourne, a school renowned for its sporting prowess. The school is the only one to ever produce three 300-game players, with Simon and Justin Madden joining former Bomber Garry Foulds in this achievement.

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! 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; ...

, , 27 , , 6 , , 18 , , 8 , , 52 , , 8 , , 60 , , 28 , , , , 0 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , 8.7 , , 1.3 , , 10.0 , , 4.7 , , , , 0.0 , , 2 , - ! 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. ...

, , 27 , , 19 , , 37 , , 29 , , 138 , , 19 , , 157 , , 59 , , , , 29 , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , 7.7 , , 1.1 , , 8.7 , , 3.3 , , , , 4.8 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1976 Events January * January 3 – 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 11 – The 1976 ...

, , 27 , , 20 , , 28 , , 18 , , 123 , , 43 , , 166 , , 78 , , , , 86 , , 1.4 , , 0.9 , , 6.2 , , 2.2 , , 8.3 , , 3.9 , , , , 4.5 , , 3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1977 Events January * January 8 – 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 (now the Democrat ...

, , 27 , , 20 , , 33 , , 11 , , 234 , , 81 , , 315 , , 126 , , , , 378 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 11.7 , , 4.1 , , 15.8 , , 6.3 , , , , 19.9 , , 25 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! 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 CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

, , 27 , , 22 , , 40 , , 25 , , 199 , , 72 , , 271 , , 138 , , , , 301 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 9.0 , , 3.3 , , 12.3 , , 6.3 , , , , 14.3 , , 7 , - ! 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 so ...

, , 27 , , 23 , , 39 , , 31 , , 220 , , 106 , , 326 , , 158 , , , , 263 , , 1.7 , , 1.3 , , 9.6 , , 4.6 , , 14.2 , , 6.9 , , , , 11.4 , , 3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

, , 27 , , 21 , , 45 , , 27 , , 176 , , 95 , , 271 , , 111 , , , , 211 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , 8.4 , , 4.5 , , 12.9 , , 5.3 , , , , 10.0 , , 5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1981 , , 27 , , 19 , , 36 , , 34 , , 135 , , 69 , , 204 , , 89 , , , , 236 , , 1.9 , , 1.8 , , 7.1 , , 3.6 , , 10.7 , , 4.7 , , , , 12.4 , , 7 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

, , 27 , , 21 , , 49 , , 25 , , 142 , , 74 , , 216 , , 92 , , , , 230 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 6.8 , , 3.5 , , 10.3 , , 4.4 , , , , 11.0 , , 7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, , 27 , , 26 , , 26 , , 16 , , 235 , , 156 , , 391 , , 179 , , , , bgcolor="b7e718", 812 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 9.0 , , 6.0 , , 15.0 , , 6.9 , , , , 31.2 , , 22 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , , 27 , 24 , , 27 , , 17 , , 177 , , 137 , , 314 , , 151 , , , , 699 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 7.4 , , 5.7 , , 13.1 , , 6.3 , , , , 29.1 , , 14 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , , 27 , 20 , , 19 , , 21 , , 163 , , 123 , , 286 , , 136 , , , , 322 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 8.2 , , 6.2 , , 14.3 , , 6.8 , , , , 16.1 , , 11 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

, , 27 , , 23 , , 25 , , 11 , , 182 , , 112 , , 294 , , 114 , , , , 338 , , 1.1 , , 0.5 , , 7.9 , , 4.9 , , 12.8 , , 5.0 , , , , 14.7 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, , 27 , , 14 , , 9 , , 4 , , 85 , , 65 , , 150 , , 69 , , 12 , , 252 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 6.1 , , 4.6 , , 10.7 , , 4.9 , , 0.9 , , 18.0 , , 1 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, , 27 , , 22 , , 31 , , 8 , , 183 , , 95 , , 278 , , 138 , , 27 , , 257 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 8.3 , , 4.3 , , 12.6 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , 11.7 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, , 27 , , 25 , , 33 , , 16 , , 239 , , 81 , , 320 , , 138 , , 28 , , 350 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 9.6 , , 3.2 , , 12.8 , , 5.5 , , 1.1 , , 14.0 , , 3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

, , 27 , , 23 , , 30 , , 16 , , 195 , , 6 , , 2616 , , 116 , , 22 , , 225 , , 1.3 , , 0.7 , , 8.5 , , 2.9 , , 11.3 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , 9.8 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, , 27 , , 23 , , 42 , , 15 , , 203 , , 71 , , 274 , , 122 , , 14 , , 209 , , 1.8 , , 0.7 , , 8.8 , , 3.1 , , 11.9 , , 5.3 , , 0.6 , , 9.1 , , 5 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, , 27 , , 7 , , 8 , , 2 , , 39 , , 18 , , 57 , , 21 , , 3 , , 28 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 5.6 , , 2.6 , , 8.1 , , 3.0 , , 0.4 , , 4.0 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 378 ! 575 ! 334 ! 3120 ! 1491 ! 4611 ! 2063 ! 106 ! 5226 ! 1.5 ! 0.9 ! 8.3 ! 3.9 ! 12.2 ! 5.5 ! 0.9 ! 14.7 ! 139

Honours and achievements

Team * 2× VFL premiership player ():

* 4×

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away sea ...

():

Individual *

* 3×

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

* 6× VFL Team of the Year:

* 4×

Crichton Medal The Crichton Medal is the name given to the best and fairest award for the Australian rules football team the Essendon Football Club. The naming of the award is in honour of Wally Crichton, a former administrator for Essendon (who was a committ ...

* 3× Essendon leading goalkicker:

* Essendon captain: 1980–1981 * Essendon Team of the Century 1897-1996 *

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coac ...

: 1996 Inductee *

: 1990 *

E. J. Whitten Medal The E.J. Whitten Medal is awarded to the best Victorian player in an Australian rules football State of Origin football match. The award is named after Ted Whitten, also known as "Mr. Football", who played for and coached Footscray and was an ad ...

: 1990 * 5×

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Ov ...

(

): 1983, 1984, 1989 (c), 1990 (c), 1991 (c)

Life After AFL

Madden has an extended background in education and worked as a teacher for 15 years, attaining the position of Vice Principal. Madden was President of the

from 1985 to 1989. Madden became head coach of St. Bernards Old Collegians Football Club in 2005. He now spends a considerable amount of time in the classic rock band Better Late Than Never playing at local pubs and clubs with a group of long-term friends.

References

External links

* *
Profile on essendonfc.com.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madden, Simon Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees All-Australians (1953–1988) Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club Premiership players Champions of Essendon Victorian State of Origin players 1957 births Living people Norm Smith Medal winners Crichton Medal winners Australian rules footballers from Melbourne People educated at St. Bernard's College, Melbourne E. J. Whitten Medal winners Australia international rules football team players Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players