Graham Francis Arthur (9 June 1936 – 10 January 2021) was an

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

Hawthorn Football Club The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawth ...

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).

Career

Arthur played primarily as a half forward, debuting while still only 18 years old. He was the captain of the first Hawthorn side to win the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

and made a dozen appearances for the Victorian state team. Following his career at Hawthorn, Arthur was appointed playing coach of

Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball competition based in the Bendigo regio ...

club

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative cen ...

. Arthur was named captain of Hawthorn's official Team of the Century. Arthur supported the planned merger between and in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. Arthur was inducted into the

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the 1996 AFL season, centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media pe ...

in the initial intake in 1996, his citation reading: :''Hawthorn's first premiership captain was a brilliant half-forward flanker/centreman.'' Arthur's father Alan Arthur played for

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

. On 24 October 2000, Arthur was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, off ...

for his contribution to Australian football.

Statistics

Coaching statistics

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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 ...

, , , 18 , , 13 , , 5 , , 0 , , 72.2% , , 5 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ,

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 ...

, , , 18 , , 4 , , 14 , , 0 , , 22.2% , , 12 , , 12 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 36 !! 17 !! 19 !! 0 !! 47.2% ! colspan=2,

Honours and achievements

Team * VFL premiership player ():

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

* 2×

Minor premiership A minor premiership is the title given to the team which finishes a sporting competition first in the league standings after the regular season but prior to commencement of the finals in several Australian sports leagues. Origins The etymolo ...

():

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 ...

Individual * VFL premiership captain:

* 3× Hawthorn best and fairest: 1955, 1958, 1962 * Hawthorn captain: 1960–1968 (most games played as captain – 153) *

* Hawthorn Hall of Fame – Legend status * Hawthorn Team of the Century – Captain * Hawthorn life member

References

External links

* * * * 1936 births 2021 deaths Hawthorn Football Club players Hawthorn Football Club premiership players Hawthorn Football Club coaches Peter Crimmins Medal winners Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Sandhurst Football Club players Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal VFL/AFL premiership players {{AFL-bio-1930s-stub