Champions of Essendon
The greatest player ever to wear the red & black. That is how
the committee that met during the 2002 season saw it. And they saw
it unanimously.
King Richard came to Essendon during a period where not much was
going right for the club. The 1920's and early 30's were a lean
period where on-field success was difficult to come by. The club
had gained back-to-back success in 1923-24 but then fell away badly.
In the 1930's the best result was in fact a 6th place finish, leaving
the club without a finals appearance throughout the entire decade.
It was during this lean time that a young man would appear to provide
hope and inspiration.
Reynolds played his first game for the Dons during the 1933 season
and went on to win the Brownlow medal in only his second senior
year. He repeated the performance again in 1937 and 1938 to become
the second man ever to win three Brownlow's. In 1939 he was given
the role of Captain/Coach and so began the greatest era in Essendon's
proud history. The team he commanded through the 1940's made it
to 8 grand-finals and won 4 premiership flags.
But it wasn't just his ability on field that made him a hero of
the club. He was always a true gentleman, and supported the club
that he had already given so much to until the very last week of
his life. He attended functions and signed autographs and always
continued to give of himself, even when an old man.
There was little doubt that he would be named the number 1 champion
of Essendon, and rightly so.
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