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Jack Dyer: Australian Football

John Raymond “Jack” Dyer, Sr. OAM (15 November 1913 – 23 August 2003) was an Australian rules footballer and coach of the Richmond Football Club, one of the club’s greatest and fiercest players, in the Victorian Footballer League from 1931 to 1952.



Greatest Sporting Achievements

Jack Dyer became Richmond’s leading goal kicker in 1947 with 46 goals and 64 goals in 1948 and captaining the club from 1941 to 1949. He won six Best and Fairest awards, more than any other player in the club’s history, and is the most revered figure ever to have played at Punt Road. Dyer was honored as Richmond’s first immortal in its inaugural Hall of Fame and was also an original nomination for AFL Legend status.

Why Was He So Good?

Nicknamed “Captain Blood”, he earned the nickname in a game against Fitzroy in which he crashed through three players. “Anything goes as long as you can get away with it.” Dyer was the embodiment of the dangerous and merciless footballer who took no prisoners. He was credited with perfecting the “drop punt kick (dropping the ball and kicking it before it touches the ground), heralding the demise of the drop kick and stab pass (two types of kicks that involve letting the ball hit the ground before kicking it)”.

What You May Not Know

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