View source for Dick Reynolds

{{for multi|the arranger|Dick Reynolds (musician)|the American politician|Dick Reynolds (politician)}}
{{short description|Australian rules footballer, born 1915}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Dick Reynolds
| image = [[File:Dick reynolds.jpg|200px]]
| alt = 
| caption = 
| fullname = Richard Sylvanus Reynolds
| nickname = King Richard
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|6|20|df=y}}
| birth_place = 
| death_date = {{death date and age|2002|9|2|1915|6|20|df=y}}
| death_place = 
| originalteam = Woodlands ([[Essendon District Football League|EDFL]])
| height = 179 cm
| weight = 82 kg
| position = Midfielder/Small forward
| statsend = 1951
| coachstatsend = 1963
| years1 = 1933–1951
| club1 = {{AFL Ess}}
| games_goals1 = 320 (442)
| sooteam1 = [[Victoria Australian rules football team|Victoria]]
| soogames_goals1 = 19 (19)
| coachyears1 = 1939–1960
| coachclub1 = {{AFL Ess}} ([[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|VFL]])
| coachgames_wins1 = 415 (275–134–6)
| coachyears2 = 1961–1963
| coachclub2 = [[West Torrens Football Club|West Torrens]] ([[South Australian National Football League|SANFL]])
| coachgames_wins2 = 58 (37–19–2)
| careerhighlights = 
* 4× [[AFL Premiership|Essendon Premiership player]]: ([[1942 VFL Grand Final|1942]], [[1946 VFL Grand Final|1946]], [[1949 VFL Grand Final|1949]], [[1950 VFL Grand Final|1950]])
* 3× [[Brownlow Medal]]: (1934, 1937, 1938)
* 7× [[W. S. Crichton Medal]]: (1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1943)
* [[List of Essendon Football Club captains|Essendon captain]]: (1939–1950)
* Essendon leading goalkicker 1943
*[[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] Legend 1996
* AFL Team of the Century <small>(half forward flank)</small>
* Essendon Team of the Century <small>(rover)</small>
}}

'''Richard Sylvannus Reynolds''' (20 June 1915 – 2 September 2002) was an [[Australian rules football]]er who played for the [[Essendon Football Club]] in the [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]] (VFL).

Reynolds is one of four footballers to have won three [[Brownlow Medal]]s, with the others being [[Haydn Bunton Sr.]], [[Bob Skilton]] and [[Ian Stewart (Australian rules footballer)|Ian Stewart]]. Revered by Essendon supporters, he was often referred to simply as "King Richard".<ref name=legacy>{{cite web|last=Baum|first=Greg|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/06/1031115937722.html|title=The legacy of Essendon's greatest son|work=[[The Age]]|date=7 September 2002}}</ref>

==Family==
The son of William Meader Reynolds (1886–1940)<ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206772513 Deaths: Reynolds, ''The Age'', (Tuesday, 11 June 1940), p.1.]</ref> and Mary James Reynolds, née Thompson (1885–1941),<ref>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8186041 Deaths: Reynolds, ''The Argus'', (Wednesday, 2 April 1941), p.4.]</ref> and one of seven children, Richard Sylvannus Reynolds was born on 20 June 1915. He died on 2 September 2002. He was the brother of [[Tom Reynolds (footballer)|Tom Reynolds]], the cousin of Richmond champion player and coach [[Max Oppy]], and the grandfather of [[Joel Reynolds]].

==Early life and career==
[[File:Dick reynolds kicking.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Reynolds in action.]]
Reynolds grew up supporting {{AFL Car}} and sold lollies outside [[Princes Park (stadium)|Princes Park]] on match days.<ref name=legacy/>

When Reynolds won his first Brownlow Medal in [[1934 Brownlow Medal|1934]], {{AFL Fit}} champion [[Haydn Bunton Sr.]], whom Reynolds had narrowly beaten to win the award, was the first person to telegraph his congratulations, a sporting gesture that Reynolds deeply appreciated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71693577 |title=It was a joy to watch Bunton play. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=6 September 1955 |access-date=1 August 2012 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Reynolds would normally wear the number three [[Guernsey (Australian rules football)|guernsey]] throughout his playing career with Essendon, but had to wear the number four guernsey during one match of the [[1937 VFL season]] when he left his uniform at home.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stab Kicks |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/277802240/31356472 |work=[[The Sun News-Pictorial]] |location=Melbourne |date=19 July 1937 |access-date=5 March 2024 |page=25 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In July 1944 Reynolds surpassed [[Billy Griffith]] club record of 187 games.
 
In June 1947, it was announced that Reynolds would start writing about football for the now-defunct Melbourne newspaper ''[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22431096 |title=DICK REYNOLDS WILL WRITE FOR The Argus. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=6 June 1947 |access-date=10 September 2013 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Like many footballers, Reynolds was also a noted [[cricketer]]. He was a successful medium-fast bowler for [[Essendon Cricket Club]] but gave up the game when it started to interfere with football.<ref name="reynoldscricket">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22696339 |title=DICK REYNOLDS BACK WITH ESSENDON CC. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=20 January 1949 |access-date=10 September 2013 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In January 1949, he made a return to district cricket when Essendon batsman [[Ken Meuleman]] was picked for State duty.<ref name="reynoldscricket" />

After being re-elected yet again as player-coach by the Essendon committee in February 1949,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22695673 |title=DICK REYNOLDS RE-ELECTED. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=23 February 1949 |access-date=10 September 2013 |page=23 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Reynolds guided the Bombers to the [[1949 VFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] against {{AFL Car}}, which they won by 73 points. Reynolds, who was playing his 299th game, described it afterwards as "the best Essendon performance he could remember."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22781518 |title=REYNOLDS PLAYED 299th GAME. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=27 September 1949 |access-date=10 September 2013 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

1950 was a big year for Reynolds, first he played his 300th game in round one, then later on he passed the 311 game record of Richmond champion [[Jack Dyer]]. Finally he led his team to victory in the [[1950 VFL Grand Final]].

In the lead up to the [[1951 VFL Grand Final]] a raft of injuries caused the selectors to include Reynolds into the side as 19th man.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244231100 Reynolds 19th for Essendon, ''''The Herald'', (Saturday, 29 September 1951), p.1.]</ref> With the game slipping away from Essendon, Reynolds came on for the final quarter. He was instrumental in helping score two goals but Geelong won by 11 points.  It was the last and game number 320 for champion. He held the record until 1971 when [[Ted Whitten]] played his 321st game.

In 1961 he handed over the coaching duties to [[John Coleman (Australian footballer)|John Coleman]]. He would move to Adelaide and for three years coach West Torrens 1961 to 1963.

Off the field, Reynolds was a shy and private man, noted for his humility about his footballing achievements.

== Champions of Essendon ==
In 2002, an Essendon panel ranked him first in their ''[[Essendon Football Club#Champions of Essendon|Champions of Essendon]]'' list of the 25 greatest players ever to have played for Essendon.

Just three days before his death, after being given a standing ovation by the crowd at the announcement dinner, at which he was named the greatest Essendon player of all time, Reynolds was visibly moved and stated: "I don't deserve this honour... [[Bill Hutchison (footballer)|Bill Hutchison]] was the best player I ever saw."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.essendonfc.com.au/events/details.asp?event_id=77 |title=Champions of Essendon Gala Dinner |publisher=essendonfc.com.au |date=20 August 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819004114/http://www.essendonfc.com.au/events/details.asp?event_id=77 |archive-date=19 August 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref>

His family's link with Essendon continued when his grandson [[Joel Reynolds]] was selected by the club in the [[2001 AFL draft]]. He made his debut in Round 3, 2002, against [[Brisbane Lions|Brisbane]] at the [[Brisbane Cricket Ground|Gabba]], with Dick watching from the stands.

==Death==
Reynolds' funeral was held at [[St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne]], on 6 September 2002. After the service, the hearse made its way to [[Windy Hill, Essendon|Windy Hill]], where Essendon fans had gathered to farewell their greatest player one last time.<ref name=legacy/>

A statue in his honour was erected in 2004 at the Parade of Champions at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]].<ref>[http://www.mcg.org.au/default.asp?pg=toursdisplay&articleid=1452 King Richard reigns at MCG] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831043541/http://www.mcg.org.au/default.asp?pg=toursdisplay&articleid=1452 |date=31 August 2007 }}, [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], 20 June 2004.</ref>

==Brownlow Medals==
In July 2017, it was announced by Reynolds' family that his three Brownlow Medals were to be auctioned by Mosgreen.<ref>{{cite news|first=Scott|last=Spits|title=Footy royalty: King Richard's three Brownlows to go under the hammer|date=27 July 2017|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/footy-royalty-king-richards-three-brownlow-medals-to-go-under-the-hammer-20170726-gxjbem.html|work=[[The Age]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Maplestone|first=M.|title=Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996|publisher=Essendon Football Club|location=Essendon|year=1996|isbn=0-9591740-2-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=W.|last2=Petraitis|first2=V.|last3=Jeremiah|first3=V.|title=The Great John Coleman|publisher=Nivar Press|location=Cheltenham|year=1997|isbn=0-646-31616-8}}
* {{cite book|editor=Ross, John|title=100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported|publisher=Viking|location=Ringwood|year=1996|isbn=0-670-86814-0}}
* {{Ref AFL Encyc|4th|546}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Dick Reynolds}}
* {{cite thesis |type=MA |last=Eddy |first=Daniel |date=2013 |title='Our Champion and Gentleman': Dick Reynolds and the Essendon Football Club, 1933-1951|publisher=[[Victoria University, Australia|Victoria University]]|url=http://vuir.vu.edu.au/22310/1/Daniel%20Eddy.pdf|access-date=24 October 2020}}
* [https://www.afl.com.au/hall-of-fame/legends AFL Hall of Fame Legends]
* {{AustralianFootball|ref=Dick+Reynolds/5547}}
* Profile at [https://www.essendonfc.com.au/club/history/champions-of-essendon/dick-reynolds "Champions of Essendon"]
* Profile at [https://www.mcg.org.au/things-to-do/sporting-statues/dick-reynolds MCG website]
* Profile at [https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/dick-reynolds/ Sport Australia Hall of Fame]

{{Australian Football Hall of Fame Legends}}
{{AFL Team of the Century}}
{{AFL Brownlow Medallists}}
{{Multiple Brownlow Medal winners}}
{{Essendon Team of The Century}}
{{1942 Essendon premiership players}}
{{1946 Essendon premiership players}}
{{1949/50 Essendon dual premiership players}}
{{Essendon Football Club captains}}
{{Essendon Football Club coaches}}
{{West Torrens Football Club coaches}}
{{W. S. Crichton Medal}}
{{VFL/AFL club best and fairest winners in premiership years}}
{{Essendon leading goalkickers}}
{{Jock McHale Medal}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Dick}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:Essendon Football Club players]]
[[Category:Essendon Football Club captains]]
[[Category:Essendon Football Club premiership players]]
[[Category:Essendon Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:Essendon Football Club premiership coaches]]
[[Category:Champions of Essendon]]
[[Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Brownlow Medal winners]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Melbourne]]
[[Category:West Torrens Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:Crichton Medal winners]]
[[Category:VFL/AFL premiership players]]
[[Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:VFL/AFL premiership coaches]]
[[Category:People from Essendon, Victoria]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]