Mike Fitzpatrick: From Subiaco Star Ruckman To AFL Chairman
Posted May 21, 2009 - 8:16 AM
Mike Fitzpatrick is not only Chairman of the AFL, he is also a Rhodes Scholar, and was a star ruckman for Subiaco and Carlton.
Born at Hastings, on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, he started his junior football in the under thirteens at Bridgetown in WA, where his family had relocated.
He went to Subiaco in 1969, made his league debut in 1970, and soon became one of the leading ruckmen in the WANFL, which was a feat in itself, because there were more than a few good ones around at that time.
Fitzpatrick became an influential ruckman-follower who played a big part in Subiaco’s 1973 drought breaking premiership, and in the process won the 1973 and 74 club fairest and best. He played 97 games for the maroons before being lured over the Nullarbor by Carlton in 1975.
However, it wasn’t till 1978 that Fitzpatrick could commit to the Blues. A Rhodes Scholar, his studies took first preference for three years, and, apart from a few appearances in 1975 and 76, it was the playing fields of Oxford rather than the Princess Park oval that provided the backdrop for Mike’s pursuit of scholastic achievement, which laid the foundation for his life after football.
When eventually Fitzpatrick was able to take the field with Carlton, he quickly reminded the Blues why they had been so patient. He became a dominating ruckman in the VFL, and was a key part of Carlton’s 1979 premiership, taking the fairest and best award in that same year.
Fitzpatrick captained the club from 1980 until his premature retirement in 1983, a reign that included two more flags. He was a significant player in the 1982 grand final in particular, leading by example in a hectic second half, before leaving the ground in the final stages.
Mike Fitzpatrick was an aggressive but fair player. At six foot three and a quarter and fifteen stone, he was an imposing ruckman who was also mobile and effective around the ground. He played five State games for Western Australia and two with Victoria.
His performance in the 1979 grand final win over Collingwood, when he almost single handedly turned a likely loss into a memorable win with a brilliant captain’s game, was the stuff of legends, and it is still regarded at Carlton as one of their greatest wins. He is named in both Carlton and Subiaco’s(where he is captain) Official All Star Teams, and is a member of the Carlton Hall Of Fame.
Fitzpatrick retired far too early, but considering his almost three years away, he still managed 97 games with Subiaco and 150 for the Blues. Professional life beckoned Fitzpatrick, and he left football to take up a senior position with the Victorian Government. Following that, among other things, he was a Government Advisor for the Cain Government, a Merchant Banker in New York, a Merchant Bank director in Australia, set up a Fund Management business, and sat on numerous boards and directorships. He has also held senior positions with Telecom and the Victorian Treasury.
In 2003 he became a board member of the AFL, before being elected Chairman of the Board of the AFL in 2007.
