FOUR-time premiership captain and VFL/AFL games record-holder, Michael Tuck, was announced as a Legend of the Hawthorn Football Club at a function celebrating the club’s season launch and Hall of Fame in Melbourne on Friday night.
Tuck joins Graham Arthur, John Kennedy and Leigh Matthews in receiving the club’s highest accolade.
Tuck holds the record for the most senior league games with 426.
The former Hawthorn skipper also holds the VFL/AFL record for most finals (39), most grand finals (11) and premierships (seven).
Despite his lean and wiry frame, Tuck was an athletic and durable footballer.
He was recruited as a full-forward from Berwick, and gradually worked his way in to the midfield forming part of the most feared and revered on-ball combination of Don Scott, Tuck and Matthews.
Each of the trio captained the club, and led the way through much of the Hawks’ success throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
Tuck played most of his footy as a free-running ruck-rover and later in his career was used as a wily rebounding defender.
Appointed captain in 1986 after 286 games, he led the team to four flags in 1986, 88, 89, and 91. The 1991 Grand Final at Waverley Park was his last game for the brown and gold.
Renowned artist Dave Thomas completed a portrait painting of Tuck which was auctioned off during the evening held at Melbourne’s Grand Hyatt.
In other highlights from the occasion, premiership players Robert DiPierdomenico and Chris Mew, and former head trainer Ken Goddard were inducted into the Hall of Fame, taking the number of inductees to 24 since it was established in 2003. Only three have been elevated to Legend status.
The 2008 playing squad was presented with their official jumpers for the season and coach Alastair Clarkson and captain Sam Mitchell addressed the audience of more than 600 supporters.
Michael Tuck fact file
Played: 1972 – 1991
Games: 426
Goals: 320
Recruited from: Berwick FC
Guernsey No.: 17
Captain: 1986 – 1991
Premierships: 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991
Night Premierships: 1977, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991
2nd Best & Fairest: 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990
3rd Best & Fairest: 1978, 1981
Most Brownlow Votes: 1979
Victoria captain: 1984
State Representative 11
Hawthorn Life Member 1979
Hawthorn Team of the Century 2001
Hawthorn Hall of Fame Inductee 2003
AFL Hall of Fame Inductee 1996