Reynolds is one of four footballers to have won three Brownlow Medals, with the others being Haydn Bunton Sr., Bob Skilton and Ian Stewart. Revered by Essendon supporters, he was often referred to simply as "King Richard".[1]
The son of William Meader Reynolds (1886–1940)[2] and Mary James Reynolds, née Thompson (1885–1941),[3] 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, the cousin of Richmond champion player and coach Max Oppy, and the grandfather of Joel Reynolds.
Early life and career
Reynolds in action.
Reynolds grew up supporting Carlton and sold lollies outside Princes Park on match days.[1]
When Reynolds won his first Brownlow Medal in 1934, Fitzroy 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.[4]
In June 1947, it was announced that Reynolds would start writing about football for the now-defunct Melbourne newspaper The Argus.[5]
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.[6] In January 1949, he made a return to district cricket when Essendon batsman Ken Meuleman was picked for State duty.[6]
After being re-elected yet again as player-coach by the Essendon committee in February 1949,[7] Reynolds guided the Bombers to the Grand Final against Carlton, which they won by 73 points. Reynolds, who was playing his 299th game, described it afterwards as "the best Essendon performance he could remember."[8]
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 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 was the best player I ever saw."[9]
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, where Essendon fans had gathered to farewell their greatest player one last time.[1]
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 at the Gabba, with Dick watching from the stands.
In July 2017, it was announced by Reynolds' family that his three Brownlow Medals were to be auctioned by Mosgreen.[11]
References
^ abcBaum, Greg (7 September 2002). "The legacy of Essendon's greatest son". The Age.
^Deaths: Reynolds, The Age, (Tuesday, 11 June 1940), p.1.
^Deaths: Reynolds, The Argus, (Wednesday, 2 April 1941), p.4.
^"It was a joy to watch Bunton play". The Argus. Melbourne. 6 September 1955. p. 18. Retrieved 1 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
^"DICK REYNOLDS WILL WRITE FOR The Argus". The Argus. Melbourne. 6 June 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 10 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ab"DICK REYNOLDS BACK WITH ESSENDON CC". The Argus. Melbourne. 20 January 1949. p. 19. Retrieved 10 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
^"DICK REYNOLDS RE-ELECTED". The Argus. Melbourne. 23 February 1949. p. 23. Retrieved 10 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
^"REYNOLDS PLAYED 299th GAME". The Argus. Melbourne. 27 September 1949. p. 19. Retrieved 10 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
^. essendonfc.com.au. 20 August 2002. Archived from the original on 19 August 2007.
^Spits, Scott (27 July 2017). "Footy royalty: King Richard's three Brownlows to go under the hammer". The Age.
Bibliography
Maplestone, M. (1996). Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996. Essendon: Essendon Football Club. ISBN0-9591740-2-8.
Miller, W.; Petraitis, V.; Jeremiah, V. (1997). The Great John Coleman. Cheltenham: Nivar Press. ISBN0-646-31616-8.
Ross, John, ed. (1996). 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. Ringwood: Viking. ISBN0-670-86814-0.
Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2002). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (4th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 546. ISBN1-74095-001-1.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dick Reynolds.
Eddy, Daniel (2013). 'Our Champion and Gentleman': Dick Reynolds and the Essendon Football Club, 1933-1951(PDF) (MA). Victoria University. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
AFL Hall of Fame Legends
Dick Reynolds at AustralianFootball.com
Profile at "Champions of Essendon"
Profile at MCG website
Profile at Sport Australia Hall of Fame
August 17, 2023
dick, reynolds, arranger, musician, american, politician, politician, richard, sylvannus, reynolds, june, 1915, september, 2002, australian, rules, footballer, played, essendon, football, club, victorian, football, league, personal, informationfull, namerichar. For the arranger see Dick Reynolds musician For the American politician see Dick Reynolds politician Richard Sylvannus Reynolds 20 June 1915 2 September 2002 was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League VFL Dick ReynoldsPersonal informationFull nameRichard Sylvanus ReynoldsNickname s King RichardDate of birth 1915 06 20 20 June 1915Date of death2 September 2002 2002 09 02 aged 87 Original team s Woodlands EDFL Height179 cm 5 ft 10 in Weight82 kg 181 lb Position s Midfielder Small forwardPlaying career1YearsClubGames Goals 1933 1951Essendon320 442 Representative team honoursYearsTeamGames Goals Victoria19 19 Coaching career3YearsClubGames W L D 1939 1960Essendon VFL 415 275 134 6 1961 1963West Torrens SANFL 58 37 19 2 1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1951 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1963 Career highlights4 Essendon Premiership player 1942 1946 1949 1950 3 Brownlow Medal 1934 1937 1938 7 W S Crichton Medal 1934 1936 1937 1938 1939 1942 1943 Essendon captain 1939 1950 Essendon leading goalkicker 1943 Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend 1996 AFL Team of the Century half forward flank Essendon Team of the Century rover Sources AFL Tables AustralianFootball comReynolds is one of four footballers to have won three Brownlow Medals with the others being Haydn Bunton Sr Bob Skilton and Ian Stewart Revered by Essendon supporters he was often referred to simply as King Richard 1 Contents 1 Family 2 Early life and career 3 Champions of Essendon 4 Death 5 Brownlow Medals 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksFamily EditThe son of William Meader Reynolds 1886 1940 2 and Mary James Reynolds nee Thompson 1885 1941 3 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 the cousin of Richmond champion player and coach Max Oppy and the grandfather of Joel Reynolds Early life and career Edit Reynolds in action Reynolds grew up supporting Carlton and sold lollies outside Princes Park on match days 1 When Reynolds won his first Brownlow Medal in 1934 Fitzroy 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 4 In June 1947 it was announced that Reynolds would start writing about football for the now defunct Melbourne newspaper The Argus 5 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 6 In January 1949 he made a return to district cricket when Essendon batsman Ken Meuleman was picked for State duty 6 After being re elected yet again as player coach by the Essendon committee in February 1949 7 Reynolds guided the Bombers to the Grand Final against Carlton which they won by 73 points Reynolds who was playing his 299th game described it afterwards as the best Essendon performance he could remember 8 Off the field Reynolds was a shy and private man noted for his humility about his footballing achievements Champions of Essendon EditIn 2002 an Essendon panel ranked him first in their 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 was the best player I ever saw 9 Death EditReynolds funeral was held at St Paul s Cathedral Melbourne on 6 September 2002 After the service the hearse made its way to Windy Hill where Essendon fans had gathered to farewell their greatest player one last time 1 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 at the Gabba with Dick watching from the stands A statue in his honour was erected in 2004 at the Parade of Champions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground 10 Brownlow Medals EditIn July 2017 it was announced by Reynolds family that his three Brownlow Medals were to be auctioned by Mosgreen 11 References Edit a b c Baum Greg 7 September 2002 The legacy of Essendon s greatest son The Age Deaths Reynolds The Age Tuesday 11 June 1940 p 1 Deaths Reynolds The Argus Wednesday 2 April 1941 p 4 It was a joy to watch Bunton play The Argus Melbourne 6 September 1955 p 18 Retrieved 1 August 2012 via National Library of Australia DICK REYNOLDS WILL WRITE FOR The Argus The Argus Melbourne 6 June 1947 p 1 Retrieved 10 September 2013 via National Library of Australia a b DICK REYNOLDS BACK WITH ESSENDON CC The Argus Melbourne 20 January 1949 p 19 Retrieved 10 September 2013 via National Library of Australia DICK REYNOLDS RE ELECTED The Argus Melbourne 23 February 1949 p 23 Retrieved 10 September 2013 via National Library of Australia REYNOLDS PLAYED 299th GAME The Argus Melbourne 27 September 1949 p 19 Retrieved 10 September 2013 via National Library of Australia Champions of Essendon Gala Dinner essendonfc com au 20 August 2002 Archived from the original on 19 August 2007 King Richard reigns at MCG Archived 31 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine Melbourne Cricket Ground 20 June 2004 Spits Scott 27 July 2017 Footy royalty King Richard s three Brownlows to go under the hammer The Age Bibliography EditMaplestone M 1996 Flying Higher History of the Essendon Football Club 1872 1996 Essendon Essendon Football Club ISBN 0 9591740 2 8 Miller W Petraitis V Jeremiah V 1997 The Great John Coleman Cheltenham Nivar Press ISBN 0 646 31616 8 Ross John ed 1996 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 Ringwood Viking ISBN 0 670 86814 0 Holmesby Russell Main Jim 2002 The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers every AFL VFL player since 1897 4th ed Melbourne Victoria Crown Content p 546 ISBN 1 74095 001 1 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dick Reynolds Eddy Daniel 2013 Our Champion and Gentleman Dick Reynolds and the Essendon Football Club 1933 1951 PDF MA Victoria University Retrieved 24 October 2020 AFL Hall of Fame Legends Dick Reynolds at AustralianFootball com Profile at Champions of Essendon Profile at MCG website Profile at Sport Australia Hall of Fame Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dick Reynolds amp oldid 1168371550, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
