Teddy Whitten

[allrighty]

25 years today since Ted's last lap. Belongs on this page cos he was such an integral part of the Cats via 3GL/K-Rock. He had me absolutely pissing myself at times. He was so close to the edge all the time. Met him once and was a true legend of a guy. RIP

 

[Catsace]

He was a K-Rock legend, was on the radio at Geelong's local station for many years, and i was actually tearing up at this lap, and of course on the news of his death.


He went downhill quite quickly, i think it was announced late in '94 that he had prostate cancer, and was battling through it, and he was still commentating in Geelong's early season games in 1995. But he suffered the stroke and lost much of his vision and of course had to step down during that season.

One kind of annoying thing i felt was that his Bulldogs waved the white flag in a limp loss to the Dockers in the game immediately following his death, but they then come to Geelong, and thanks in part to a Gary Sr hammy which ended after one quarter a potential huge game for him, the Dogs with bloody one game wonder Daniel Hargreaves came home with a rare and decisive win at K.P. It's like the Doggies took a week to work out who it was who passed away.

Billy Brownless though made them pay with a huge finals effort in the first QF, and the Dogs were dispatched with a modicum of effort by Geelong in September.

He was a larger than life figure, and sort of the first of his era to pass on, and now 25 years later one realises now that his contemporaries like Ron Barassi, Bob Skilton, Kevin Murray and co are now all rather old men pushing the mid-late 80's. It's probably no surprise that state of Origin footy also lost it's impetus after his passing, nobody would have been game to 'Let the Big V down' with E.J around....as went that great song by the Coodabeens. But with him gone, i guess that aspect of the game melted into the ether.

 

[Spazz Cat]

That final lap is a bloody tear jerker. When he grabbed his sons face I can remember many a grown man saying they cried.
As a kid bugger all footy was on TV so used to listen to Teddy every week. He was absolutely the best.
Went to the Doug Hawkins record game where Teddy came out to meet him.
Can also remember the Footy Show where they announced he died and Dougy was crying.
Have talked to a few old blokes too, who said after training he used to get all the kids watching to get on the ground so he could kick the Footy with them.
Loved Teddy.

 

[allrighty]

That final lap is a bloody tear jerker. When he grabbed his sons face I can remember many a grown man saying they cried.
As a kid bugger all footy was on TV so used to listen to Teddy every week. He was absolutely the best.
Went to the Doug Hawkins record game where Teddy came out to meet him.
Can also remember the Footy Show where they announced he died and Dougy was crying.
Have talked to a few old blokes too, who said after training he used to get all the kids watching to get on the ground so he could kick the Footy with them.
Loved Teddy.

I cried then, and I teared up when I watched it again the other day. Such a pure expression of love you will rarely see, especially blokes.

 

[CatRiot]

So sad when Teddy left us.
I grew up listening to him on K-Rock. Used to kick the footy in the backyard with the radio on, listening to the games. Never forget those days, he gave me good memories.

 

[David the Cat]

Funny...my recollection was that Teddy wasn't all that popular when he was playing. I broadened my vocabulary listening to the rockets he got from the Geelong faithful in the outer...

Things changed when he joined the radio commentary on 3GL...and of course his love for the big V...

No doubt he was a larger than life character. I hope he rests easy.

 

[winty]

I remember when Name a Game had a massive sale on a few years back, that State of Origin game was one of the ones I bought, specifically to re-visit those scenes before the game. Unfortunately, when I got it delivered, it didn't have any of the lap of honour. Was majorly peeved.

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

I remember when Name a Game had a massive sale on a few years back, that State of Origin game was one of the ones I bought, specifically to re-visit those scenes before the game. Unfortunately, when I got it delivered, it didn't have any of the lap of honour. Was majorly peeved.

All those 'name-a-games' are bare bones broadcasts aren't they? You get quarters from start to finish but no pre-game, no half time discussion and no post-game wrap either. Wonder why?

 

[FredLeDeux]

All those 'name-a-games' are bare bones broadcasts aren't they? You get quarters from start to finish but no pre-game, no half time discussion and no post-game wrap either. Wonder why?

Almost certainly a case of split copyrights, ie they'd have to pay for copyright licences from both the game telecast owner and the TV station who owns the ancillary stuff copyright.

 

[winty]

All those 'name-a-games' are bare bones broadcasts aren't they? You get quarters from start to finish but no pre-game, no half time discussion and no post-game wrap either. Wonder why?

Yep, pretty much. I didn't know that at the time though...

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Almost certainly a case of split copyrights, ie they'd have to pay for copyright licences from both the game telecast owner and the TV station who owns the ancillary stuff copyright.

I thought as much. I know copyrights and royalties are why Grand Final DVDs never have the pre-game and half-time performances on them either, which is a pity. My 2011 feels incomplete without Meatloaf!

 

[iameviljez]

Funny...my recollection was that Teddy wasn't all that popular when he was playing. I broadened my vocabulary listening to the rockets he got from the Geelong faithful in the outer...

He did get deified through his media work, the sheer force of his public persona, the fact that he played for "everyone's second-favourite" (i.e. shithouse) team, and his untimely death.

There is a reasonable amount of work in the Rumours thread (https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...omeone-you-trust.1208031/page-5#post-58665801) to suggest that Whitten may have been a rather unpleasant member of humanity on the domestic front. That's not to say that we have proof sufficient to call him an arseh*le, but the status as a broadly-loved icon of the game is perhaps people's projection more so than it is deserved reality.

 

[James1970]

That's not to say that we have proof sufficient to call him an a-hole, but the status as a broadly-loved icon of the game is perhaps people's projection more so than it is deserved reality.

I knew an old timer who worked at Adidas for a time with Teddy. The stories are unprintable. Safe to say, the world has thankfully moved on.

Very much an icon of the game, but it was built through massive ego, thuggery and horrendous 'crap' - the Peter Box story, etc.

Different days, indeed.

 

[FredLeDeux]

I knew an old timer who worked at Adidas for a time with Teddy. The stories are unprintable. Safe to say, the world has thankfully moved on.

Very much an icon of the game, but it was built through massive ego, thuggery and horrendous 'crap' - the Peter Box story, etc.

Different days, indeed.

 

[allrighty]

Funny...my recollection was that Teddy wasn't all that popular when he was playing. I broadened my vocabulary listening to the rockets he got from the Geelong faithful in the outer...

Things changed when he joined the radio commentary on 3GL...and of course his love for the big V...

No doubt he was a larger than life character. I hope he rests easy.

Yes a dirty bastard. But would also cop it "happily". Ah the olden days.

 

[allrighty]

He did get deified through his media work, the sheer force of his public persona, the fact that he played for "everyone's second-favourite" (i.e. shithouse) team, and his untimely death.

There is a reasonable amount of work in the Rumours thread (https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/thre...omeone-you-trust.1208031/page-5#post-58665801) to suggest that Whitten may have been a rather unpleasant member of humanity on the domestic front. That's not to say that we have proof sufficient to call him an a-hole, but the status as a broadly-loved icon of the game is perhaps people's projection more so than it is deserved reality.

As it is with many many people. Does he have a statue?

 

[Catsace]

As it is with many many people. Does he have a statue?

And has a bridge too i believe. But he lived in times when people asked and gave no quarter, and any 'woke' stuff was a million miles away. Had he lived on he'd probably have suffered the same fate as for example John-Michael Howson did on 3AW Sunday mornings a few years ago, too controversial for today's tastes. Arguably his passing could also have been a bit of a baton change too from the old Australia to the new. Whether that's entirely a good thing is up for debate.

 

[allrighty]

View attachment 896190

And has a bridge too i believe. But he lived in times when people asked and gave no quarter, and any 'woke' stuff was a million miles away. Had he lived on he'd probably have suffered the same fate as for example John-Michael Howson did on 3AW Sunday mornings a few years ago, too controversial for today's tastes. Arguably his passing could also have been a bit of a baton change too from the old Australia to the new. Whether that's entirely a good thing is up for debate.

Correct on many levels

 

[iameviljez]

As it is with many many people. Does he have a statue?

I get your point, but I don't think anyone's had a statue torn down for being an arseh*le/unlikeable/etc.