Haydn Bunton, Sr.

Haydn Bunton Sr.

Personal information
Full name	Haydn William Bunton
Date of birth	(1911-07-05)5 July 1911
Place of birth	Albury, New South Wales
Date of death	5 September 1955(1955-09-05) (aged 44)
Place of death	Adelaide, South Australia
Original team(s)	Albury
Height / weight	179 cm / 73 kg
Position(s)	Rover
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1931–1937, 1942	Fitzroy	119 (207)
1938–1941	Subiaco	72 (190)
1945	Port Adelaide	17 (30)
Coaching career³
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1936	Fitzroy	18 (2–16–0)
1947–1948	North Adelaide	35 (13–21–0)
¹ Playing statistics correct to the end of 1945. ³ Coaching statistics correct as of 1948.
Career highlights
3× Brownlow Medal: 1931, 1932, 1935 3× Sandover Medal: 1938, 1939, 1941 Fitzroy captain: 1932, 1936–1937 2× Fitzroy Club Champion: 1934, 1935 2× Fitzroy leading goalkicker: 1936, 1937 Australian Football Hall of Fame (legend status) AFL Team of the Century (forward pocket) Fitzroy team of the century (rover) Subiaco team of the century (ruck-rover) New South Wales team of the century (rover)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Haydn William Bunton (5 July 1911 – 5 September 1955) was an Australian rules footballer who represented Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL), Subiaco in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), and Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) during the 1930s and 1940s.

Bunton is the only footballer to have won the Brownlow Medal and the Sandover Medal three times each. He is one of only four footballers to have won the Brownlow three times (the others being Ian Stewart, Dick Reynolds and Bob Skilton), and one of only five footballers to have won the Sandover at least three times (the others being Bill Walker, who won it four times; and Barry Cable, Graham Farmer, Merv McIntosh, who each won it three times). Bunton is also the only player to have averaged one Brownlow vote per game over his career.

Like cricketer Don Bradman and the racehorse Phar Lap, Bunton was a sporting champion who made life bearable for the Australian public during the dark days of the Great Depression. A brilliant runner and ball-winner, he was regarded by some historians and observers of Australian rules as its greatest-ever player.

The son of Victorians Ernest Edward Bunton, a brickmaker, and Matilda Caroline, née Luhrs, Bunton was born and raised in Albury, New South Wales. He originally played for Albury Football Club in the Ovens & Murray Football Association. His natural Australian football ability attracted the attention of all twelve VFL clubs.

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