Len Thompson

Len Thompson (27 August 1947 – 18 September 2007) was an Australian rules footballer, who played for most of his career at Collingwood.

He was recruited by Collingwood from North Reservoir after he had initially trained with, and had been rejected by Essendon. Combining great physical size (200 cm, 95.5 kg) with tremendous athleticism, he provided Collingwood with a formidable around the ground presence.

Thompson played a total of 272 VFL games and scored 217 goals for Collingwood between 1965 and 1978, winning the club's best and fairest award a record 5 times, as well as the 1972 Brownlow Medal.

In 1970 he and Des Tuddenham, vice captain and club captain respectively, refused to play for Collingwood, going on strike to protest at the perceived unfair salaries being paid to lure interstate players east. While this protest resulted in temporary souring the relationship between Thompson and the Collingwood football club, Thompson returned to a leadership position quickly, as vice-captain 1973-7 and captain 1978.

Thompson later played seasons for both South Melbourne (20 games and 39 goals in 1979) and Fitzroy (13 games, 19 goals, 1980). However, in all of his sixteen season, 305-game VFL career with three senior clubs, he failed to play in a premiership team, despite appearing in four grand finals: the 1966 Grand Final (which Collingwood lost by one point), the 1970 Grand Final (which, despite being 44 points in front at half-time, Collingwood lost 10 by points), and the 1977 First Grand Final (which was a drawn match), and the 1977 Grand Final Replay (which Collingwood lost by 27 points) .

Thompson was also a regular Victorian interstate representative, and achieved All Australian selection after the 1972 Perth Carnival. He served on the Collingwood board in 1982 and 1983. When Collingwood selected its official 'Team of the Twentieth Century' Len Thompson was selected as the first ruck.