Tom Hafey

Tom Hafey
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Stanley Raymond Hafey
Nickname(s)	Tommy, T-Shirt Tommy
Date of birth	(1931-08-05)5 August 1931
Place of birth	Richmond, Victoria
Date of death	12 May 2014(2014-05-12) (aged 82)
Original team(s)	East Malvern
Height / weight	173cm / 76 kg
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1953–1958	Richmond	67 (10)
Coaching career3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1966–1976 1977–1982 1983–1985 1986–1988 1971–1981 1988	VFL Richmond Collingwood Geelong Sydney Representative Victoria New South Wales	2480(173–73–2) 13800(89–47–2) 06600(31–35–0) 07000(43–27–0)
Total		522 (336–182–4)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1958. 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1988.
Career highlights
Coaching Club 4x VFL Premiership: 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974 Richmond Team of the Century Richmond Hall of Fame – Immortal Status Australian Football Hall of Fame – Inaugural Inductee Richmond Life Member AFL Life Member Representative National Football Carnival Championship: 1980

Coaching

Club

Representative

Thomas Stanley Raymond Hafey (5 August 1931 – 12 May 2014) was an Australian rules football Victorian Football League player and coach. Hafey played for Richmond between 1953 and 1958, and coached four clubs—Richmond, Collingwood, Geelong and Sydney—between 1966 and 1988, leading Richmond to a total of four premierships: 1967, 1969, 1973 and 1974. Hafey was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996, named coach of Richmond's team of the century in 1998, and given the AFL Coaches Association "Coaching Legend Award" in 2011.

Tom Hafey was born and raised in Richmond. He began his football career with the East Malvern under 19 team before graduating to the senior side in 1950. He spent three years with the club, winning the best and fairest in 1952.

Hafey was then invited to train at Richmond. At the time, the Tigers were in turmoil after legendary coach Jack Dyer quit. In an effort to reinvigorate the team, Richmond recruited a number of highly considered young players, including Ron Branton, Frank Dunin and Brian Davie. However, it was Hafey, an unheralded local, who played twelve of the eighteen matches his first year, scoring eight goals.

The following season was less productive for Hafey as he played just four games due to a bout of hepatitis. He did, however, play back pocket when the reserves captured the premiership by defeating Melbourne in the Grand Final. He was named as one of the Tigers' best performers, and was selected for the senior team for the 1955 and 1956 seasons. In these two years, he played 28 games.