Terry Wheeler

Terry Wheeler (born 13 March 1955) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached Footscray in the Australian Football League.

Terry Wheeler
Personal information
Date of birth (1955-03-13) 13 March 1955
Original team(s) Warburton
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 89 kg (196 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1974–1983 Footscray 157 (18)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1990–1994 Footscray 91 (50–40–1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1983.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Wheeler played as a defender during his 157-game career for Footscray from 1974 to 1983.

The following season he joined VFA club Williamstown as captain-coach. In five seasons with Williamstown, Wheeler played 94 games, and he led the club to a premiership in 1986 and to Grand Finals in 1985 and 1988.[1] His presence, coupled with that of enthusiastic president Tony Hannebery, was considered critical to attracting big-name players like Barry Round and Tony Pastore to Williamstown, and to the revival of the club during the 1980s after an indifferent decade during the 1970s.[2]

He was appointed to the position of assistant coach to Mick Malthouse at Footscray in 1989. Malthouse left shortly after the season, and shortly before merger between Footscray and Fitzroy to form the Fitzroy Bulldogs was announced. Footscray supporters began to fight the merger in court, and on 8 October, Wheeler was appointed senior coach of Footscray for 1990, even though it was not certain there would be a team for him to coach.[3] He was active in the campaign against the merger, which was ultimately defeated on 23 October when the supporters raised enough money and sponsorship to make the club viable.[4]

With twelve wins in 1990 he took Footscray close to a finals spot in his first year at the helm. In 1992 they finished second after the home-and-away season, only missing out on the minor premiership by percentage. They however failed to make the premiership decider after losing in the preliminary final to Geelong, but Wheeler was named as coach of the All-Australian Team. He was sacked in the early stages of the 1994 season following an 88-point loss to Geelong.

References
  1. Marc Fiddian (2003), Seagulls over Williamstown, Williamstown, VIC: Williamstown Football Club, p. 148
  2. Fiddian 2003, p. 137.
  3. Michael Stevens; Shane Burke; Justin Brasier (9 October 1989). "Dogfight". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. pp. 1–2.
  4. Tony de Bolfo; Daryl Timms (24 October 1989). "Tide of hope". The Sun News-Pictorial. Melbourne, VIC. pp. 79–80.


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