Who is Kelvin Templeton? Western Bulldogs and Melbourne Demon great inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame

On Tuesday night (June 18), Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs) captain Kelvin Templeton was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. Congratulations from the Dogs are in order.

Templeton played for the Western Bulldogs from 1974 to 1982, within which he played 143. He has a Brownlow Medal, two Club best and fairest awards, and two Coleman Medals to his name.

The champion goalkicker sits at number four in the Western Bulldogs’ goal kicking standings of all time. He was the first forward in the history of the game to ever win a Brownlow Medal.

Templeton served as captain of the Bulldogs during his last season and is still the centre-half forward in the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century.

Templeton moved to Melbourne after this, and by the end of his career, had amassed 593 goals in 177 games. He is a five-time winner of the Footscray (Western Bulldogs) Goal-kicking Award.

A 1978 15-goal outing in a match against St Kilda remains his most iconic moment, and one of the most incredible individual performances in Club history.

On Templeton’s Induction, Chief Executive of the Western Bulldogs Ameet Bains said in a statement:

“We’re both incredibly thrilled and proud to see Kelvin’s incredible career recognised with his induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. As a much renowned goalkicker, Kelvin’s plethora of awards and achievements is a testament to his talent as a footballer, remaining one of the Club’s finest players amongst its 137-year history.

"From kicking 100 goals in a season as a 21-year-old to becoming the first forward to win the Brownlow Medal, elevation into the Hall of Fame cements Kelvin as a giant of our game.”

Kelvin Templeton’s honors at Footscray include:

Games: 143, Goals: 494

Brownlow Medal: 1980

Coleman Medal: 1978–79

Best and fairest (1978, 1980)

Footscray-Western Bulldogs Leading goalkicker (1976–80)

Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century (centre half-forward)

Captain: 1982

---

Western Bulldogs great Kelvin Templeton makes it into the AFL Hall of Fame with 5 others

2024 Australian Football Hall of Fame

On Tuesday night, Western Bulldogs’ champion goalkicker Kelvin Templeton was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame with Collingwood midfielder Dane Swan, Ralph Robertson, Chris McDermott, Ray Schoefield, and Michael Graham.

Dane Swan was a Brownlow medallist, three-time Copeland trophy winner and five-time All-Australian. He was a key member of the Magpies' 2010 premiership team.

Inaugural Adelaide captain Chris McDermott played well over 400 games and has a reputation as a great leader. He won three of the club’s Best and Fairest Awards, and was a three-time All-Australian.

Ralph Robertson was a key figure in NSW as a star in representative in football in the early 20th century. He played 14 games for St Kilda in 1899 and 1900 before moving to the Sydney Swans and making his name in NSW, where he played 41 games between 1903 and 1914.

West Perth’s five-time Best and Fairest Ray Schofield played in two premierships in 1949 and 1951. Schofield was also an excellent swingman even before the role became desirable, but returned to the forward line towards the end of his career and was West Perth's leading goalkicker in 1957.

Michael Graham entered the AFL Hall of Fame with over 500 senior games cumulatively, from the VFL, St Mary's (NTFL), and Sturt (SANFL). Graham was a speedy player with a keen goal sense. He has a place in the Indigenous Team of the Century, the Sturt Team of the Century and the NT Team of the Century.