As part of the Club's celebrations to mark a century since joining the VFL/AFL, an expert panel has been convened to select the 25 Greatest Bulldogs of the past 100 years.
The Greatest Bulldogs are those who have represented the red, white and blue with irrefutable distinction on the field and made the most considerable positive impact on the Club's history.
Players of exceptional ability who have achieved some of the game's greatest accolades, they have also made the Club what it is today, setting standards that will always be aspired to, embodying the Bulldogs' spirit and inspiring fans to dream big and stand proud.
The list of 25 is unranked but a Top 5 has been selected in order and will be revealed at the Club’s Centenary Gala on Monday 21 July, answering the perennial question of who really is the greatest Bulldog of all time.
Tickets to the event at Mission Whitten Oval's Western Grounds are now sold out, but the event will be streamed live on the Club’s website and app on Monday night.
All 25 selected players will be immortalised in a Jamie Cooper painting that will be unveiled at the Charles Sutton Medal awards night on 1 October.
Today we reveal the selected players who debuted in the red, white and blue between 1946 and 1965.
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Wally Donald
Years played: 1946–1958
Games: 205 (8 finals)
Goals: 1
Best & Fairest: 1949
Best & Fairest Top 4 finishes: 1952, 1953, 1954
Premiership: 1954
State Games: 2
Brownlow Votes: 27
Captain: Part 1956
Club Awards: Most Improved (1948), Most Consistent (1950)
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Half-back flank
With his calm presence and collaborative nature, Wally Donald was a much-loved figure at the Bulldogs, a dependable defender and natural leader whose legacy continues to shape the Club today.
A key part of the 1954 premiership side, Donald played 205 games, featured in eight finals and amassed 27 Brownlow votes.
Primarily stationed on the half-back flank, Donald was known for his composure under pressure, clean ball use and ability to shut down the opposition’s best. He was selected in the Bulldogs’ Team of the Century and was widely respected for his versatility and football intelligence.
A Best and Fairest winner in 1949, Donald led with quiet authority, serving as vice-captain for several seasons and stepping into the captaincy in 1956. The 1954 premiership decider marked his 150th game, a momentous milestone in a career already rich with achievement.
Respected by teammates and opponents alike, Donald embodied the spirit of the Club through humility, loyalty, toughness and quiet strength — qualities that earned him life membership at Footscray ahead of the 1956 season, a fitting tribute to a player who gave so much to the red, white and blue.
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Jack Collins
Years Played: 1950–58
Games: 154 (5 finals)
Goals: 385
Best & Fairest: 1951, 1952
Premiership: 1954
State Games: 8
Brownlow Votes: 57
Coleman Medal: 1954, 1957
Leading Goalkicker: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958
Club Awards: Best First Year Player (1950), Most Consistent (1954), Most Versatile (1956), Best Clubman (1955, 1958)
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Forward Pocket
Jack Collins was the beating heart of Footscray: a premiership hero, club leader, and lifelong Bulldog whose influence shaped generations.
Recruited from Yarraville, he debuted in 1950 and quickly stamped himself as one of the VFL’s most dangerous forwards.
With explosive pace, a fierce competitive streak, and sharp football instincts, Collins tormented defences over 154 games, booting 385 goals in a brilliant nine-season career.
His defining moment came in the 1954 Grand Final, where his seven-goal haul propelled Footscray to its historic first premiership. Earlier that year, he booted nine goals in a single quarter, narrowly missing a league record.
A two-time Best and Fairest winner and five-time leading goalkicker, Collins wasn’t just a forward threat; he seamlessly transitioned to centre half-back when needed, showcasing his football intelligence and adaptability.
Off the field, his impact only grew. Collins served as Club Secretary from 1959 to 1966, then as President from 1967 to 1973, steering Footscray through a transformative era.
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Ted Whitten
Years played: 1951-70
Games: 321 (10 finals)
Goals: 360
Best & Fairest: 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961
Premiership: 1954
All Australian: 1956, 1958, 1961
State Games: 29
Leading goalkicker: 1961, 1962, 1964 (joint), 1968
Captain: 1957-70, Coach: 1957-66, 1969-71
Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend: 1996
AFL Team of the Century: Centre half-back and Captain
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Centre half-back and Captain
Edward James Whitten is a true icon of the Bulldogs and someone whose influence on the sport went far beyond the home ground that now bears his name, a status reflected by the deathless nickname 'Mr Football'.
He made his debut as a 17-year-old in 1951, won the first of five best and fairest awards in the Club's inaugural premiership year, was made captain-coach at the age of 23, guided his team to a Grand Final appearance in 1961, carried the hopes of Footscray throughout the 1960s and played a record 29 times for Victoria.
Whitten played a VFL-record 321 games in an inspirational 20-year playing career, captaining Footscray for 212 games and coaching for 228 (a record only recently surpassed by Luke Beveridge), with over 12 seasons as playing coach.
In further acknowledgment of his outstanding impact on the game, Whitten was awarded an OAM in 1992 and became the first inductee to the Australian Football Hall of Fame when it was instituted in 1996, immediately being elevated to Legend status. He was later named captain of not just the Bulldogs Team of the Century but the AFL's one too.
Inarguably the Club's greatest footballer of the 20th century, Whitten was also one of the biggest personalities in the game throughout and beyond his playing career. His lap of the MCG when he was battling cancer and close to death in 1995 will forever be one of the most moving scenes ever witnessed in the game.
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John Schultz
Years played: 1958-68
Games: 188 (3 finals)
Goals: 37
Best & Fairest: 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966
Best & Fairest runner-up: 1959, 1968
All Australian: 1961
State Games: 24
Night premierships: 1963, 1964, 1967
Brownlow Medal: 1960
Brownlow votes: 111
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 1996
Club Awards: Most Determined, Best First Year Player (1958), Most Consistent (1961, 1963, 1967), Best Clubman (1966, 1968)
Bulldogs Team of the Century: Back pocket
There was no better ruckman in the 1960s than John Schultz. He gave the club incredible service over 11 seasons and 188 games, playing a club record 169 consecutive games.
Those who played on Schultz swore he was their toughest opponent. Known as ‘Gentleman John’ he was scrupulously fair, a fine mark and an exceptional palmer of the ball.
In 1960 he won the Brownlow Medal and the first of his record-equalling five club best and fairest awards (equalling the record that had been set by Norm Ware and Ted Whitten before him).
In 1966 he played in the club’s second Grand Final appearance and, while a premiership eluded the team that day, he played in Footscray’s first three night premierships (1963, 1964 and 1967).
When the EJ Whitten Stand was built at the then Western Oval, one of the five bays was named in Schultz's honour and he was selected as the resting ruckman in the back pocket in the Footscray-Western Bulldogs Team of the Century in 2002.
A man of great integrity and humanity, Schultz was further recognised by the club when, in 2011, it named its club ‘Community Award’ after him (the award being for players, who by their actions, have made a significant contribution to the wider community).
25 Greatest Bulldogs (full list)
1925-45: Norm Ware, Harry Hickey, Arthur Olliver, Charlie Sutton, Allan Hopkins, Alby Morrison
1946-65: John Schultz, EJ Whitten, Wally Donald, Jack Collins
1966-85: Gary Dempsey, Doug Hawkins, Kelvin Templeton, Simon Beasley
1986-99: Scott Wynd, Chris Grant, Scott West, Brad Johnson, Tony Liberatore
2000-25: Bob Murphy, Matthew Boyd, Dale Morris, Tom Liberatore, Marcus Bontempelli, Ellie Blackburn
