Bulldogs Club physician Dr Gary Zimmerman has been awarded AFL Life Membership after 45 seasons of service to the competition.
Zimmerman - who is entering his 34th season at the Kennel - will be recognised at the AFL Season Launch event in Sydney on Wednesday.
The accolade was awarded for "a significant contribution to player health and wellbeing across more than four decades".
After stints at Essendon and Richmond, 'Zimma' arrived at the then Footscray Football Club in 1993 and has been an ever-present at the Kennel since.
His time at the Club included a long-standing partnership with former Club physician Dr Jake Landsberger.
Zimmerman's iconic hair and moustache has made him one of the more recognisable medical practitioners in the league.
Along with providing expertise, guidance and support to countless players, coaches and employees at the Club, he has also enhanced the broader game via numerous medical committees and his long-standing membership of the AFL Doctors’ Association.
"Zimma’s exceptional medical expertise and diagnostic skills would be enough to make him a standout in our industry, but when aligned with his positive approach, infectious personality and unflinching devotion to his role across decades, the enormity of his contribution to the game is undeniable," Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains said.
"He has done an immeasurable amount of good for our Club and the AFL more broadly across a remarkable career, the result of an astonishing commitment to his role and the people he cares for.”
“We are so delighted he has received this accolade and as a Club congratulate him wholeheartedly."
Former Bulldogs recruiter Scott Clayton will also be awarded AFL Life Membership at the Season Launch event.
A life member of the Bulldogs, Clayton headed up recruiting at the Kennel between 1999 and 2008 and is currently working as a talent consultant for Tasmania.
The Club's 1999 draft haul under his watch is the stuff of legend, with Bob Murphy, Daniel Giansiracusa, Mitch Hahn, Lindsay Gilbee and Ryan Hargrave playing 1167 games between them.
“Post his playing career, Scott has cultivated a long-standing record and reputation as a recruiter across decades at multiple Clubs and we are delighted he has been recognised for his contribution to the game," Bains said.
