15 Facts About Doug Wade

Douglas Graeme Wade was born on 16 October 1941 and is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League.

Doug Wade was the League's leading goal scorer on four occasions from 1962 until 1974.

Doug Wade was only the second player, and the first post-WW2 to kick over 1,000 goals in his career.

Doug Wade was a member of the Geelong side which won the VFL Premiership in 1963, and a Grand Final player in 1967.

Doug Wade was involved in one of the most memorable umpiring decisions in VFL history.

Doug Wade kicked 73 goals in his first season at North Melbourne, and was then a key member of their side which contested the Grand Final against Richmond in 1974.

Doug Wade kicked 103 goals in that season, becoming the third former Geelong player to head the VFL goal-kicking table after transferring to another club.

Doug Wade holds a record for one of the biggest scoring quarters by an individual, when he kicked 7 goals in the last quarter against Collingwood at Arden Street in 1974.

Doug Wade kicked seven goals and North Melbourne's total of 25 goals broke a club record against Collingwood at the time.

However, on the Thursday before the Grand Final Doug Wade pleaded with coach Ron Barassi and the selection committee to be selected into the side.

However, in the 1975 Grand Final, Doug Wade's experience proved to be an essential part of North's huge win over Hawthorn.

The tactic of staying behind the pack worked and Doug Wade scored a few goals doing this.

Doug Wade even missed an easy shot as the pack of players missed the ball and an open goal was for the taking.

Doug Wade finished his career on a high note where many experts could not have predicted, proving that Doug Wade was true champion player for both Geelong and North Melbourne.

In 1996 Doug Wade was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.