Ricky Dyson was born on 28 September 1985 and is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League.
12 Facts About Ricky Dyson
Originally from the Epping Football Club, and drafted at number 44 in the 2003 National Draft, Dyson played mainly as a midfielder.
Ricky Dyson made his debut, aged 18, in round 3 of the 2004 AFL season, when Essendon played the West Coast Eagles at Docklands Stadium.
Ricky Dyson would go on to play 11 games in his debut season.
Ricky Dyson managed to play 10 games in his second season, having been affected by groin soreness.
Ricky Dyson nonetheless struggled to retain his spot in the senior side, and began to doubt his playing ability as a result.
Ricky Dyson spent the earlier parts of the season in the VFL playing for Bendigo and was seen as a standout there in the player review at the end of the year.
Ricky Dyson's wait for a call-up to the seniors was a protracted one until he was selected to play against Richmond in round 16,11 months after his previous senior appearance.
Ricky Dyson was primarily used in 2011 as a running defender who would rotate through the midfield.
Ricky Dyson was suspended for two years which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately fourteen months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 suburban football season.
For several years Ricky Dyson participated in Essendon's "On the Ball" program, which involved him and teammate Brent Prismall, as well as netball players Shelley O'Donnell and Bianca Chatfield, meeting with school groups and educating them on issues such as drug use and sports.
Ricky Dyson took a year off from the program in 2008 to study and complete a personal training course.