1964

This was a monumental year for the Carlton Football Club; not so much for the results gained on the field, but rather for the sensational events that were to occur in the off-season. After managing only five wins and a draw, the Blues wound up 1964 in tenth place on the ladder - at that time, the worst result in our proud history. The club was never in actual danger of winning the wooden spoon however, as Fitzroy failed to win a game.

On the more positive side, a number of genuinely talented youngsters would debut with the Blues during the year , including future guns Garry Crane, Adrian Gallagher and Barry Gill, as the club embarked on a youth policy that would eventually reap big dividends. In fact, Carlton's youngest-ever team would take to the field in Round 9, and the youthful Blues would be a feature of the rest of the decade. Nineteen of the 20 youngest teams in our history represented Carlton between 1964 and 1970.

Even so, the continuing tale of mediocrity at Princes Park had to end. A boardroom coup after the season brought a new committee, with the legendary George Harris as President. Then, two days before Christmas, Carlton rocked the League to it's foundations, by announcing that we had signed Melbourne's champion Ron Barassi to captain-coach the Blues on a five-year contract. Incumbent coach Ken Hands, who had coached since 1959, and captain Serge Silvagni were both stood aside.

The appointment of Barassi was one of the most sensational chapters in the history of the VFL, and the full story is told here.

(Age May 08 p22)

Ladder

People of 1964

Coach: Ken Hands
Captain: Serge Silvagni
Vice Captain: Maurie Sankey
Leading Goal-kicker: Ian Nankervis - 18 goals
Best & Fairest: Gordon Collis

Debuts

Round 17: Garry Crane
Round 11: Roger Hoggett
Round 9: Bruce Bentley
Round 8: Brian Henderson
Round 6: Adrian Gallagher, Jim Pleydell
Round 3: Tony Thiessen
Round 2: Ian Nankervis, Barry Gill
Round 1: Jim 'Frosty' Miller

Milestones

Brownlow Medal: Gordon Collis