The University of Melbourne opened for business in 1855, just four years after separation from New South Wales and the discovery of rich gold in the young Colony, and only twenty years since Melbourne was nothing but bush. Three years later, in 1858, the famous first game of “Victorian” football was played, and it only took one more year for the game to take hold within the University.
The University Club was formed in 1859 and the first known match was against St. Kilda with a Mr. Phillips as Captain. By 1861 University was regarded as the leading team with a Mr Purcell as Captain, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer.
The next twenty years or so saw the gradual development of regular competitions in Melbourne and by 1870 matches were formally arranged at pre-season meetings.· University competed in the (Victorian) Football Association (VFA) which was the premier competition from 1877. The Victorian Football League (VFL) split away from the VFA in 1897 and University was admitted to the VFL in 1908.
Another body which emerged towards the end of the century (1892) was the Metropolitan (Amateur) Football Association M(A)FA, and University subsequently entered a team, a relationship which has been almost continuous, and which eventually strengthened into our representation in what became the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). The University MAFA team won the club’s the first pennant in 1906.
The MUFC just missed the four in its first 3 years in the VFL, but struggled in subsequent years. Nevertheless University players figured in Combined League teams and Interstate matches, notable among whom were Jack Brake and Roy Park.
The onset of the Great War in 1914 marked the end of this first phase of continued development of football in the University. Many University students and graduates joined the armed forces.· 251 were killed, many of whom were still undergraduates.
Those of us lucky to have met Colin Shaw, Alan Jolley, Lance Sleeman and others who played in the League days will remember not just their nostalgia for the great period of University’s participation in what had already become top grade football, but also the stories of being stoned off the ground by supporters of North Melbourne and other teams. This was about the time the mound was built around the University Oval “for our huge crowds“ using spoil from the Inner Circle railway cutting around Royal Park.
After the war University decided not to reapply to the VFL, but was asked by the VFL to provide two teams to the newly-formed VFL Reserves. University A and B, which soon became University Blue(s) and University Black(s). Collingwood defeated Blues in the VFL Reserves Grand Final in 1920. In 1921 Blues joined the MAFA, and were grand finalists in 1921 with Surgeon Rear-Admiral Lionel Lockwood as captain.
Blues were rarely lower than 5th through the 20’s but were not successful at the business end of the season.
From 1932 to the war Blues were the second MUFC team and achieved only limited success. Blues centre-half forward and Captain of four years standing (1929-32), (Dr.) Alec McGregor was transferred to the Blacks in 1933 and was promptly made Captain!
Blues were runners up in B Section in the last year before the war and gained promotion to A Section in 1949 after yet again failing to clinch a premiership in B Section against Geelong (and thus still without a premiership after 30 years). In response to the strong Blues leadership of (Dr.) Geoff Sinclair, John Thwaites, Geoff Cameron, Tom Hogg and others, the MUFC restored the “equal-strength” allocation policy which had been abandoned in 1932.
This ushered in the era of the rise of the Blues who shrugged off their secondary status. Blues first-ever Premiership came in 1952, under Geoff Sinclair against Ormond, an extraordinary happy day. Blues were A Section Runners-up in 1953 and 1954; 4th in 1955; and Runners-up in 1957 before their next Premiership in 1960, then mixed fortunes until a B Section Premiership in 1967.
University Juniors (U19) were formed in 1957 and were Premiers in 1958. Under coaches Don Osborne, Les Hughson, Barry Johnson and David Mithen, the Juniors (Blues Juniors from 1972 to 1979) were in the final four between 1963 and 1978, and in those sixteen years played in eleven grand finals for eight premierships. In 1980 the Club decided to revert to a single Junior team, but has fielded two Juniors since 1986 except for 1990-91. Blues have had a longstanding philosophy of building senior success by developing players through its U19 team.
1970 saw a strong finish to the season from Blues and there was optimism in 1971 when new coach Barry Johnston took over, fresh from coaching the Juniors to the 1970 flag. Barry Church continued to be an inspiring captain, Jim Sharp made the All-Australian team, and Mike Nicholls, John Renowden and Ken Scarfe all showed the benefits of a couple of years senior experience. David “Sparkles” Barkley topped the goal kicking with 94 goals and youngsters Simon Trumble and Geoff Whittakers proved fine acquisitions.
After a magnificent win in the Second Semi against Ormond in a game still described by many as the finest game of Amateur football every played, the Blues could not handle the wet and windy conditions and lost the 1971 Grand Final to Ormond. Unfortunately the Blues could not sustain their momentum and started to slide down the ladder to the point where in 1974 they failed to win a game under the leadership of Bob Girdwood.
Blues regrouped in 1975 and Team Chairman Peter Brukner recruited ex-Coburg stalwarts, coach Alan Salter team manager Ted McNamara and Jim Gilchrist. Blues immediately regained their A Section position by reaching the B Section Grand Final. Despite going in as hot favourites, the Blues lost the flag to De La Salle. This was to be the story of the next decade. Barry Church had resumed as captain and Tim Standish continued to dominate the ruck, but it was the influx of players such as Rod Hager, Mike Sleeman, John Carmody, Peter Schauble and Mark Tyquin that would prove to be the basis of the Blues success over the next few years.
A fourth place in their first season in A Section of 1976 gave the Blues a taste of success and they went into the finals as favourites for three successive years 1978, 1979 and 1980. Each year they were to fall at the final obstacle with De La Salle becoming their bogey team. The Blues had been very active recruiting players, many of whom proved to be fine acquisitions to the Club. None more so than Michael Yeo who proceeded to win a record equalling four Best and Fairest awards as well as playing many fine games for Victoria.
The Blues were controversially relegated to B Grade in 1981 for playing an ineligible player, but were back in A Grade the following year after defeating hot favourites Collegians in the Grand Final. In 1983 under coach Sid Myers, Blues again finished on top of the ladder only to lose again to De La Salle in the Grand Final. As other University teams declined through the eighties Blues clung to their position in A Section. But after making the four in 1989 Blues were relegated in 1991 and struggled in B Grade in 1992.
The end of 1992 marked another turning point for the Blues. Senior player Grant Williams put his hand up to coach the team and with the support of Bob Girdwood and Michael Robin off the field, and John Kanis, Hamish Worsley and Richard Furphy both on the field, Grant created the environment which led to continued success for the Blues for the rest of the decade. Blues were runners-up in B Grade in 1994, and then Grand Finalists in A Grade the following year, but were soundly defeated by an Old Xaverians side which was to go on and win five flags in a row.
During the 90’s Blues had outstanding success in both Reserves and Juniors. Blues Reserves won their first ever premiership in B Grade in 1994 and then followed with A Grade Reserve premierships in 1996 and 1999. Blues Under 19s were Junior Premier Section Premiers and Champions in 1995 stringing together a record 39 match winning sequence before defeat in the 1996 Finals, and followed with another flag in 1997. These results were a credit to their coach, former Blues President, Steve Carroll.
The end of the nineties and early two thousands were generally characterised by middle of the ladder performances from the Senior team. Blues finished fourth in 1996 and 2000, but often had poor starts to the season, rallied when confronted with relegation only to falter at the end of the season and miss finals.
In 2004 Bob Girdwood was back as President and John Kanis was appointed coach. The team had a good deal of experience by Blues standards and the motto for the year of “Don’t Waste It” was quickly adopted. Mark Paterson, Tim Muhlebach and James Scambler were recruited along with Ed Clark, Matt Torney, Ross Young and several others from the previous years U19 grand final team. A club 18 team was entered for the first time to cope with increased player depth. Kanis got the players fitter than they had ever been preseason and developed a distinctive attacking ball carrying style of play that was reflected in every training drill.
2004 was the most outstanding year the club had ever had. The Reserve and Club 18 teams both went through the year undefeated. The Under 19’s finished fourth and the Seniors won a one sided grand final against St Bernards by 11 goals. Blues captain and rover Quinton Gleeson won the A Grade B&F medal with midfielder Ross Young close behind.
In 2005 the Blues looked set to repeat the dose but went down to Xavs by 9 points in the grand final. Despite poor starts to the season in 2006 and 2007, Blues stormed into the finals only to lose the preliminary on both occasions.
The next decade followed a similar pattern with the Blues being extremely competitive and appearing regularly in finals, but unable to pull off the big one, with another third placing in 2009, and fourth in 2010 and 2011. The only aberration was a poor year in 2013 which saw the Blues relegated to Premier B. However they bounced straight back under coach Quinton Gleeson and captain Jack Watts winning the 2014 Premier B flag.
Back in Premier League saw the Blues resume their habit of third placings with three in a row from 2015 to 2017. A disappointing 2018 season saw change at the top with Tim Rourke taking over the Presidency with Quinton Gleeson as Football Director and a new coach. Heath Jamieson arrived at the club with a remarkable coaching record in the Bellarine and Geelong Leagues and it soon became obvious why.
A core group of Blues stalwarts such as Ross Young, Piers Flanagan, Jeremy Mugavin, Marshall Rippon, Tom Quinn, Marc James, Paddy Hayes, Connor Lappin and the Batarillo twins had been joined in the previous years by former AFL players Ayce Cordy, Jeremy Taylor, Clayton Hinkley and Kieran Harper, and in 2019 by Luke Russell, Tom Young, Cam O’Shea and Josh Green. As a bonus Joey Macula and Ben Capra re-joined the club, and former VFL players Tim Harper and Meyrick Buchanan added the icing on the cake.
Blues had a fantastic home and away season finishing on top. The second semi against Old Xavs was a tight affair with the Blues getting home by 9 points after being headed in the last quarter. The grand final saw SKOBs looking for their third Premier League flag in a row and the Blues hoping to break a 15 year drought and bring home only their fourth ever flag at the top level. The first half was tight with the Blues accurate kicking keeping their noses in front, but the premiership quarter saw Blues pile on six unanswered goals with some brilliant football and went on to win the 2019 flag by 40 points.
Captain Ayce Cordy and coach Heath Jamieson lifted the premiership cup to finish a truly magnificent season. Ross Young became the first Blues player to play in two Premier League flags – 15 years apart, while Ayce Cordy crowned a remarkable two seasons of Amateur football, two Blues best and fairests, two Woodrow medals for Premier League B&F, and the sweetest of all, captaining a premiership team.
The 2019 flag has gone some way to rectifying the anomaly that Blues have a wonderful Premier League record with more years in Premier League (63) in the last 70years than any other club and numerous final appearances, but before the 2019 triumph, only three Premier League flags. Now 2019 joins 1952, 1960 and 2004 as Blues premiership years.
A GRADE 4- 1952, 1960, 2004, 2019
B GRADE 3 – 1967, 1981, 2014
A GRADE 9 – 1953, 1954, 1957, 1971, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1995, 2005
B GRADE 2 – 1975, 1994
A GRADE 10 – 1950, 1951, 1964, 1968, 1978, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023
B GRADE 1 – 1993
A GRADE 6 – 1976, 1989, 1996, 2000, 2010, 2011
68 out of last 75 years (1950-2024 inc)
1967, 1975, 1981, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2014
30/68 YEARS
