Geelong Football Club has elevated Peter Burns and Charles Brownlow to legend status.

The pair become just the 23rd and 24th club legends.

“These two men both epitomise, in every way, what it means to be a Legend of our club,” Geelong vice president and Chair of the Cats honouring the past committee Bob Gartland said at the Cats’ 2017 season launch.

“Both of these men have not been considered in the past as their careers straddled two competitions – the VFA and VFL, and their history as players, was lost, in what we have referred to in the past as “The Missing Years”, the period prior to the VFL’s formation in 1897.

“Our club now embraces this period as an integral part of our history, and tonight we add another page to that story.”

Burns was born at Steiglitz, an old gold mining town north-west of Geelong, in 1866. He played in Ballarat and at South Melbourne, but later played the majority of his career with the Geelong Football Club. Burns was an all-round sportsman, a natural athlete, and a fitness fanatic.

He was courageous, a great leader, and a man of impeccable values and fairness. He was one of the greatest ever players of his time.

Historian Professor Mark Pennings, describes him as “arguably the best player of the century”.

Since the commencement of the VFL competition in 1897, in excess of 12,000 players have played our game at the elite level, across the VFL and the AFL. Less than 80 players, in the history of the game have reached this mark.

Burns was the first to reach 300 games at the elite level, but has never been acknowledged for this achievement, simply because his career straddled the two elite competitions - the VFA, and later the VFL.

Burns played his 302nd and last game of football for Geelong in 1902 at Corio Oval. The next player to play 300 games was not until 35 years later, when the great Gordon Coventry reached that goal in 1937 for Collingwood.

On his retirement from playing, Burns became the club’s official timekeeper, a position he held until the end of the 1941 season.

Burns gave a total of 55 years’ service to football, as a player and administrator.

Brownlow was born in 1861 in Geelong with a great love and passion for football. He loved the game so much that he defied his father, Chares I, and played under a false name at North Geelong, until he played his first game for Geelong in 1881.

Charles Brownlow is probably the most well-known name in Australian Football. Brownlow’s record as an administrator has been acknowledged and admired for over a century, however his record as a player has never been acknowledged.

Brownlow was part of the 1882 premiership team in his second year a period that has been recorded as the greatest in the history of the club.

Geelong would win seven premierships in nine years, and Brownlow’s play and leadership was intrinsic to that success.

In just his third season as a Geelong player, he was elected captain. He was innovative and he encouraged his teammates to open up the play, at every opportunity. His tactics and strategy created a new brand of open football, and he would lead the mighty Geelong team to another premiership in 1883.

The following year he would take up an administrative role on the Club committee, and in 1888 became Club secretary, a role that he held for 36 years.

He was one of the major players in the creation of the Victorian Football league in 1897, and was Geelong delegate to the VFL for the next 26 years. He was Vice President of the League for 14 years, acting President of the League in 1918 & 1919, and President of the Australasian Council.

When Charles Brownlow was made a life member of the VFL in 1921, the League wrote to him, and said that “no one, at any time, has been more worthy of the highest distinction it is in the power of the League to confer”.

After his death in 1924, the VFL decided to present a gold medal for the best and fairest player each season, and of course that medal is still awarded today - the Brownlow Medal.

Brownlow gave 42 years’ service to Geelong Football Club, and he changed the game of football forever.

Geelong Football Club’s legends are:

· Gary Ablett sr
· Charles Brownlow
· Peter Burns
· David E. Clarke
· Paul Couch
· Bob Davis
· Alec Eason
· Bill Eason
· Graham Farmer
· Fred Flanagan
· Bill Goggin
· Edward Greeves
· Dick Grigg
· Reg Hickey
· Garry Hocking
· Ian Nankervis
· John Newman
· Peter Pianto
· Cliff Rankin
· Matthew Scarlett
· Bernie Smith
· George Todd
· Doug Wade
· Henry Young

The status of Legend of the Geelong Football Club, is the highest honour that the Club can bestow on any person, and is awarded to a person who has made a significant positive impact on the Club, as a player, coach or administrator, and who has demonstrated outstanding: ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, leadership, length of service to the club, and who has, in all respects, displayed “The Geelong Way”.