Allan Ruthven

Allan Ruthven (17 April 1922 – 14 March 2003) was an Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League. He played his entire 222 game career with Fitzroy. In 1950, Ruthven won the prestigious Brownlow medal.

A product of Falconer Street School in North Fitzroy, Ruthven joined Fitzroy in 1940 as a 17-year-old schoolboy star. So impressed with his skill and potential, the club subsequently gave Ruthven guernsey number 7, previously worn and made famous by triple Brownlow Medallist, Haydn Bunton.

Universally known as "the Baron", for his dapper dress sense, Ruthven reportedly earned his nickname when a teammate called out "here comes Baron Rothschild" after he turned up to the club in one of his flamboyant suits.

Ruthven stood only 173 centimetres tall and weighed 73 kilograms, but was renowned for his skill, fitness and flawless left-foot kicking. Tough, talented and tenacious, Ruthven was also renowned for his ability to gain possession of the ball under the most challenging of circumstances, and use it purposefully. He was also dangerous near goal, winning Fitzroy's goal kicking award on three occasions. Considered the greatest rover of the 1940s and early 1950s, Ruthven was instrumental in Fitzroy's 1944 premiership win.

His illustrious career was one which nearly ended before it reached its prime. In 1942, Ruthven spent three months in hospital recovering from a serious back injury and missed the entire season. However, he bounced back from injury and in 1946 won Victorian selection for the first time and a league newspaper award as the best player of the year.

Fitzroy almost lost Ruthven in 1949 after the Imperial Football Club offered him £18 a week to be captain/coach. Although he accepted, becoming one of the highest paid coaches in Victoria, Fitzroy refused him clearance, claiming that Imperial had approached Ruthven after they had denied permission to interview him for the position. Eventually, Fitzroy won a protracted battle to keep him. Shortly afterwards, Broken Hill offered Ruthven £36 a week; £20 as a player, £8 as the coach and a weekly bonus of £8. Again Fitzroy refused to clear Ruthven and again the controlling body upheld Fitzroy's claim.