James Hird

[6] In 2008, he was listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as the 20th greatest player of all time in the AFL-commissioned book The Australian Game of Football.

In August 2013, he was suspended from coaching for 12 months when he was charged by the AFL with conduct prejudicing the game in relation to his role in the Essendon Football Club supplements controversy.

He made his senior debut against St Kilda in 1992 at Waverley Park as a late replacement for former captain Terry Daniher.

In that season, he was a member of what was referred to as the "Baby Bombers", a group of young players (most notably including Hird, Mark Mercuri, Gavin Wanganeen, Dustin Fletcher, Ricky Olarenshaw, David Calthorpe, Paul Hills and Joe Misiti) that played a key role in the side winning the premiership that year.

Injury-free, he received numerous honours, including selection in the All-Australian team and the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground in the AFL Grand Final.

He also narrowly missed out on a second Brownlow Medal, finishing three votes shy of joint winners Mark Ricciuto, Nathan Buckley and Adam Goodes.

[22] Hird's winning goal was the focus of a popular instalment of the Toyota Memorable Moments advertising campaign,[23] and the hug is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport.

[26] [18][19] Hird continued to be an outstanding performer in his utility role when fit, but age was forcing him to miss games through injury with increasing frequency.

Aged 34, Hird continued to feature prominently among Essendon's best players and concluded his career by winning a fifth best-and-fairest award.

[30] Immediately after Hird retired from playing football, there was much speculation as to whether he would be interested in a coaching role at a club in the AFL, but primarily at Essendon.

[31] After initially dodging questions about his future, Hird stated in August 2010 that "There's something in me, deep in my heart, that says at some point I want to coach Essendon".

[32] These words came as a surprise to many, including former premiership teammate Matthew Lloyd, who said that Hird had "changed his whole persona in regards to how he's answering his questions... Just in regards to saying, 'I'll coach one day.

These comments by Hird, considered to be Essendon's "favourite son", furthered speculation towards the future of then-Essendon coach Matthew Knights.

[33] A rumour emerged following these comments suggesting that Hird was part of an unofficial agreement with the Essendon board to replace Matthew Knights for the 2011 AFL Season.

[35][36][37][38] Hird's coaching career began with the Bombers winning against triple preliminary finalists the Western Bulldogs in the first round.

[42] The 2013 season was initially a good one for Hird and the football club, during which the team was second on the AFL ladder with a 13–3 win–loss record after 17 rounds.

[8] Banned from coaching in 2014, Hird spent several months living in France attending an exclusive business school, INSEAD, near Paris.

Shortly after returning from his suspension, on 2 October 2014, it was reported that Hird was to be sacked by Essendon due to his determination to lodge an appeal against the Federal Court decision handed down the previous month when the club had chosen not to.

[44] On 18 August 2015, following a 112-point loss to Adelaide in Round 20, 2015—and a dismal season overall for the Essendon Football Club, by which time they had a 5–14 win–loss record and were fifteenth on the AFL ladder—Hird resigned as senior coach.

Hird jointly won the Brownlow Medal with Michael Voss in 1996, the award for the fairest and best player in the Australian Football League.

[54] In 1997, the Essendon Football Club named the then-triple best and fairest winner in its Team of the Century on the half-forward flank.

[58][59] On 27 August 2013, following much negotiation, Hird accepted charges that he had brought the game into disrepute and abandoned possible Supreme Court action against the AFL and its chief executive, Andrew Demetriou.