Doug Hawkins
A beloved Footscray wingman whose electrifying pace and durability made him a Victorian football icon for over a decade.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Australian rules footballer, born 1960·Birthday: May 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Doug Hawkins entered the rough-and-tumble world of Victorian football as a skinny kid from Spotswood and left it as 'The Hawk,' one of the most enduring and popular players of his era. Debuting for Footscray in 1978, he was a wiry, relentless wingman known for his gut-running, precise foot skills, and an uncanny ability to play through injury. For 17 seasons, primarily with the Bulldogs, he was the engine on the outside, accumulating possessions and accolades, including five best-and-fairest awards. His career, which concluded with a brief stint at Fitzroy, was a testament to consistency and toughness, falling just short of the ultimate team success. After hanging up his boots, Hawkins channeled his charismatic, larrikin personality into media and an unexpected, though unsuccessful, foray into federal politics.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Doug was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Doug Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Doug's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 350 AFL/VFL games, including 329 for Footscray, and kicked 215 goals over a 17-season career.
- Won the Charles Sutton Medal as Footscray's best and fairest player five times (1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990).
- Was selected as an All-Australian player in 1985 and represented Victoria in state of origin football.
- Served as captain of the Footscray Football Club from 1991 to 1993.
Did You Know?
He famously played in the 1985 VFL Grand Final with a broken bone in his wrist.
After football, he was a contestant on the Australian reality TV show 'Dancing with the Stars' in 2005.
He ran for the Australian Senate in 2013 as a candidate for the Palmer United Party.
His son, also named Doug, was drafted by the Western Bulldogs in 2006.
“You run until the siren sounds, then you run some more.”
