Tim Watson
An Essendon champion who translated on-field genius into a decades-long career as one of Australian football's most recognizable media voices.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Australian rules footballer, born 1961·Birthday: July 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Tim Watson didn't just play Australian rules football; he defined a era for the Essendon Football Club with a combination of explosive power and sublime skill. Debuting as a teenager in the late 1970s, he became a cornerstone of the Bombers' dominant period in the 1980s, culminating in a premiership in 1985. His athleticism as a ruck-rover changed perceptions of what was possible in the role. After a brief, less successful stint as senior coach of St Kilda, Watson found his true second act in the commentary box. For over thirty years, his measured, authoritative analysis became a fixture on Seven Network broadcasts and SEN radio, guiding generations of fans through the weekly drama of the AFL with a perspective only a true great of the game could provide.
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.
Tim was born in 1961, 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 Tim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Tim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 307 games for Essendon, winning the 1985 VFL Premiership and three club best-and-fairest awards.
- Captained Essendon for four seasons from 1989 to 1992.
- Was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
- Served as senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club for the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
- Became a mainstay football commentator and analyst for the Seven Network and SEN radio for over three decades.
Did You Know?
He is the father of Jobe Watson, who also captained Essendon and won the Brownlow Medal.
Watson won Essendon's best and fairest award in three different decades (1980, 1985, 1989, 1990).
He famously kicked a goal after the siren to win a game against North Melbourne in 1981.
“The ball doesn't know how old you are, only how well you kick it.”
