David Smorgon, one of the Footscray–Western Bulldogs’ favourite sons, was inducted into the club’s hall of fame at last week’s season launch. The Bulldogs’ longest- serving president, is only the fourth club administrator to gain entry into the coveted class.

His tenure as president spanned 1997 to 2012. “It is a humbling experience,” Smorgon said when he accepted the honour.

To a packed auditorium of Bulldog faithfuls, Smorgon began his acceptance speech by stating that supporting the Western Bulldogs was character building.

“It gave you some steel and I’ve been doing that for the past 65 years and I hope to continue doing that for the next 35 years,” he remarked to rapturous applause.

Smorgon and his Bulldog Task Force came into power in late 1996 and as the administration’s frontman he led the club out of their darkest period and into an era of sustained viability and success on and off the field. In the early days he oversaw the rebranding of the club which was headlined by a change in name from Footscray to Western Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs have long been recognised within the AFL industry as a “community club” and this is a result of Smorgon’s tireless focus on marketing the club to the western region of Melbourne. A trademark of his chairmanship was his unwavering commitment to fight for the underdog in a cut-throat AFL industry. He often challenged the AFL’s equalisation policies and always had the Bulldogs’ cause front of mind.