Affectionately nicknamed 'King Richard' because of his exploits on the field, Reynolds played 320 games and kicked 442 goals in a 19-year career with Essendon that included three Brownlow medals in five years in 1934, '37 and '38, and seven best and fairests.
As well as playing for the Bombers, Reynolds also took over the coaching role midway through the 1939 season, and remained in charge until 1960, even after his playing career had come to an end in 1951.
Reynolds captain-coached the Dons to four premierships, in 1942, '46, '49 and '50, played 19 times for Victoria, including six as captain, and also coached the state team in 1959.
A measure of Reynolds' resilience occurred in 1951, when he came out of retirement to help the Bombers in the Grand Final, but unfortunately wasn’t able to lead the team to victory against Geelong.
Back to top