Verdun John Howell (born 16 June 1937) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played senior football in Tasmania and in the VFL (now AFL). Howell played with City-South from 1953 to 1957. He was a member of that club's 1954 and 1956 NTFA premiership teams and in 1957 won City's best and fairest award. Howell made his VFL debut with the

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club ...

in 1958 after being signed from

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

in 1953. He initially played on the half forward line, then later as a half back before playing with the

Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

as a full back, where he won the 1959

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...

, tying with Bob Skilton. (The medal was awarded retrospectively in 1989 after the countback rule was removed in 1980.) Later in his career he spent some time in the forward line, once kicking nine goals against

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

. He was vice captain to

Darrel Baldock Darrel John Baldock AM (29 September 1938 – 2 February 2011) was an Australian sportsman and state politician. He played Australian rules football for the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), East Devonport Footba ...

for several seasons. In one game against

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...

during the 1965 season, coach

Allan Jeans Allan Lindsay Jeans (21 September 1933 – 13 July 2011) was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996. Jeans was known for his oratory and motivation skills as a ...

played Howell at one end of the ground for the whole game – fullback when St Kilda kicked against the wind and full-forward when they kicked with it. After his retirement as a player, Howell was appointed Assistant Coach to Tom Hafey at Richmond for three years, taking the reserve team to two grand finals – winning one. Afterwards he transferred to Western Australia, coaching Claremont for three years and taking them to one losing Grand Final. Howell then returned to Tasmania for a stint in administration with the Northern Tasmanian Football Association (NTFA in the mid 1970s). He then coached Launceston Football Club for a further two years. Howell was inducted to the Saints' inaugural Hall of Fame in 2003; the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame in 2013; and inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2016. Howell know resides in Mindarie, Western Australia.

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* * 1937 births Living people Brownlow Medal winners Trevor Barker Award winners St Kilda Football Club players St Kilda Football Club Premiership players City-South Football Club players Richmond Football Club coaches Claremont Football Club coaches Launceston Football Club coaches Australian rules footballers from Tasmania Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players {{AFL-bio-1930s-stub