AFL Brownlow Medal record holders

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Awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League, the Charles Brownlow Trophy, or the Brownlow Medal, was first awarded in 1924.

Through a voting procedure that spans the season, any suspension or unfair playing that takes place in the course of a season invalidates a player from contending for the award. Any other player in the Australian Football League is eligible to win the medal, and according to Ladbrokes, the odds are tight for this season.

A number of medal records exist, for the oldest and youngest players, most season votes and most career votes, as well as for the most medals won in a career.

The most Brownlow Medals awarded to one person over the course of their career is 3, which only four people have achieved.

Throughout their career, the highest number of votes for one player has gone to Ablett Junior from Geelong, who amassed a total of 248 votes in the season.

Graham Teasdale got the most votes in one season in 1977, racking up 59 votes.

The youngest ever winner of the Brownlow Medal was Dick Reynolds from Essendon at 19 years old.

The South Melbourne player Barry Round holds the record for being the oldest player to win the Brownlow Medal at 31 years old.

South Melbourne / Sydney has had one of their team members win the Brownlow Medal a total of 14 times since 1940 (1940, 1949, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1995, 2003, 2006).

A number of times the players who have won the Brownlow Medal are in fact ineligible to win the award. Any player who has been suspended in the current season or pre-season is unable to win the award, as well as anyone who was suspended for an offense committed in the previous season that was not served at the time of the offense.

If a player is suspended by their own club, without it being formally recognised by the Australian Football League Tribunal they may not win the Brownlow Medal.

If a player has committed an offense for which he must pay a fine as determined by the AFL Tribunal, he is not eligible to win the award.

A group of official field umpires cast their votes after monitoring players throughout the season for the best and fairest player in the league. The Medal is awarded five days before the final match of the season, and players from across the league attend with their partners for a glamorous night at the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex.

The scoring that comes from votes has changed multiple times over the decades that the award has been handed out. Initially each umpire had the chance to vote once per game. The voting procedure then changed to a 3 votes, 2 votes, and 1 vote system.

Under the 3-2-1 rule, the first choice player gets three points, second gets two, and third gets one. This is the voting system currently used by the AFL to determine the winner at the end of the season, and votes are taken at the end of each match.

For two years in 1976 and 1977 both field umpires had the chance to give their votes, meaning 12 points were handed out in a night rather than six. After 1977, however, they returned to the 6-point 3-2-1 system of before.

The Brownlow Medal is a prestigious award that encourages honesty, fair play and sportsmanship on the field for Australian Football League players. The intention is to recognise the player that has showed humility throughout the season and acknowledge their sportsmanship and good behaviour on the field.

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