Harry Beitzel

Henry John "Harry" Beitzel (6 April 1927 – 13 August 2017) was an Australian football umpire, print, radio and television sports broadcaster and media personality best known for his contribution to Australian rules football.

Umpiring career

Beitzel's early career consisted of umpiring Victorian Football League matches, of which he officiated in 182 senior games (including the 1955 Grand Final) from 1948 to 1960. After an operation on his achilles tendon, Beitzel regained fitness and intended to continue umpiring, but instead took up a role in the media for the 1961 season. He joined radio station 3KZ as a replacement for Jack Mueller.

Media career

Beitzel later covered football for 3AW, 3AK and the ABC radio stations, as well as writing for the Herald Sun, The Truth, The Sunday Telegraph and The Australian. He also worked on television for the ABC and the Nine Network. His innovations included the introduction of statistics during broadcasts of matches, as well as comprehensive previews and reviews of games. In 2005, Beitzel rejoined 3AW as a semi-regular contributor to Rex Hunt's pre-match show. For some years, Beitzel has filed his Footy Week section each week with the Melbourne Observer newspaper.

Imprisonment

In October 1994, Beitzel was sentenced to 18 months jail, with a minimum of eight months to be served, after pleading guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception over matters related to his work for a lottery organisation. He served his sentence initially at Pentridge Prison and then at the open, minimum-security Morwell River Prison Farm. Beitzel strenuously denied that he had ever intentionally committed a crime.

International rules football

Beitzel is also credited with pioneering the development of the composite rules sport International rules football. He drew inspiration from watching the 1966 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final on television, and in 1967 sent an Australian side – "The Galahs" – to play the game against an Irish side. He followed this the next year with The Australian Football World Tour, a six-match series with games played against Irish teams in Ireland, the UK and the United States. The 1968 Galahs also played exhibition matches of Australian rules throughout the tour, including a game in Bucharest, Romania.

Honours and recognition

In 2000, Beitzel was inducted into the Melbourne Cricket Ground's Media Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame as a media inductee.

Personal life

Beitzel had three daughters and a son. As of 2014 he lived in Sydney with his second wife, Karolyn. Beitzel had been ill since 2014, after losing sight in one eye and suffering a fall, he also had heart problems. He died on 13 August 2017, aged 90.