# Terry Wheeler > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Terry_Wheeler > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Terry_Wheeler.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Wheeler > Source revision: 1258822654 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Australian rules footballer and coach}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}} {{Infobox AFL biography | name = Terry Wheeler | image = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|3|13|df=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | originalteam = Warburton | height = 178 cm | weight = 89 kg | position = | statsend = 1983 | years1 = 1974–1983 | club1 = [Footscray](/source/Footscray_Football_Club) | games_goals1 = 157 (18) | coachyears1 = 1990–1994 | coachclub1 = [Footscray](/source/Footscray_Football_Club) | coachgames_wins1 = 91 (50–40–1) | careerhighlights = }} '''Terry Wheeler''' (born 13 March 1955) is a former [Australian rules football](/source/Australian_rules_football)er who played for and coached [Footscray](/source/Footscray_Football_Club) in the [Australian Football League](/source/Australian_Football_League). Wheeler played as a defender during his 157-game career for Footscray from 1974 to 1983. The following season he joined [VFA](/source/Victorian_Football_Association) club [Williamstown](/source/Williamstown_Football_Club) as captain-coach. In five seasons with Williamstown, Wheeler played 94 games, and he led the club to a premiership in 1986 and to Grand Finals in 1985 and 1988.{{citation|title=Seagulls over Williamstown|author=Marc Fiddian|year=2003|publisher=Williamstown Football Club|publication-place=Williamstown, VIC|page=148|ref={{harvid|Fiddian|2003}} }} His presence, coupled with that of enthusiastic president Tony Hannebery, was considered critical to attracting big-name players like [Barry Round](/source/Barry_Round) and [Tony Pastore](/source/Tony_Pastore) to Williamstown, and to the revival of the club during the 1980s after an indifferent decade during the 1970s.{{sfn|Fiddian|2003|p=137}} He was appointed to the position of assistant coach under senior coach [Mick Malthouse](/source/Mick_Malthouse) at Footscray in 1989. Malthouse left shortly after the season, and shortly before merger between {{AFL Foo}} and {{AFL Fit}} to form the [Fitzroy Bulldogs](/source/Fitzroy_Bulldogs) was announced. Footscray supporters began to fight the merger in court, and on 8 October, Wheeler was appointed senior coach of Footscray for 1990, when he replaced Malthouse, even though it was not certain there would be a team for him to coach.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sun News-Pictorial|publication-place=Melbourne|pages=1–2|author1=Michael Stevens|author2=Shane Burke|author3=Justin Brasier|date=9 October 1989|title=Dogfight}} He was active in the campaign against the merger, which was ultimately defeated on 23 October when the supporters raised enough money and sponsorship to make the club viable.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sun News-Pictorial|publication-place=Melbourne|pages=79–80|author1=Tony de Bolfo|author2=Daryl Timms|date=24 October 1989|title=Tide of hope}} With twelve wins in the [1990 season](/source/1990_AFL_season), he took Footscray close to a finals spot in his first year at the helm, where they finished in seventh place, just missing out of the finals. In the [1991 season](/source/1991_AFL_season) Footscray's performance under Wheeler dropped when they finished tenth on the ladder with nine wins and twelve losses. In the [1992 season](/source/1992_AFL_season), Wheeler took Footscray to finish second on the ladder after the home-and-away season. They however failed to make the premiership decider after losing in the preliminary final to Geelong, but Wheeler was named as coach of the [All-Australian Team](/source/All-Australian_Team). Wheeler was sacked after just two rounds of the [1994 season](/source/1994_AFL_season) following an 88-point loss to [Geelong](/source/Geelong_Football_Club). Wheeler was then replaced by [Alan Joyce](/source/Alan_Joyce_(footballer)) as Footscray Football Club senior coach. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{AFL Tables | T/Terry_Wheeler }} {{Western Bulldogs coaches}} {{1992 All-Australian team}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Terry}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Category:Western Bulldogs players Category:Western Bulldogs coaches Category:Williamstown Football Club players Category:Williamstown Football Club coaches Category:All-Australian coaches Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen {{AFL-bio-1950s-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Terry Wheeler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Wheeler) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Wheeler?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.