Vale Mick Erwin
1943-2026
CFC Career 1962-65
29 games 4 goals

The Collingwood Football Club is today mourning the loss of former player, coach and Past Players President Mick Erwin, who made a huge contribution to football at both VFL and VFA level. He was 82.

Mick enjoyed a remarkable career that saw him play senior VFL/AFL footy with two clubs, then become an outstanding player at VFA level and a highly respected coach in both the VFL and VFA. He was also a well-regarded radio pundit, and would later see two of his sons pull on the black-and-white guernsey.

His footballing journey started in West Heidelberg, where he grew up as a mad Magpies fan, idolising first Gordon Hocking and later Harry Sullivan. Mick himself was a key forward, and he starred in that role with West Heidelberg YCW – the same club that produced Peter McKenna.

“He was the best player at West Heidelberg by a mile, and I looked up to him,” McKenna recalled this week. “He was an absolute star. One year, while he was still at Collingwood, he came and coached our under-17s, where I was playing. We went undefeated for the whole year and won the flag. Even then you could see he would make a great coach.”

Mick started with the Collingwood U19s in 1961, and was catapulted into the seniors in just the second game of the 1962 season. Despite his background as a junior forward, the Magpies tried him at full-back to great effect. Although he was just 18 when he debuted, he acquitted himself admirably against famous full-forwards such as Hawthorn’s John Peck and Geelong’s Doug Wade. He was, according to the press, one of the ‘finds’ of the season.

Medium tall with a wiry, angular frame, Erwin was a tough customer in defence. He was a strong mark, a fine judge of the ball in the air and extremely competitive when the ball hit the ground. He also possessed a fine football brain – something that would help extend his football career far beyond his playing days.

But he struggled for regular game time after that debut season. He was tried at half-back and half-forward and, while he won the reserves best-and-fairest and goalkicking in 1964, never enjoyed an extended run in the seniors. Eventually he crossed to Richmond after five rounds of the 1965 season, where he would go on to play 33 games and kick 37 goals.

After leaving Punt Road he crossed to Coburg and captain-coached them to a second division VFA flag in 1970, then later played with Port Melbourne. He went back to Richmond as a specialist coach in 1976, then joined Prahran in the VFA as their senior coach in 1978, leading them to a flag in his first season.

After four years with Prahran he moved back to Victoria Park as reserves coach in 1982. But he found himself thrown into the role of senior coach after just 10 rounds following the sensational sacking of Tom Hafey. The Club was in turmoil and it’s hard to imagine a more difficult situation in which to get your first crack at senior VFL coaching. Mick performed bravely in the circumstances, but the team still only won three of his 12 matches in charge.

There was further upheaval in the off-season, and with the New Magpies now in charge they wanted a higher profile senior coach. So Mick continued his work with Merrett-Hassett sports stores and also became a respected around-the-grounds man covering the football on radio, mostly with 3AW.

His son, Michael Junior, would play three games for the Pies in 1984 and 1985, as well as a swag of reserves footy, and then played for Sandringham, Port Melbourne and Box Hill in the VFA. Another son, Mark, would play for the under-19s. And Mick himself would go on to be a prominent figure with the Collingwood Past Players Association, spending some time serving as President.
The Board, management, staff, coaches and players of the Collingwood Football Club pay tribute not only to Mick’s contribution to our footy club, but also to his lifetime of service to the wider game of football. Our thoughts are with his family, and all his friends from Collingwood, Richmond and beyond.

Side By Side

To read more about Mick’s career and see all his stats, please read his full story here.