Hawk's Legends at Nationals

The USAFL and the AFL are pleased to announce that two of Hawthorn's legends will be part of the action at the 2007 nationals in Las Vegas.

The Board is very excited about Dipper and Schwabby coming to be part of our annual celebration of football in the US.

They will be at our Friday and Saturday night functions and will be part of our Administration and Coaches conferences on Friday 6th October. Look for info on a long kicking competition to be run by Dipper on the Sunday of the Championships.

AFL General Manager, Game Development David Matthews, a great supporter of our game internationally, will also be in attendance at  our nationals. On behalf of us all in the USAFL it will be great to have you on deck, boys.

Robert DiPierdomenico
Beginning his career with the Hawthorn Football Club in 1975, DiPierdomenico, or the "Big Dipper" as he is affectionately known, kick-started his career in 1978, culminating in a best-on-ground performance in the Grand Final 1978. He went on to play 240 games and kick 130 goals with the Hawks, retiring in 1991, including 5 day and 4 night premierships with one of the most successful eras of domination a club has ever seen.
He was known for his toughness (which led to many trips to the Tribunal), and the moustachioued Dipper was one of the much-loved characters in the VFL.
DiPierdomenico won a Brownlow Medal in 1986, tying with Greg Williams.
In the 1989 Grand Final against Geelong Football Club, a collision with Gary Ablett broke several of Dippers ribs and punctured his lung. Dipper played unaware before finally collapsing at the end of the game. He was sent to hospital where his injury was diagnosed.
Dipper has long been known for big persona, including his always smiling and jovial personality.
After he retired, he became a popular media personality, as a boundary rider with the Seven Network. After Seven lost the rights to broadcast AFL in 2001, Dipper continued his tradition as a boundary-rider on radio station 3AW. He is currently an ambassador for the AFL's Auskick junior development program.

Peter Schwab
Recruited from Bennettswood, he played with the Hawthorn Hawks from 1980-1991, going on to play 171 games and boot 38 goals. Used mainly as a utility, Schwab was a very fair player who was seen as a "nice guy".
He played in the 1983, 1986 and 1988 flags with Hawthorn.
In 1992 he became assistant coach at the Richmond Football Club, before becoming the head coach at Hawthorn in 2000. His most successful year with the Hawks came in 2001 where he took them to eight successive wins at the beginning of the season. They eventually lost to Essendon in a thriller at the MCG in the Preliminary Finals.
Today, Schwab is the chairman of the Australian Football League's Match Review Panel. As of 2006, he has also taken the position as head coach of Australian rules football at prominent Melbourne School, Wesley College, Melbourne. This position was offered to Schwab after several years of unsatisfactory results for the school on the football field.

- USAFL Board
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