death_date nationality name birth_date known_for image article_title birth_name occupation
23 january 1924 australian chas brownlow 25 july 1861 brownlow medal chas brownlow.jpg chas brownlow
 charles brownlow vfl administrator
chas brownlow

charles `` chas '' brownlow -lrb- 25 july 1861 -- 23 january 1924 -rrb- was an australian rules football administrator in the victorian football league -lrb- vfl -rrb- .
he went to the geelong college for his schooling .
brownlow played football with the geelong football club in the victorian football association -lrb- vfa -rrb- , before the formation of the vfl , beginning his career in 1880 and playing regularly until 1884 , with occasional games thereafter .
he captained the club in 1883 , leading it to a premiership in that season .
following his playing career , brownlow spent many years as an administrator .
he began as the geelong football club secretary from 1885 and ending in 1923 , a year before his death .
he served as geelong 's delegate on the victorian football league board from 1902 until 1922 , and in that capacity as the vfl 's vice president and delegate to the australasian football council from 1911 until 1916 , and as chairman of the permit and umpires committee from 1911 until 1922 .
in addition to this , he was caretaker president of the vfl in 1918 and 1919 .
brownlow married matilda jane barber and they had four children : daisy , ruby , elsie and charles junior .
he earned his primary living as a watchmaker , operating a store in geelong .
he is known for having the brownlow medal named in his honour .
it was first awarded in 1924 , the season immediately following his death , and is still awarded in today 's australian football league to the player judged by umpires to be the fairest and best player throughout the year .
the medal is engraved , `` chas brownlow trophy '' .
in 1997 , brownlow was inducted as an administrator into the australian football hall of fame .
brownlow was also secretary of the geelong cricket association between 1896-97 to 1912-13 and treasurer from 1899-1900 to 1912-13 .
