Ian Wilson, our trailblazing President who oversaw the highs and lows at Tigerland for 13 years which included two Premierships, a landmark sponsorship deal, the John Pitura swap, and the poaching war of the 1980s, has died. 

Mr Wilson died aged 91 on July 4^th 2025, his daughter Caroline told the Club.

In 1975, Wilson was awarded life membership, and in 2010 was inducted into the Club’s Hall of Fame.

When the Tigers won the 1967 and 1969 premierships, he was also a committeeman, and for the 1973 flag - our Deputy President.

On November 16^th 1973, at the age of 39, Wilson was appointed President to replace the ailing Al Boord, and held that role until March 25^th 1985 (at which time he was the longest active serving VFL President).

“I’d just like people at Richmond to remember that I was passionate and loved the club. I did everything possible in my body to make it successful,” he said in a lengthy 2005 interview with Rhett Bartlett.

‘Octa’, as he was known by all in the football world, also sat on the Executive and Finance committee from 1968-1984, the Fundraising Committee from 1971-1977, and was our VFL representative from 1973–1976.

In partnership with his life-long friend Graeme Richmond (GR), whom he met at school, the two created an indomitable spirit that typified the Tigers' era of success.

By his own admission he “didn’t give a stuff” what anyone outside of the Richmond Football Club thought. With GR beside him, the two forged unwavering battles with the League’s hierarchy behind closed doors and in public.

When the famous Windy Hill Brawl broke out in 1974, Wilson was holidaying in Spain and on return he defended GR’s charges at the League HQ. The two simply ignored the League’s ruling that GR be fined $2000 and barred from attending the football for the rest of the season, by simply turning up the following week seated next to each other. Wilson also organised for the press photographers to snap photos, to rub more salt into the wounds.

When he was pulled into the League HQ the following day, Wilson told them “you can take whatever action you can but I can promise you this, we are not paying the fine”. And so they never did.

“That’s why people hated us. We broke all the rules. We didn’t give a stuff, what were they going to do to us?”

In 1976, using his friendship with San Diego Chargers coach Tommy Prothro, he sent Tom Hafey, club doctor Bill Grainger and Assistant Coach Barry Richardson to America for two weeks to learn how other major sporting clubs operated.

“I was an innovator in those days and used to think laterally,” he said in 2005.

“A friend of mine was managing director of the CUB brewery, Lou Mangan, and we were having a drink in the brewery boardroom in 1973 and I said, ‘how would you like to sponsor a football club?’"

The result was an audacious deal, netting the Tigers $28,000 to become the first League club to wear sponsorship on the front of a guernsey.

Along the journey ‘Octa’ also travelled up to Kyabram with GR and Hafey to sign Dick Clay, despite the fact that North Melbourne had nabbed his signature on a Form Four.

“Listen, we will give you a car if you don’t play for North,” Octa remembered saying.

“And the car will have a radio in it”, GR added.

Later, when Clay took a soaring mark on debut over Ted Whitten, Octa remembered “Graeme nearly jumped out of his chair and I nearly jumped out of the stands!”

In 1966 after the National Carnival, GR urged Octa to fly to Perth immediately to sign up Mal Brown who “gave the champion half-forward flanker from Victoria the best right cross I have ever seen”. Wilson got his signature in an accountant’s office in Mounts Bay Road.

And towards the end of the 1970s, he also signed up a young Brian Taylor after he was spotted by the great Alan Schwab in the Teal Cup.

But despite all his successes, Wilson admits trading out Brian 'The Whale' Roberts, Graham Teasdale, Francis Jackson, and $40,000 - all for John Pitura - was “the worst mistake I have ever made”.

And in the early 1980s, the Club became entangled in another obsession, the recruiting/poaching wars with Collingwood that ultimately fractured friendships and the Club financially.

Born William Ian Wilson on May 11th 1934, his ‘Octa’ nickname came from his days boarding at Geelong Grammar.

“I was a little fat kid aged 10. I used to eat a lot. And we did Latin, and ‘Octo’ means eight. Some smart bastard said ‘Octa Belly, Triple Bum’. Little boys are lazy, so it reduced itself one day to just ‘Octa’. That name stuck. It’s a pathetic reason but that’s it.”

His love of the Tigers began at the 1943 premiership win over Essendon at Princes Park, which he attended with his father.

“I was in awe of Jack Dyer. The only real things I remember about that game were Jack Dyer and Max Oppy. From that day onwards I became a Richmond supporter.”

One afternoon in 1964 after he finished his rowing training, Wilson was standing in front of the old Punt Road Grandstand watching a match, when GR invited him to meet Tiger President Ray Dunn.

“I met Ray and apparently when I left the room he said to the other committeemen, ‘That fellow will be the next President of Richmond'.”

Wilson was brought onto the committee a few months later, and also appointed Reserves Grade Manager.  He would remain at the club for the next 21 years.

In the 1970s, shortly after Waverley Park was constructed, Wilson criticised the League publicly (through his close friend Alf Brown at the Herald newspaper) for funnelling all footy money to the stadium rather than to the clubs.

Again, he was brought before the League powerbrokers, who tried to intimidate him by saying he could be expelled from the League.

“I’ll tell you what Maurice (Nathan), I reckon you should do that. We won last year’s premiership and we are going to win this premiership. If you sack the big fellow (GR) and I, we will go down as legends, we will put our names in lights. We will be famous for decades.”

The League relented, again. And Octa won, again.

And in the decades gone, and in the decades coming, Ian Wilson’s legendary service is forever etched at Tigerland.

Current Richmond President John O’Rourke paid tribute to Wilson for what he achieved throughout his time at Tigerland.

“Ian significantly helped to rebuild and re-energise the Club after so many years that we spent struggling at the bottom of the League ladder," O’Rourke said.

“He was utterly determined to reward the Richmond supporters who had stayed loyal to the Club despite being starved of success.

“With his business acumen, the Tigers became great innovators off-field, and he just had so much energy for the job. He was driven to see Richmond as a force to be reckoned with, and he worked incredibly hard to make that happen.

“It was a privilege to have Ian join us last season for our 50-year anniversary celebration of the 1974 premiership. He was so clearly revered by the playing group of that era.

“He left a mighty legacy at the Club with what he was able to achieve.”

Richmond sends its deepest sympathy to Ian’s family and his many friends from Tigerland and throughout the football world.

The Tigers will wear black armbands in Saturday's Round 17 match against Geelong as a mark of respect for Ian Wilson.

Wilson's funeral is on Friday, July 11, at 11:30am at St George's Anglican Church, Malvern, with a wake to follow immediately at the adjoining church hall.