Gordon Muir packed much into a decade long senior AFL career. Four consecutive AFL grand finals, All-Australian Boundary Umpire, AFLUA Hall of Fame Member and AFLUA Grand Final Legend status are testimony to an extraordinary athletic achievement. Along the way he became a well-respected colleague and mentor to many colleagues and those aspiring to the elite level. His passing on 25 March 2025 was a devastating loss to so many in the circles in which he moved.
Born on 2 October 1969, Gordon Henry Muir came to umpiring following a playing career in the Essendon District Football League. A very gifted runner he decided to undertake running with another grand final legend, Peter McDonald. Aged 24, Gordon decided to give playing away and umpire in the Footscray District League before switching back to Essendon where he was recruited to the state league in 1996.
His talent was immediately recognised with promotion to the VFA seniors in Round 5 and the AFL Reserves in Round 16. He completed the year with the VFA Reserves grand final. An AFL Reserves final in 1997 lead to promotion to the AFL the following year.
Debuting in Round 2 at the Melbourne v. North Melbourne clash at the M.C.G. Gordon was awarded Heritage No. 474. His first final came in 1999, and he umpired every finals series from that point until the end of his career.
The final Saturday in September became a familiar workday from 2002-2005 as Gordon umpired four successive AFL grand finals. Questioned at his induction as a Grand Final Legend in 2013 about his approach he reflected “Hard work and a mental toughness, that once you had one, you knew what you had to do to get another one. It didn’t become any easier, but you loved the involvement, so you just worked even harder because you didn’t want to miss out.”
Gordon retired at the end of the 2007 season. His decade at the top had realised 204 AFL matches, including 22 finals and a swag of honours. More would come later because of his achievements including his 2024 induction into the AFLUA Australian Football Hall of Fame and AFLUA life membership.
Alongside much of his umpiring career Gordon was heavily involved in professional athletics. He spent many years as part of the famed Sandy Hurst stable and later the Hippo Athletic Club before founding his own group, Flying Start Running. A talented and versatile athlete, Gordon won races from 400m to 3200m. He was a three-time winner at Stawell, claiming victory in the 1994 Victory 1600m, the 1996 Backmarkers Mile, and the 1997 Backmarkers 3200m.
More recently Gordon was appointed as Victorian AFL Boundary Umpires’ Coach from 2018 to 2023, and in 2019 took on the dual role as National Boundary Umpires’ Strength and Conditioning Coach through to the end of the 2023 season.
As part of these roles Gordon also attended national Under 16 and Under 18 carnivals observing and providing valuable feedback to up and coming umpires who were aiming to make respective State-based lists as part of their umpiring journey.
In his coaching roles, Gordon provided a level of commitment and dedication that went well beyond his duties in providing match day and non-match day coaching, development, support and mentoring of running umpires. In his strength and conditioning role, much planning and preparation of the season’s fitness program was undertaken, and week to week adjustments and modifications of programs for those injured or in rehab was done.
An extraordinary athlete, a professional and dedicated coach and a teammate who always had the best interests of his colleagues at heart, Gordon Muir will be greatly missed in the umpiring and athletic communities and by all who knew him.
Vale Gordon
Sources: AFLUA and Victorian Athletic League