The 1901 Victorian Football League (VFL) season was the fifth season of the VFL. The season saw 100 Australian rules footballers make their senior VFL debut and a further 11 players transfer to new clubs having previously played in the VFL.
Summary
Debuts
| Name | Club | Age at debut | Round debuted | Games | Goals | Notes | 
| Paddy Noonan | Carlton | 25 years, 242 days | 1[1] | 19 | 5 | Oldest first-time coach in VFL/AFL history. Previously played for Fitzroy. | 
| Harry Pye | Carlton | 20 years, 267 days | 1[2] | 16 | 1 |  | 
| Jack Gardiner | Carlton | 20 years, 1 days | 2[3] | 16 | 5 | Brother of Vin Gardiner and father of Jack Gardiner. | 
| Bill Pettit | Carlton | 20 years, 113 days | 1[4] | 15 | 0 |  | 
| Alex Barlow | Carlton | 21 years, 108 days | 14[5] | 14 | 0 |  | 
| Frank Field | Carlton | 21 years, 298 days | 14[6] | 13 | 1 |  | 
| Harry Daniel | Carlton | 21 years, 319 days | 1[7] | 11 | 0 |  | 
| Dick Hart | Carlton | 19 years, 130 days | 1[8] | 11 | 4 |  | 
| Harry Powell | Carlton | 22 years, 314 days | 6[9] | 8 | 0 |  | 
| Jim Loriot | Carlton | 22 years, 108 days | 1[10] | 4 | 0 |  | 
| Rhoda McDonald | Carlton | 23 years, 33 days | 6[11] | 4 | 1 | Previously played for Collingwood. | 
| George McGann | Carlton | 20 years, 184 days | 13[12] | 4 | 0 |  | 
| Jack Todd | Carlton | 20 years, 131 days | 17[13] | 4 | 0 |  | 
| Charles Raff | Carlton | 22 years, 207 days | 1[14] | 3 | 0 | Previously played for St Kilda. | 
| Charlie Stewart | Carlton | 20 years, 317 days | 5[15] | 3 | 1 |  | 
| Simon Roberts | Carlton | 24 years, 220 days | 13[16] | 3 | 0 |  | 
| Ted Rowell | Collingwood | 24 years, 323 days | 1[17] | 189 | 175 |  | 
| Alf Dummett | Collingwood | 20 years, 147 days | 1[18] | 118 | 10 | Brother of Charlie and Arthur Dummett, and uncle of Bob Dummett. | 
| Oscar Hyman | Collingwood | 23 years, 190 days | 7[19] | 41 | 12 |  | 
| Alf Boyack | Collingwood | 23 years, 241 days | 1[20] | 23 | 3 |  | 
| Jack Farrell | Collingwood | 29 years, 121 days | 1[21] | 22 | 6 |  | 
| Ted Leach | Collingwood | 18 years, 173 days | 11[22] | 22 | 9 | Brother of Arthur, and Fred Leach. | 
| Leo Morgan | Collingwood | 21 years, 227 days | 1[23] | 19 | 6 |  | 
| Peter Martin | Collingwood | 25 years, 284 days | 1[24] | 15 | 2 |  | 
| Bob Bryce | Collingwood | 21 years, 301 days | 1[25] | 13 | 11 | Previously played for South Melbourne. | 
| Bill McCulloch | Collingwood | 28 years, 178 days | 1[26] | 12 | 5 | Previously played for Melbourne. | 
| George Ashman | Collingwood | 21 years, 972 days | 9[27] | 3 | 1 |  | 
| Harry Knell | Collingwood | 20 years, 231 days | 10[28] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| George Blundell | Collingwood | 27 years, 50 days | 17[29] | 1 | 1 |  | 
| Jack McKenzie | Essendon | 19 years, 203 days | 6[30] | 81 | 90 | Father of Jack McKenzie Jr. | 
| Bill Robinson | Essendon | 20 years, 272 days | 1[31] | 71 | 14 | Brother of Alex, Fred and Gordon Robinson, and uncle of Alexander and George Robinson. | 
| Herc Vollugi | Essendon | 20 years, 323 days | 1[32] | 70 | 5 |  | 
| Ted Kennedy | Essendon | 23 years, 239 days | 1[33] | 43 | 1 | Brother of James Kennedy. | 
| Fred Mann | Essendon | 22 years, 240 days | 9[34] | 27 | 1 |  | 
| Artie White | Essendon | 21 years, 332 days | 2[35] | 6 | 3 |  | 
| Jim Kennedy | Essendon | 19 years, 165 days | 13[36] | 4 | 9 | Brother of Ted Kennedy. | 
| Jim Beasley | Essendon | 20 years, 157 days | 5[37] | 2 | 0 |  | 
| Bobby Byers | Essendon | 30 years, 16 days | 1[38] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| George Ward | Essendon | 24 years, 12 days | 1[39] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Marcus Evans | Essendon | 22 years, 189 days | 4[40] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Mick Morris | Essendon | 18 years, 348 days | 4[41] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Jim Sharp | Fitzroy | 18 years, 352 days | 1[42] | 163 | 41 |  | 
| Percy Trotter | Fitzroy | 17 years, 245 days | 1[43] | 109 | 145 |  | 
| Alf Wilkinson | Fitzroy | 19 years, 180 days | 10[44] | 80 | 75 |  | 
| Alf Bartlett | Fitzroy | 22 years, 315 days | 4[45] | 79 | 5 |  | 
| Bob Smith | Fitzroy | 23 years, 197 days | 8[46] | 74 | 33 |  | 
| Frank Hince | Fitzroy | 19 years, 209 days | 15[47] | 17 | 0 |  | 
| Bertie Loel | Fitzroy | 22 years, 180 days | 1[48] | 15 | 2 |  | 
| Matt Paternoster | Fitzroy | 21 years, 20 days | 1[49] | 12 | 4 | Brother of Jim Paternoster. | 
| Ike Woods | Geelong | 21 years, 341 days | 14[50] | 68 | 108 |  | 
| Percy Fletcher | Geelong | 21 years, 311 days | 6[51] | 47 | 4 |  | 
| Bill Bennion | Geelong | 19 years, 352 days | 17[52] | 46 | 6 |  | 
| Frank Bowey | Geelong | 19 years, 139 days | 1[53] | 44 | 5 |  | 
| Tim McKeegan | Geelong | 23 years, 248 days | 14[54] | 13 | 0 | Previously played for South Melbourne. | 
| Jack Baker | Geelong | 22 years, 361 days | 1[55] | 7 | 7 |  | 
| Billy Gill | Geelong | 25 years, 71 days | 9[56] | 7 | 1 |  | 
| Bill Moodie | Geelong | 21 years, 220 days | 6[57] | 4 | 6 | Previously played for South Melbourne. | 
| Don Lord | Geelong | 26 years, 134 days | 10[58] | 2 | 10 |  | 
| George Palmer | Geelong | 22 years, 20 days | 10[59] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| George Saxbee | Geelong | 20 years, 12 days | 16[60] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Vin Coutie | Melbourne | 19 years, 237 days | 9[61] | 152 | 212 |  | 
| Jack Strong | Melbourne | 17 years, 72 days | 10[62] | 78 | 29 |  | 
| Lindsay Anderson | Melbourne | 17 years, 272 days | 6[63] | 16 | 3 |  | 
| George Cathie | Melbourne | 25 years, 107 days | 16[64] | 15 | 14 |  | 
| Jim McLean | Melbourne | 21 years, 2 days | 1[65] | 13 | 5 |  | 
| Graham Colclough | Melbourne | 17 years, 206 days | 2[66] | 11 | 8 | Belgian Croix de guerre recipient in World War I. | 
| Harry Boully | Melbourne | 21 years, 176 days | 9[67] | 8 | 3 |  | 
| Alf Tredinnick | Melbourne | 27 years, 357 days | 8[68] | 7 | 1 |  | 
| Laurie Ogilvie | Melbourne | 24 years, 1 days | 6[69] | 4 | 3 |  | 
| Bert Wregg | Melbourne | 22 years, 78 days | 13[70] | 3 | 3 |  | 
| Billy Shaw | Melbourne | 28 years, 187 days | 2[71] | 1 | 0 | Previously played for St Kilda. | 
| Ed Garlick | Melbourne | 17 years, 227 days | 3[72] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Harold De Gruchy | Melbourne | 20 years, 140 days | 10[73] | 1 | 0 | Brother of Bill de Grouchy. | 
| Ben Sandford | St Kilda | 23 years, 185 days | 4[74] | 31 | 5 | Brother of Cecil and George Sandford. | 
| Tom Robertson | St Kilda | 24 years, 211 days | 6[75] | 27 | 7 |  | 
| Gus Robertson | St Kilda | 17 years, 253 days | 2[76] | 18 | 1 |  | 
| Charlie Mullany | St Kilda | 19 years, 356 days | 5[77] | 16 | 3 |  | 
| Henry Pinniger | St Kilda | 28 years, 330 days | 10[78] | 12 | 0 |  | 
| Alfred Richardson | St Kilda | 23 years, 34 days | 1[79] | 11 | 2 |  | 
| George Sandford | St Kilda | 28 years, 309 days | 3[80] | 11 | 0 | Brother of Ben and Cecil Sandford. | 
| Mick O'Loughlin | St Kilda | 25 years, 109 days | 6[81] | 9 | 0 | Previously played for Essendon. | 
| Harry Luck | St Kilda | 24 years, 188 days | 1[82] | 8 | 0 |  | 
| Cec Graeme | St Kilda | 27 years, 335 days | 1[83] | 7 | 0 |  | 
| Tommy Carr | St Kilda | 19 years, 75 days | 10[84] | 5 | 0 |  | 
| John Crennan | St Kilda | 20 years, 342 days | 12[85] | 4 | 3 |  | 
| Bob Rinder | St Kilda | 22 years, 147 days | 1[86] | 3 | 0 |  | 
| George Carpenter | St Kilda | 20 years, 6 days | 7[87] | 3 | 1 |  | 
| Bert Robertson | St Kilda | 20 years, 236 days | 7[88] | 2 | 1 |  | 
| Lawrie Delaney | St Kilda | 18 years, 11 days | 9[89] | 2 | 2 |  | 
| Reg Wilks | St Kilda | 23 years, 116 days | 14[90] | 2 | 0 |  | 
| Roy Adam | St Kilda | 18 years, 152 days | 15[91] | 2 | 0 |  | 
| Harry Dowdall | St Kilda | 28 years, 309 days | 1[92] | 1 | 0 | Brother of Jim Dowdall. Previously played for Collingwood. | 
| Bill Anderson | St Kilda | 22 years, 321 days | 4[93] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Tim Murphy | St Kilda | 22 years, 307 days | 5[94] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Bill Nash | St Kilda | 18 years, 337 days | 5[95] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Ern Aurish | St Kilda | 22 years, 317 days | 9[96] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Paddy McGuinness | St Kilda | 23 years, 57 days | 9[97] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Arthur Brennan | St Kilda | 20 years, 161 days | 15[98] | 1 | 0 | Brother of Owen Brennan. | 
| Herb Clements | St Kilda | 19 years, 204 days | 15[99] | 1 | 1 |  | 
| Sam Gray | St Kilda | 21 years, 23 days | 17[100] | 1 | 0 |  | 
| Bill Scott | South Melbourne | 21 years, 106 days | 15[101] | 61 | 26 |  | 
| Norm Rippon | South Melbourne | 23 years, 119 days | 2[102] | 36 | 2 | Brother of Harold and Les Rippon. Previously played for Melbourne. | 
| Frank Worroll | South Melbourne | 23 years, 303 days | 1[103] | 31 | 12 |  | 
| Dave Powell | South Melbourne | 25 years, 75 days | 1[104] | 27 | 13 |  | 
| Johnny Jackson | South Melbourne | 22 years, 182 days | 15[105] | 15 | 3 |  | 
| Harold Bower | South Melbourne | 23 years, 29 days | 7[106] | 13 | 0 |  | 
| Arthur Smith | South Melbourne | 21 years, 169 days | 1[107] | 9 | 0 |  | 
| Bill O'Hara | South Melbourne | 20 years, 330 days | 9[108] | 5 | 2 |  | 
| Artie Hollis | South Melbourne | 23 years, 54 days | 12[109] | 4 | 0 |  | 
| Paul Cullen | South Melbourne | 18 years, 325 days | 7[110] | 1 | 0 |  | 
References
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| VFL debuts | 
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| AFL debuts |  | 
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