BIO

Educated at Prince Alfred College, Theodore "Ted/Theo" Hantke was a talented young all-round sportsman,impressing at athletics and cricket, as well football.
 
Hantke made his League debut for Norwood in 1894. The speedy, long-kicking and high-marking wingman was in Norwood's best players in the 1894 Grand Final when Norwood defeated South Adelaide 4.7 to 3.5. 
 
Hantke played for Norwood in 1895, but in 1896 moved to the Western Australian goldfields and missed the first half of the South Australian football season. He returned mid-year and continued his career with Norwood.
 
He left again at the end of 1896, but returned in 1898. Then in 1899 he played for Kalgoorlie in the WA Goldfields Association. 
 
Back in Adelaide in 1901, Hantke had the distinction of playing in Sturt's first ever League match. Co-incidentally, it was against his old club Norwood in what was the first League game played on the Norwood Oval on May 4, 1901.
 
He just had the one season at Sturt, before re-joining Norwood in 1902.
 
An interstate footballer for South Australia, he also played A Grade cricket for East Torrens and Sturt, and represented Western Australia in a first-class match against South Australia. In 1893, whilst at school, he had opened the batting with the legendary Clem Hill in the annual inter-collegiate match between PAC and Saint Peters College at the Adelaide Oval. Hill recorded a then Australian record of 360 (retired) - Hantke made 0 (run out).
 
Hantke was a state tennis player, and also won the 1894 Bay Sheffield.
 
He passed away in 1931, immediately after completing a game of bowls.

R Cialini June 2017