Mike Fitzpatrick Biography

Mike Fitzpatrick is inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Football pioneer Kevin Sheedy, former AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick and legendary commentator Dennis Cometti are among those honoured in Australia Day celebrations.

The influential trio were acknowledged for their significant contributions to the sport.

Eddie Betts and Steve Johnson headline a list of 10 new AFL life members.

Betts, Jordan Lewis, Kade Simpson and the recently retired Johnson and Andrew Mackie automatically qualified for life membership having passed 300 AFL games.

The AFL announced on Wednesday it had also conferred life membership for "special service to the game" to former Commission chairman and Carlton premiership captain Mike Fitzpatrick, 1993 Norm Smith medallist Michael Long and dual Richmond premiership player and long-time broadcaster Rex Hunt.

Mike Fitzpatrick has resigned after a 10-year stint as AFL Chairman and will be replaced by fellow Commissioner Richard Goyder.

Goyder, who will retire as Wesfarmers chief executive later this year, will step into the AFL's top job on April 4.

Fitzpatrick said the sport's six-year $2.5 billion broadcast deal signed last year was the biggest achievement of his tenure.

"The highlight for me was the signing of the most recent media deal," he said.

"The size of it and the scale of it and what it does for the code is a great achievement."