Ron Barassi
|
|
Ronald Dale Barassi (born 27 February 1936) is one of the greatest Australian rules football players and coaches of all time. He is best remembered as an explosive player who wore the number 31 guernsey throughout his playing career.
His father, Ron Barassi Senior, was killed in World War II. The young Barassi was brought up by Norm Smith, coach of the Melbourne Football Club.
Whilst playing for Melbourne, he helped the club to three consecutive premierships in 1955, 1956, and 1957, winning the club best and fairest in 1956 and '57. Barassi also captained the premiership teams of 1959, 1960 and 1964.
Switching clubs to Carlton, in a defection that shocked the football public, he took Carlton to two premierships in 1968 and 1970 as captain/coach. The 1970 victory was particularly famous as the team came from a hopeless position at half-time with the use of a radically new style of play based on keeping possession and the use of the handpass.
He coached North Melbourne to their first premiership in 1975, and again in 1977.
He returned to Melbourne and coached the club through 1981-1985, and helped save the Sydney Swans from extinction while serving them as coach from 1993 to 1995.
External links
- Interview (http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/profiles/Transcripts/s1069371.htm) - An interview conducted by George Negus for the ABC-TV programme George Negus TonightTemplate:Australia-bio-stub