Kenneth Raymond Bennett (14 February 1940 – 1 September 2023) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for Collingwood in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL) during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Bennett, originally from

Dandenong Dandenong is a southeastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, about from the Melbourne CBD. It is the council seat of the City of Greater Dandenong local government area, with a recorded population of 30,127 at the . Situated mainly ...

, was just 17 years old when he debuted midway through the 1957 season. Although primarily a wingman he was also used up forward and was a member of Collingwood's

1958 VFL Grand Final The 1958 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 September 1958. It was the 61st annual grand final of the Vic ...

premiership team. Bennett kicked two goals and featured in their best players in Collingwood's 1958 premiership. In 1963, Bennett (

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

) won the 1963

Ovens & Murray Football League The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales and the Ovens and Murray are ...

best and fairest award, the Morris Medal, with 17 votes, from John Perry (

Wodonga Wodonga (Pallanganmiddang language, Waywurru: ''Wordonga'') is a city on the Victoria (Australia), Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of ...

) and Graeme Leydin (

Wangaratta Rovers The Wangaratta Rovers, officially known as the Wangaratta Rovers Football & Netball Club, is an Australian rules football club based in Wangaratta, Victoria and play in the Ovens & Murray Football League. Their nickname is the Hawks. Their h ...

), both on 16 votes. Ken was also captain-coach of

in 1963 too, prior to

Murray Weideman Murray Weideman (16 February 1936 – 17 February 2021) was an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). He died one day after his 85th birthday. Personal life The son of George Oliver and ...

taking on the role. Ken Bennett died on 1 September 2023, at the age of 83.

References

Sources

* *Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing. 1940 births 2023 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Collingwood Football Club players Collingwood Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players {{AFL-bio-1940s-stub