Ronald Dale Barassi Jr. (born 27 February 1936) is a former

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, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player to be inaugurated into the

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...

as a "

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

", and is one of three Australian rules footballers to be elevated to the same status in the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

. When Barassi was five years old, his father, Melbourne Football Club player Ron Barassi Sr., died in action at

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Barassi was determined to follow in his father's footsteps at Melbourne, and heavy lobbying by the club to recruit him resulted in the introduction of the father-son rule, still in use by the

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

. Barassi subsequently lived with

Norm Smith Norman Walter Smith (21 November 1915 – 29 July 1973) was an Australian rules football player and coach in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After more than 200 games as a player with and , Smith began a twenty-year coaching career, inc ...

, Melbourne's then-coach and a former teammate of his father. Under Smith's mentorship, Barassi pioneered the ruck rover position and appeared in six premiership-winning sides, two of which he captained. In 1964, in what has been called "the most audacious signing in league history", Barassi left Melbourne for a lucrative contract at

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

. Retiring from playing in 1969, he coached Carlton to two premierships, including a record-breaking comeback in 1970 before what remains the largest crowd in football history; Barassi's famous half-time injunction to his men to play on from

mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * F ...

s and handball at all costs came to be remembered as "the birth of modern football". Barassi retired from professional football in 1971, but was lured back two years later to coach

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at ...

. In 1981, after leading the club to its first two premierships, he returned to an ailing Melbourne, where he initiated the "

Irish experiment The Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople, particularly Gaelic footballers, to Australia to play Australian rules football professionally. The AFL's focus on Gae ...

": the recruitment of Gaelic footballers into Australian rules. His stint at Melbourne, followed by another at the Sydney Swans in 1993–95, proved vital in rebuilding those clubs as viable members of the competition. Barassi's coaching career was both successful and regarded by many as revolutionary. His clean record and passion for the game―exemplified by his campaigning for the establishment of a national club-level competition―has earned him a place as a celebrity and popular culture figure in Australia. He was named a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1978, and in 1996 was selected in the AFL's

Team of the Century In team sport, team of the century and team of the decade are hypothetical best teams over a given time period. For the century team, it can be either 100 years, or for a century (always the 20th). Similarly the team of the decade can be for 10 ...

as a ruck rover.

Early life

The only child of Ron Barassi, Sr., Barassi was born in the central Victorian town of Castlemaine in 1936. The following year, his father moved to Melbourne to play VFL football with the Melbourne Football Club. A pugnacious rover, Barassi's father was a reserve in the Demons' 1940 premiership team before leaving to serve with the army in North Africa. The young Barrasi spent his early years in

Guildford, Victoria Guildford is a small settlement situated on the Loddon River, north-west of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Midland Highway between Daylesford and Castlemaine. The population recorded at the 2016 census was 333. Fac ...

. Barassi is a third generation

Italian Australian Italian Australians ( it, Italiani Australiani) are Australians with Italian ancestry. Italian Australians constitute the sixth largest ancestry group in Australia, and one of the largest groups in the global Italian diaspora. At the 2021 c ...

. He is a descendant of one of the Swiss Italians of Australia who migrated to Australia in the 1850s and 1860s to areas such as Guildford, between Castlemaine and Daylesford.

Australian rules football career

Barassi unintentionally changed the game before he even took the field. After his father's death at Tobruk in 1941, a group of players and officials at the Melbourne Football Club pledged to support his widow, Elza, and her young son. As a teenager, Barassi was determined to follow in his father's footsteps at the Demons, but the zoning system of the day required him to play for either Collingwood or

Father–son rule

To ensure he played with the Demons, Melbourne went to the VFL and successfully lobbied for the creation of a

father–son rule The father–son rule is a rule that allows clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the club in Australian rules football, most notably in the Australian Football League. The rule ...

to allow clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team. When the time came for Barassi to be signed up, Melbourne picked him up from Preston Scouts in 1952 and he became only the second player signed under the new rule. This rule, with some modifications and adapted to the drafting system created in 1986, endures to the present day in the

. The club had gone to great lengths to recruit the young Barassi, and coach

took him under his wing after his mother moved to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. Smith offered the sixteen-year-old use of his backyard bungalow. Looking back on the experience, Barassi believes that living with the man who was voted as the coach of the AFL's team of the century had a profound impact on his development. On his website, Barassi had this to say: ''"Norm Smith loved his footy. That suited me fine. His ability with young people, his strength of character, his ethics and values, came into my life at the right time''.”''

Melbourne years

Melbourne Football Club was the dominant team of the 1950s. Under the coaching of Norm Smith, Barassi developed quickly. Barassi's first game was against Footscray in 1953 in which he was 'flattened' by Footscray's

Charlie Sutton Charlie Sutton (3 April 1924 – 5 June 2012) was an Australian rules footballer who represented in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Although he served the club for many years as coach and committee man, he is perhaps best known for ...

. Initially unsure as to Barassi's best position, Smith played him as a second ruckman in 1954, despite his lack of inches for the position. Barassi played more as a second rover, and the term "ruck rover" entered the football lexicon. Within a few years, most teams imitated this structure which ultimately paved the way for a new-style of quicker on-ball play. Barassi soon proved himself as an influential footballer, and was quickly handed leadership responsibilities. In 1957 he was appointed vice-captain, and as captain three years later. After losing the 1954 Grand Final to a more experienced Footscray football team, the Demons dominated the VFL by winning flags in 1955-56-57 with a team hailed as the best to play the game. The image of Barassi breaking a tackle in the 1957 Grand Final is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting ''the Game That Made Australia'', commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport

Carlton years

But a resurgent Carlton gave him a dilemma in 1964. New president George Harris was desperate to have Barassi at Princes Park, and was willing to offer a lucrative contract if Barassi would cross to Carlton as captain-coach. Carlton offered Barassi a chance to test his skills as coach with a professional wage which would help with his children’s education. Barassi joined Carlton in 1965. On his decision to leave Melbourne, Barassi said that "Inevitably with many decisions in life there will be a downside. It is regrettable but you have to get on with things", he said. "You have to ensure, as much as possible, that the decision you’ve made turns out right. Fortunately it worked out, and I’ll be forever grateful to Carlton for the start they gave me in coaching". Barassi's coaching at Carlton brought them from their lowest ever VFL finish (at the time) to premiers only four years later. Drawing from his own experience under Norm Smith, Barassi forced his squad to become more disciplined and committed to the club, and their career. He preached and played a tough brand of football, and asked his charges to play a selfless, team-oriented style. In 1968, he guided Carlton to its first premiership in 21 years. In mid 1969, he retired from playing but continued as non-playing coach, and in 1970, in front of the biggest ever VFL crowd, he led Carlton to arguably football’s most famous comeback defeating Collingwood who were leading by 44 points at half-time. After the 1971 season, Barassi left the Blues to focus on his business career. Despite not having played football since 1969, he signed to play with

Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city List of Melbourne suburbs, suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of ...

in the

Victorian Football Association 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 ...

in 1972, but he played only four games before suffering a hamstring injury and retiring.

North Melbourne years

Barassi returned to coaching in 1973. With administrators

Allen Aylett Allen James Aylett OBE (24 April 1934 – 16 September 2022) was an Australian rules football player and administrator. He was the chairman/president of the North Melbourne Football Club from 1971 to 1976, and then again from 2001 to 2005. I ...

and Ron Joseph, he recruited a new batch of stars for North Melbourne. Proven champions were recruited from clubs throughout the country, including

Malcolm Blight Malcolm Jack Blight AM (born 16 February 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Woodville Football Club in the South Australian Nati ...

Barry Cable Barry Thomas Cable MBE (born 22 September 1943) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. Considered one of the greatest rovers in the sport's history, he played in 379 premiership games in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL ...

John Rantall John "Mopsy" Rantall (born 9 December 1943) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the South Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A lightly- ...

, Barry Davis and

Doug Wade Douglas Graeme Wade (born 16 October 1941) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was the League's leading goal scorer ( ...

. North Melbourne were to win the wooden spoon in 1972, finishing last. In 1974, Barassi's second year of coaching, North Melbourne were to come runner up in the grand final. By 1975 they had won the premiership. Barassi had implemented a tough training regime in 1974 which he modified for 1975 finals where he introduced lighter training sessions to keep his squad mentally focussed and not over trained and exhausted. The Kangaroos went on to win another premiership in 1977, but it very nearly was not, as North Melbourne gave up a late lead against Collingwood in the second ever drawn VFL grand final. Barassi made major positional changes, placing

David Dench David Dench (born 23 August 1951) is a former Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League. He played his whole career with North Melbourne Football Club during one of its most successful periods. VFL career Dench play ...

into the forward line, which sparked off the club's comeback to get back in front, until

Ross Dunne Ross 'Twiggy' Dunne (born 25 February 1948) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He became famous for kicking the goal in the dying minutes of the 1977 VFL ...

kicked a late goal to draw the game. Within a week, Barassi had picked his side up from this disappointment to lead North to a memorable triumph.

Return to Melbourne

In 1981 Barassi returned to Melbourne to assist long-term under 19 coach Ray 'Slug' Jordon. The under 19s made three straight grand finals and won premierships in 1981 and 1983. Barassi laid some foundations for what would become a revitalised Melbourne side. "In the five years we were there I think we raised the level of the club quite substantially. Melbourne reached the preliminary final two years after we left, and the grand final the year after that. I felt we did some of the ground work". He started the "

" at Melbourne which started recruiting Gaelic footballers from Ireland and converting them to Australian rules footballers. He recruited the most famous of all, 1991

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...

list,

Jim Stynes James Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish-born footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football. Playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), he went on to become ...

Sydney years

In 1993, Barassi returned to coaching for the Sydney Swans. This was seen as a coup for the AFL given Barassi's media skills and profile. In his three seasons in Sydney, he raised the profile of Australian rules football and the Sydney Swans in the

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

–dominated city.

Statistics

Playing statistics

: , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1953 , , 31 , , 6 , , 0 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.0 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1954 , , 31 , , 14 , , 12 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.9 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1955 , , 31 , , 19 , , 18 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.9 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1956 , , 31 , , 19 , , 27 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 13 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1957 , , 31 , , 21 , , 30 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1958 , , 31,2 , , 18 , , 44 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1959 , , 31 , , 18 , , 46 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2.6 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1960 , , 31 , , 18 , , 21 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.2 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1961 , , 31 , , 19 , , 19 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.0 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1962 , , 31 , , 17 , , 21 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.2 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1963 , , 31 , , 17 , , 32 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.9 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1964 , , 31 , , 17 , , 25 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1965 , , 31 , , 11 , , 6 , , 13 , , 201 , , 81 , , 282 , , 61 , , , , 0.5 , , 1.2 , , 18.3 , , 7.4 , , 25.6 , , 5.5 , , , , 5 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1966 , , 31 , , 8 , , 11 , , 6 , , 149 , , 54 , , 203 , , 42 , , , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 18.6 , , 6.8 , , 25.4 , , 5.3 , , , , 3 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1967 , , 31 , , 20 , , 14 , , 21 , , 301 , , 168 , , 469 , , 77 , , , , 0.8 , , 1.1 , , 15.1 , , 8.4 , , 23.5 , , 3.9 , , , , 3 , - , scope="row" text-align:center , 1968 , , 31 , , 10 , , 3 , , 8 , , 118 , , 47 , , 165 , , 32 , , , , 0.3 , , 0.8 , , 11.8 , , 4.7 , , 16.5 , , 3.2 , , , , 0 , - style="background:#EAEAEA" , scope="row" text-align:center , 1969 , , 31 , , 1 , , 0 , , 3 , , 8 , , 3 , , 11 , , 3 , , , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , , 8.0 , , 3.0 , , 11.0 , , 3.0 , , , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3 , Career ! 254 ! 330 ! 51 ! 777 ! 353 ! 1130 ! 215 ! ! 1.3 ! 1.0 ! 15.5 ! 7.1 ! 22.6 ! 4.3 ! ! 72

Coaching statistics

, - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1964 , style="text-align:center;", , 1 , , 1 , , 0 , , 0 , , 100.0% , , , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1965 , style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 10 , , 8 , , 0 , , 55.6% , , 6 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1966 , style="text-align:center;", , 18 , , 10 , , 8 , , 0 , , 55.6% , , 6 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1967 , style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 14 , , 5 , , 1 , , 72.5% , , 2 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1968 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 17 , , 5 , , 0 , , 77.3% , , 2 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1969 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 16 , , 6 , , 0 , , 72.7% , , 2 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1970 , style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 18 , , 7 , , 0 , , 72.0% , , 2 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 14 , , 8 , , 0 , , 63.6% , , 5 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1973 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 11 , , 10 , , 1 , , 52.3% , , 6 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1974 , style="text-align:center;", , 26 , , 18 , , 8 , , 0 , , 69.2% , , 2 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1975 , style="text-align:center;", , 26 , , 17 , , 9 , , 0 , , 65.4% , , 3 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 17 , , 8 , , 0 , , 68.0% , , 3 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1977 , style="text-align:center;", , 26 , , 18 , , 7 , , 1 , , 71.2% , , 3 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1978 , style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 17 , , 8 , , 0 , , 68.0% , , 1 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1979 , style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 18 , , 7 , , 0 , , 72.0% , , 2 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1980 , style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 14 , , 8 , , 1 , , 63.0% , , 6 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1981 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 1 , , 21 , , 0 , , 4.6% , , 12 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1982 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 8 , , 14 , , 0 , , 36.4% , , 8 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1983 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 9 , , 13 , , 0 , , 40.9% , , 8 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1984 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 9 , , 13 , , 0 , , 40.9% , , 9 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1985 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 6 , , 16 , , 0 , , 27.3% , , 11 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1993 , style="text-align:center;", , 15 , , 1 , , 14 , , 0 , , 6.7% , , 15 , , 15 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1994 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 4 , , 18 , , 0 , , 18.2% , , 15 , , 15 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" , 1995 , style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 8 , , 14 , , 0 , , 36.4% , , 12 , , 16 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 515 ! 276 ! 235 ! 4 ! 53.4% ! colspan=2,

Career highlights

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

premiership player 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964 *

leading goalkicker 1958 (eq), 1959 *

Captain 1960–1964 *

Best and Fairest 1961, 1964 *

All Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

1956, 1958, 1961 *Playing coach representing Australia in "The Galahs"

Australian Football World Tour The Australian Football World Tour was a series of international rules football matches, organised by football sports broadcaster and former VFL umpire Harry Beitzel and Irish born Melburnian, James Harkin in 1967 and 1968. First tour The first ...

1968 *Carlton premiership coach 1968, 1970 *North Melbourne premiership coach 1975, 1977 *

* AFL Legend * VFL/AFL Team of the Century *Sport Australia Hall of Fame (2006) *

VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century The Victorian Football League-Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) Italian Team of the Century was announced in June 2007. It recognises the role of Italian Australian players in the sport. Players and/or at least one of the player's parents or ...

(coach) 2007

Personal life

On 4 March 1957, Barassi married Nancy Kellett, who he had met at work four years earlier. They settled in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, at Heathmont, and had three children: Susan (born 29 July 1960), Ron (born 23 June 1962) and Richard (born 13 February 1964). The couple separated in 1975 and Barassi married Cherryl Copeland in 1981. During his coaching career at North Melbourne he survived a car crash, which caused life-threatening injuries and resulted in the loss of his spleen. His passenger, former St Kilda player and Brownlow medallist Neil Roberts, was also hurt. Barassi used a motorised buggy and a wheelchair for a short time. Despite this setback, he attended training nights at

Arden Street Arden Street Oval (also known as North Melbourne Cricket Ground) is a sports oval in North Melbourne, Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It is currently the training base of the North Melbourne Football Club, an Australia ...

and could be seen directing players with assistants. Barassi's first trip overseas occurred in 1961. He has since travelled much of the world. In 1967 in New York City during the

, Barassi was involved in a fight in which detective Brendan Tumelty broke Barassi's nose and both were sent to the same hospital. They have been friends since.Interview by Paul Edwards for Royal Auto magazine. p. 17. May 2009. Barassi moved to the suburb of St Kilda in the late 1970s and has lived there ever since. For many years, Barassi owned the Mountain View Hotel at 70 Bridge Road in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. For his 70th birthday he did a trek of the

Kokoda Trail The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanes ...

in Papua New Guinea. On 28 February 2008, Barassi launched and signed his book ''Barassi'', focusing on his personal life and scrapbook memoirs. On New Year's Eve 2008, Barassi was assaulted when he went to the aid of a young woman in St Kilda. Barassi, dining with friends, saw a woman punched to the ground around 12.30 am.

Public life

Since retiring from football coaching, Barassi remains a prominent Australian rules football celebrity and a figure of popular culture. In 1996, he became an inaugural inductee in the

, one of few former greats to be bestowed the honour of the ''Legend'' category. He is also one of only three Australian rules footballers in the

, alongside

Leigh Matthews Leigh Raymond Matthews (born 1 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached and the . Squat, short-legged and barrel-chested, Matthews earned the ic ...

and

Ted Whitten Edward James Whitten Sr. OAM (27 July 1933 – 17 August 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Born and raised into a working-class family in Footscray, Whi ...

. He has also been involved in grassroots football development and has been an advocate for the development of the game internationally, particularly in South Africa. Reflecting this, Barassi has lent his name to the

Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament The Barassi Youth Tournament is an international Australian rules football tournament for junior players who are up to 16 years of age. In conjunction with the Australian Football International Cup senior competition, the youth cup is an importan ...

. He is a supporter of Australia becoming a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. More recently, he was one of the last runners in the

Queen's Baton Relay The Queen's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingh ...

for the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

, being held in Melbourne, Australia between 15 and 26 March. His section of the relay, run on 15 March, involved taking the Baton from a series of pontoons in the middle of the

Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, ( Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower s ...

onto shore. It was handed to him by

David Neitz David Neitz (born 22 January 1975), is a retired Australian rules footballer. The strongly built centre half back who became a full forward was the longest-serving captain in the history of the Melbourne Football Club and the first Melbourne ...

, captain of the Melbourne Football Club (the team with which Barassi has been long associated). This was accomplished by having Barassi walk on a pontoon that was submerged just beneath the surface of the water, giving the impression that Barassi was 'walking on water'. Barassi is the namesake of the Barassi Line, a concept originated by scholar Ian Turner to describe the geographical divide in Australia between Australian rules football and the two rugby codes. The line is imagined to intersect the border towns of

Corowa Corowa is a town in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is on the bank of the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah. It is the largest town in the Federation Council ...

and

Wahgunyah Wahgunyah is a town in northeastern Victoria, Australia. The town is on the southern bank of the Murray River, opposite Corowa, New South Wales, in the Shire of Indigo. Wahgunyah is north east of the state capital, Melbourne and west of Albury ...

, where, in 2014, Barassi attended the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the Barassi Line.

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE ( Helpman, 9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet ( ...

's 1964 ballet '' The Display'' includes a lengthy football sequence for which Helpmann recruited Barassi to coach the male dancers in Australian rules. Barassi wrote the introduction to

Philip Hodgins Philip Ian Hodgins (28 January 1959 – 18 August 1995) was an Australian poet, whose work appeared in such major publications as ''The New Yorker''. The Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for Literary Excellence is awarded annually at the Mildu ...

' 1990 poetry collection ''A Kick of the Footy''. The frontman of satirical Melbourne band

TISM TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist Eug ...

went under the pseudonym

Ron Hitler-Barassi Peter Carl Minack (born in 1961 or 1962) is an Australian teacher of English. He was known by his stage name Ron Hitler-Barassi when he was the vocalist for the alternative rock band TISM between 1983 and 2004. Under his own name he published ...

. Barassi disliked the reference, saying "My father was killed by

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

's men in Tobruk so you can imagine my displeasure." Artist Lewis Miller won the 2000 " Sporting Archibald" for his portrait of Barassi, which was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. Barassi has appeared in the Specky Magee books. In 2015, Barassi collaborated with singer-songwriter

Tex Perkins Gregory Stephen Perkins (born 28 December 1964), better known by his stage name Tex Perkins, is an Australian singer-songwriter who fronted the Australian rock band The Cruel Sea, but has also performed with the Beasts of Bourbon, Thug, James B ...

on the song "One Minute's Silence", a tribute to the diggers who died at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

. He was mentioned several times in episodes of the television show

Kingswood Country ''Kingswood Country'' is an Australian sitcom that screened from 1980 to 1984 on the Seven Network. The series started on 30 January 1980 and was a spin-off from the sketch on comedy program ''The Naked Vicar Show'' that had featured Ross Hig ...

. He was one of the first footballers to have his own football clinic on television and during the 1960s he also launched his popular "Ron Barassi" footy boots. After the second week of the 2006 AFL Finals, with the four remaining teams all being non-Victorian, with Victorians reeling from their recent weakness, Barassi controversially called for an inquiry to unearth the reason Victoria was trailing in the AFL, despite the state giving birth to the national competition. In late 2006, he became a Sport Australia Hall of Fame member. The best player in the Under 17 International Rules Series is awarded the Ron Barassi Medal. Barassi was the subject of a series 2 episode of '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. In 2012 Australian playwright Tee O'Neill adapted Barassi's life into a theatrical performance. The play script was published by

Currency Press Currency Press is a leading performing arts publisher and its oldest independent publisher still active. Their list includes plays and screenplays, professional handbooks, biographies, cultural histories, critical studies and reference works. H ...

Honours and awards

Publications

Icons of Australian Sport: Ron Barassi - Chronicling His Football Career Using His Scrapbooks and Memorabilia (2008)

Barassi: The Biography (2010)

Life lessons from an Australian legend (2011)

References

External links

* * * *
Ron Barassi's Personal Website

– An interview conducted by

George Negus George Edward Negus AM (born 13 March 1942) is an Australian journalist, author, television and radio presenter specialising in international affairs. He was a pioneer of Australian TV journalism, first appearing on the ABC’s groundbreaking T ...

for the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

-TV programme ''

George Negus Tonight ''George Negus Tonight'' (formerly titled ''Dimensions'') was an Australian current affairs television series hosted by George Negus, which ran on ABC Television from 2001 to 2004. ''Dimensions'' The program was initially launched in 2001 as ' ...

'' *
DemonWiki profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barassi, Ron 1936 births Living people People from Castlemaine, Victoria Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian people of Italian descent Australian people of Swiss-Italian descent Melbourne Football Club players Carlton Football Club players Port Melbourne Football Club players Melbourne Football Club captains Melbourne Football Club coaches Carlton Football Club coaches Carlton Football Club Premiership coaches North Melbourne Football Club coaches North Melbourne Football Club Premiership coaches Sydney Swans coaches All-Australians (1953–1988) Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners Australian republicans Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Six-time VFL/AFL Premiership players Four-time VFL/AFL Premiership coaches Melbourne Football Club Premiership players