Stephen Albert Michael (born 15 March 1956) 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. More recently, Stephen is the patron of the Stephen Michael Foundation, supporting disengaged, at-risk and disadvantaged youth across

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Playing career

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...

Australian Aborigine Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

, Michael played in the WAFL between 1975 and 1985 with the

South Fremantle Football Club South Fremantle Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Fremantle, Western Australia. The club plays in the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) and the WAFL Women's (WAFLW), commonly going by the nickname the ''Bulldogs ...

, playing 243 games and kicking 231 goals. He played in South's 1980 premiership side and was appointed captain in 1983. He holds the WAFL record for the most consecutive league games with 217. Throughout his career, Michael resisted numerous advances by VFL clubs to move east and is often listed as one of the best players to never play in the VFL. He was a strong, high leaping ruckman who won the

Sandover Medal The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League. The award was donated by Alfred Sandover M.B.E., a prominent Perth hardware merchant and be ...

in 1980 and 1981. His 37 votes in 1981 (with nine best-on-grounds and receiving votes in 15 of the 21 games played) was a record tally under the 3-2-1 voting system in place at the time. He represented Western Australia in State or

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...

football on 17 occasions, captaining the side 3 times. In 1983 he won the

Simpson Medal The Simpson Medal is an individual prize awarded for Australian rules football in Western Australia. The medal has been donated by Dr Fred Simpson and family since 1945. Simpson Medals are currently awarded to the following players: *The best pla ...

for the best player in the WA vs SA game and the

Tassie Medal The Tassie Medal was awarded to the outstanding player at each Australian rules football Interstate Carnival or Australian interstate championship series held between 1937 and 1988 with the exception of the 1975 knock-out series. The medal is ...

as the best player in Australia in

football and was named captain in the 1983

All-Australian Team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, 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-perf ...

. He won the South Fremantle's fairest and best in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1983.

Recognition

In 1995 he was named as an inaugural member of the Fremantle Football Hall of Legends. In 1999, he was inducted 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 ...

. In 2005 he was named at Centre Half Forward in the Australian Football

Indigenous Team of the Century The Indigenous Team of the Century (Australian rules football) was selected to recognise the role of Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the eth ...

and in 2009 he was named in the ruck and captain of the South Fremantle Football Club's Indigenous Team of the Century. In 2008, as part of the annual NAIDOC game between South Fremantle and Claremont, the Chris Lewis/Stephen Michael Award was presented to Andrew Browne for being the best player in the match.

Media

Michael was a regular guest of the '' Marngrook Footy Show'', broadcast on Melbourne Radio.

Personal life

Stephen has 7 children; Clem, Stephen Jr., Vanessa, Cindy, Matt, Talan, Corey. Stephens son, Clem Michael, also played

for

(including the 1997 premiership side) and

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of ...

. Clem's career was cut short by a knee injury. Michael also has two daughters and another four sons.East, A (2006); p 318

Notes

References

External links

*
Stephen Michael
player profile page at WAFL FootyFacts {{DEFAULTSORT:Michael, Stephen 1956 births Living people South Fremantle Football Club players Boulder City Football Club players Western Australian State of Origin players Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Sandover Medal winners All-Australians (1953–1988) Noongar people Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from Western Australia West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Kojonup, Western Australia