Ronald Dale Barassi (27 February 1936 – 16 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the greatest and 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 1996 AFL season, centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media pe ...

as a "

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

", and he is one of four 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 Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...

. When Barassi was five years old, his father,

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

player Ron Barassi Sr., died in action at

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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 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 ...

, still in use by the AFL today. Barassi subsequently lived with Norm Smith, 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 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, in what has been called "the most audacious signing in league history", Barassi left Melbourne for a lucrative contract at Carlton. Retiring from playing in 1969, he coached Carlton to two premierships, including a record-breaking grand final comeback in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

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: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

s and

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

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

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...

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

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

ers into Australian rules. His stint at Melbourne, followed by another at the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

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, and his clean record and passion for the game earned him a place as a celebrity and popular culture figure in Australia. A prominent early campaigner for a national club-level competition, he is the namesake of the Barassi Line, which describes the regional split between football codes in Australia. He was named a

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

in 1978, and in 1996 was selected in the AFL's Team of the Century as a ruck-rover. Following his death, Barassi was honoured with a state funeral.

Early life

The only child of Ron Barassi, Sr., Barassi was born in the central Victorian town of Castlemaine on 27 February 1936. The following year, his father moved to Melbourne to play VFL football with the

. 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, where he died in the

Siege of Tobruk The siege of Tobruk () took place between 10 April and 27 November 1941, during the Western Desert campaign (1940–1943) of the World War II, Second World War. An Allies of World War II, Allied force, consisting mostly of the 9th Division ...

. The young Barassi spent his early years in Guildford, Victoria. He was educated at Castlemaine Tech and then at Preston and Footscray techs in Melbourne. Barassi was a third-generation

Italian Australian Italian Australians () are Australian-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Australia during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Australia. Italian Australia ...

whose

Swiss Italian The Italian language in Italian Switzerland or Swiss Italian (, ) is the variety of the Italian language taught in the Italian-speaking area of Switzerland. While this variety is mainly spoken in the canton of Ticino and in the southern part ...

ancestors migrated to Victoria during the

gold rushes A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Gr ...

of the 1850s and 1860s. They settled areas such as Guildford, 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

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 Carlton.

Father–son rule

17 year old Ron Barassi Jnr with his fathers trophies and guernsey from The Herald 13 April 1953 pg 16

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

to allow clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team (50-game minimum at launch). When the time came for Barassi to be signed, Melbourne picked him from Preston Scouts in 1952 and he became only the second player signed under the new rule (after Harvey Dunn Jr). This rule, with some modifications and adapted to the drafting system created in 1986, endures to the present day in the AFL. The club had gone to great lengths to recruit the young Barassi, and coach Norm Smith took him under his wing after his mother moved to

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. Smith offered the 16-year-old use of his backyard bungalow. Looking back on the experience, Barassi believed 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 wrote that:

"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 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

in which he was shirtfronted 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 (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL). He captained the Bulldogs to their first VFL premiership in ...

. Initially unsure as to Barassi's best position, Smith played him as a second ruckman in

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

despite his lack of size 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 he was quickly handed leadership responsibilities. In

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

, he was appointed vice-captain, and he was made captain three years later. After losing the 1954 Grand Final to a more experienced Footscray football team by 51 points, the Demons dominated the VFL by winning three successive flags in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

, and

, with the team at the time hailed as the best to ever 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

A resurgent Carlton gave him a dilemma in 1964. New president George Harris was desperate to have Barassi at Princes Park, and he was willing to offer a lucrative deal for the time – a three-year contract of A£9,000 (equivalent to $151,320 in 2023) plus bonuses — 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 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

. 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 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, he guided Carlton to its first premiership in 21 years. In mid-1969, he retired from playing, he had played one game and torn his hamstring, but continued as non-playing coach, ultimately going down to Richmond in the 1969 VFL Grand Final by 25 points; however, in the 1970 Grand Final, in front of the biggest-ever VFL crowd, he led Carlton to arguably football's most famous comeback by 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 suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Port Phillip, Port Phillip Local government ...

in the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

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

North Melbourne years

Barassi returned to coaching in

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

. With administrators Allen Aylett 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 Na ...

, Barry Cable, John Rantall, 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 Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). He was the League ...

. North Melbourne won the

wooden spoon A wooden spoon is a Kitchen utensil, utensil commonly used in food preparation. In addition to its culinary uses, wooden spoons also feature in folk art and culture. History The word ''spoon'' derives from an ancient word meaning a chip of woo ...

in 1972, finishing last. However, in 1974, in just Barassi's second year of coaching the club, North Melbourne were to come runner-up in the 1974 grand final. Whereas Barassi had implemented a tough training regime in 1974, he modified this approach for the 1975 finals when he introduced lighter training sessions to keep his squad mentally-focused and not overtrained and exhausted. His strategy worked and they won the 1975 premiership. North Melbourne went on to win another premiership in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, but they nearly squandered the flag as they gave up a late lead against Collingwood to create the second-ever drawn VFL grand final before coming back a week later to win the flag. In the drawn grand final, Barassi made major positional changes, including placing North Melbourne Team of the Century full-back and captain

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 North Melbourne's comeback to get back in front until Ross Dunne kicked a late goal to draw the game. Within a week, Barassi had picked his side up from this disappointing setback 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". Barassi started the " Irish experiment" at Melbourne, which started recruiting

ers from Ireland and converting them to Australian rules footballers. He recruited the most famous of all, the 1991 Brownlow Medallist,

Jim Stynes James Peter Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football and the first international player to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2003. ...

Sydney years

In 1993, Barassi returned to coaching for the

. 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 rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

–dominated city.

Statistics

Playing statistics

: , - ,

, , , , 31 , 6 , , 0 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.0 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 , - ,

, , , , 31 , 14 , , 12 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0.9 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

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^# , , , , 31 , 19 , , 27 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 13 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , , 31 , 21 , , 30 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 , - ,

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

, , , , 31,2 , 18 , , 44 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

^# , , , , 31 , 18 , , 46 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2.6 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

^# , , , , 31 , 18 , , 21 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.2 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 , - ,

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

, , , , 31 , 19 , , 19 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.0 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - ,

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

, , , , 31 , 17 , , 21 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.2 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 , - ,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, , , , 31 , 17 , , 32 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.9 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , , 31 , 17 , , 25 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1.4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 10 , - ,

, , , , 31 , 11 , , 6 , , 13 , , 201 , , 81 , , 282 , , 61 , , , , 0.5 , , 1.2 , , 18.3 , , 7.4 , , 25.6 , , 5.5 , , , , 5 , - ,

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, , , , 31 , 8 , , 11 , , 6 , , 149 , , 54 , , 203 , , 42 , , , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 18.6 , , 6.8 , , 25.4 , , 5.3 , , , , 3 , - ,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, , , , 31 , 20 , , 14 , , 21 , , 301 , , 168 , , 469 , , 77 , , , , 0.8 , , 1.1 , , 15.1 , , 8.4 , , 23.5 , , 3.9 , , , , 3 , - ,

, , , , 31 , 10 , , 3 , , 8 , , 118 , , 47 , , 165 , , 32 , , , , 0.3 , , 0.8 , , 11.8 , , 4.7 , , 16.5 , , 3.2 , , , , 0 , - ,

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

, , , , 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

, - ,

, , , , 1 , , 1 , , 0 , , 0 , , 100.0% , , , , 12 , - ,

, , , 18 , , 10 , , 8 , , 0 , , 55.6% , , 6 , , 12 , - ,

, , , 20 , , 14 , , 5 , , 1 , , 72.5% , , 2 , , 12 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , 22 , , 17 , , 5 , , 0 , , 77.3% , , 2 , , 12 , - ,

, , , 22 , , 16 , , 6 , , 0 , , 72.7% , , 2 , , 12 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , 25 , , 18 , , 7 , , 0 , , 72.0% , , 2 , , 12 , - ,

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, , , 22 , , 14 , , 8 , , 0 , , 63.6% , , 5 , , 12 , - ,

, , , 22 , , 11 , , 10 , , 1 , , 52.3% , , 6 , , 12 , - ,

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, , , 26 , , 18 , , 8 , , 0 , , 69.2% , , 2 , , 12 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

^# , , , 26 , , 17 , , 9 , , 0 , , 65.4% , , 3 , , 12 , - ,

1976 Events January * January 2 – 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 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, , , 25 , , 17 , , 8 , , 0 , , 68.0% , , 3 , , 12 , - , bgcolor=F0E68C ,

^# , , , 26 , , 18 , , 7 , , 1 , , 71.2% , , 3 , , 12 , - ,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, , , 25 , , 17 , , 8 , , 0 , , 68.0% , , 1 , , 12 , - ,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, , , 25 , , 18 , , 7 , , 0 , , 72.0% , , 2 , , 12 , - ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, , , 23 , , 14 , , 8 , , 1 , , 63.0% , , 6 , , 12 , - ,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, , , 22 , , 1 , , 21 , , 0 , , 4.6% , , 12 , , 12 , - ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, , , 22 , , 8 , , 14 , , 0 , , 36.4% , , 8 , , 12 , - ,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, , , 22 , , 9 , , 13 , , 0 , , 40.9% , , 8 , , 12 , - ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, , , 22 , , 9 , , 13 , , 0 , , 40.9% , , 9 , , 12 , - ,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, , , 22 , , 6 , , 16 , , 0 , , 27.3% , , 11 , , 12 , - ,

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, , , 15 , , 1 , , 14 , , 0 , , 6.7% , , 15 , , 15 , - ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, , , 22 , , 4 , , 18 , , 0 , , 18.2% , , 15 , , 15 , - ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, , , 22 , , 8 , , 14 , , 0 , , 36.4% , , 12 , , 16 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 515 !! 276 !! 235 !! 4 !! 53.4% !! colspan=2,

Select career highlights

*6×

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

premiership player

. *

leading goalkicker 1958 (tied), 1959. *

Captain 1960–1964. *

Best and Fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

1961, 1964. *

All-Australian 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-perfo ...

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 Australian Rules Football, football sports broadcaster and former Australian Football League, VFL Umpire (Australian rules football), umpire Harry ...

1968. *Carlton premiership coach

. *North Melbourne premiership coach

. *Sport Australia Hall of Fame (inducted in 1987 and elevated to ‘Legend of Australian Sport’ in 2006). *

(inducted in 1996 and granted

status). * VFL/AFL Team of the Century 1996. * Sport Australia Hall of Fame 2006. * Melbournian of the Year 2006. * VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century (coach) 2007.

Personal life

On 4 March 1957, Barassi married Nancy Kellett, whom he had met at work four years earlier. They settled in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, at Heathmont, and had three children between 1960 and 1964. The couple separated in 1975 and Barassi married Cherryl Copeland (born in St Kilda, Melbourne) in 1981. They were married until his death in 2023. Both Ron and Cherryl were active supporters of the voluntary assisted dying movement. 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 and could be seen directing players with assistants. Barassi's first trip overseas occurred in 1961. He later 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 were friends ever 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 lived there until his death. Barassi was a passionate

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

player, playing many games of classical chess in the late 1970s over the phone with

Brent Crosswell Brent Tasman Crosswell (born 8 August 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club, North Melbourne Football Club and Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). An articulate and ...

—a player whom Barassi was actively coaching—often for more than four hours at a time and lasting 50–60 moves per game. In a newspaper article, Crosswell humorously described how Barassi would psychologically break Crosswell down in over-the-board games by neglecting to bring him food or drinks and that “he would never provide chairs bearing any logical relationship to the table on which the chess set was placed”. For many years, Barassi owned the Mountain View Hotel at 70 Bridge Road in

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

. He sold it for $1.6 million in 2000. For his 70th birthday he did a trek of the Kokoda Trail 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. In January 2012, Barassi suffered a bike accident, cracking three ribs. In September that year, aged 76, he went on to crew a yacht at Hamilton Island Yacht Racing Week with his friend John Bertrand. For his brave defence of the woman on New Year's Eve 2008, Barassi received a bravery award in 2012 and a commendation for brave conduct in 2013. On 16 September 2023, Barassi died following complications from a fall. He was 87.

Cultural impact and legacy

After retiring from coaching, Barassi remained 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 Football Club, Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached and the ...

and

Ted Whitten Edward James Whitten Sr. Order of Australia, OAM (27 July 1933 – 17 August 1995) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL). Bo ...

. Barassi was involved in grassroots football development and was an advocate for the development of the game internationally, particularly in South Africa. Reflecting this, Barassi 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 ...

. Barassi was a supporter of Australia becoming a

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. Barassi was one of the last runners in the

Queen's Baton Relay The King'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 Buckingham P ...

for the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...

, being held in Melbourne, Australia, from 15 to 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 st ...

onto shore. It was handed to him by David Neitz, captain of the

(the team with which Barassi was 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 and Wahgunyah, where, in 2014, Barassi attended the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the Barassi Line. Ron_Barassi_sculpture_crop

Robert Helpmann'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' 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 ...

went under the pseudonym Ron Hitler-Barassi. Barassi disliked the reference, saying "My father was killed by

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

'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 National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. Barassi has appeared in the Specky Magee books. In 2015, Barassi collaborated with singer-songwriter Tex Perkins on the song "One Minute's Silence", a tribute to the diggers who died at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

. He was mentioned several times in episodes of the television show '' Kingswood Country''. 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. In September 2003, a bronze statue depicting Barassi kicking based on a famous photograph was unveiled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. After the second week of the 2006 AFL Finals, with the four remaining teams all being non-Victorian, and 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 ...

. A bronze bust of Barassi was unveiled in his hometown of Guildford to celebrate his 80th birthday on 27 February 2016 .Ron Barassi Monument Guildford
from Monument Australia

Honours and awards

Publications

''Ron Barassi: Chronicling His Football Career Using His Scrapbooks and Memorabilia'' (2008)
. . Icons of Australian Sport series.
''Barassi: The Biography'' (2010)
. .
''Wisdom: 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 (13 March 1942 – 15 October 2024) was an Australian journalist, author, television and radio presenter specialising in international affairs. He was a pioneer of Australian broadcast journalism, first appearing on the ...

for the ABC-TV programme '' George Negus Tonight'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barassi, Ron 1936 births 2023 deaths Sportspeople from Castlemaine, Victoria Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian people of Italian descent Sportspeople 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 VFL/AFL premiership players VFL/AFL premiership coaches Melbourne Football Club premiership players Accidental deaths from falls