John Kennedy Sr. (footballer)
| John Kennedy Sr. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Kennedy Sr. pictured for a series of
collectible cards in the 1950s |
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | John Kennedy Sr. | ||
| Nickname(s) | Kanga | ||
| Date of birth | 20 December 1928 | ||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 89 kg (196 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1950–1959 | Hawthorn | 164 (29) | |
| Coaching career3 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
| 1957; 1960–1963; 1967–1976 |
Hawthorn | 299 (181–116–2) | |
| 1985–1989 | North Melbourne | 113 (55–55–3) | |
| Total | 412 (236–171–5) | ||
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1959.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1989.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
John Kennedy Sr. (born 20 December 1928) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, and coached Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Born in Camberwell, Kennedy's professional career began as a school principal. In 1950, he joined the Hawthorn Football Club as a player. Over the next ten years, he played 169 games for Hawthorn, serving as captain from 1955 until his retirement, and winning the club's Best and Fairest award four times (in 1950, 51, 52 and 54).
Kennedy received a rushed introduction to coaching in 1957 when regular coach Jack Hale was involved in an automobile accident on the way to Glenferrie Oval and missed the Round 11 match. Kennedy at short notice addressed the players during the game breaks and Hawthorn stayed close to Collingwood for much of the game, eventually losing by 19 points.
For the 1960 season he took over permanently as Hawthorn coach, and led the team to their first premiership in 1961. Following a Grand Final thrashing in 1963, he stepped down as coach, but Hawthorn’s poor on-field performance over the next few years saw him recalled to the role in 1967. He coached Hawthorn to subsequent premierships in 1971 and 1976, when he again stepped down from the role.
In 1985, Kennedy became the coach of the North Melbourne Football Club, and coached the club until 1989. In total he coached for 411 games, winning 236, losing 170 and drawing five. In all, Kennedy coached Hawthorn to 5 Grand Finals with 3 Premiership wins.
As a player, Kennedy was renowned for his toughness and skill.
As a coach, Kennedy has a similar reputation for toughness, but also for oratory. Kennedy is notorious for borrowing ideas from any source he thinks will inspire the players, but it is his passion rather than his quotations that he is best known for. In the 1975 VFL Grand Final against North Melbourne, his exhortation to the Hawthorn players at half time was: “At least DO SOMETHING! DO! Don’t think, don’t hope, do! At least you can come off and say ‘I did this, I shepherded, I played on. At least I did something.’” Despite this his team still lost convincingly.
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