Johnny Leonard

Johnny Leonard
Johnny Leonard training, c. 1926
Personal information
Full name	John Leonard
Nickname(s)	Johnny
Date of birth	(1903-06-08)8 June 1903
Date of death	3 May 1995(1995-05-03) (aged 91)
Height / weight	173 cm / 68 kg
Position(s)	Rover
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1922–30 1932	Subiaco South Melbourne	146 (??) 12 (17) 158 (17+)
Coaching career3
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1931	Maryborough	?? (??)
1932	South Melbourne	19 (13–6–0)
1934–35, 1937	West Perth	66 (43–22–1)
1938–41, 1946	Claremont	109 (65–43–1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1932. 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1946.
Career highlights
Subiaco premiership 1924 Sandover Medal 1926, 1929 Subiaco best & fairest 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 Subiaco captain 1930 South Melbourne captain-coach 1932 West Perth premiership coach 1934, 1935 Claremont premiership coach 1938, 1939, 1940 Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee 1996 West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee 2004 Subiaco Team of the Century
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

John "Johnny" Leonard (8 June 1903 – 3 May 1995) was a player and coach of Australian rules football in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and the Victorian Football League (later renamed to Australian Football League) in the period 1922 to 1946.

He was born in England.

A slightly built (173 cm, 68 kg) and very quick rover with brilliant skills, Leonard played in Subiaco Football Club’s 1924 premiership side. He was Subiaco’s best and fairest player five times. He played 158 senior club games and represented his State 25 times.

He won the Sandover Medal in 1926 (the first English-born player to do so) and was awarded a retrospective medal for the 1929 season after finishing second on a countback. Prior to 1930 only one vote per game was given by the umpire, and a countback was not possible; the WAFL president would cast a deciding vote to decide the winner. Both Leonard and William (Billy) Thomas of East Perth Football Club polled the umpire’s vote in five matches.

With the Great Depression limiting employment options, Leonard moved to Victoria in 1931, coaching Maryborough in the Ballarat Football League, then in 1932 being appointed as Captain-Coach of South Melbourne.

Playing career highlights:

Leonard coached over only nine seasons but with a great deal of success, securing five WANFL premierships. He coached South Melbourne for the 1932 season, taking it to its first finals campaign in almost a decade. He is credited with laying the groundwork for the "foreign legion" team which won the 1933 VFL premiership, recruiting leading WANFL players such as his Subiaco team mates Brighton Diggins and Bill Faul.