Royce Hart

Royce Hart
Personal information
Full name	Royce Desmond Hart
Date of birth	(1948-02-10) 10 February 1948 (age 69)
Place of birth	Hobart, Tasmania
Original team(s)	Clarence U19 (TANFL)
Height / weight	187cm / 86kg
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1967–1977	Richmond	187 (369)
1969	Glenelg	1 (0)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
	Victoria	11 (29)
International team honours
1968	"The Galahs"
Coaching career³
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1980–1982	Footscray	53 (8–45–0)
¹ Playing statistics correct to the end of 1977. ³ Coaching statistics correct as of 1982.
Career highlights
Richmond premiership player 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974 AFL Team of the Century Tasmanian Team of the Century Richmond Team of the Century Michael Roach Medal 1967, 1971 Jack Dyer Medal 1969, 1972 All-Australian team 1969 Richmond captain 1972–1975 Australian Football Hall of Fame, inducted 1996 Richmond Hall of Fame, inducted 2002 Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame, inducted 2005 Tasmanian "Icon", conferred 2005 Richmond "Immortal", conferred 2008 100 Tiger Treasures "Class of the Century"
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Royce Desmond Hart (born 10 February 1948) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1960s and 1970s.

Regarded as one of the greatest centre half forwards to ever play Australian rules football, Hart was a supremely gifted and courageous player with superb pack marking skills, with a trademark of leaping in from the side, and a penetrating left-foot kick. Hart is recognized as an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Hart grew up in central Tasmania with an older brother, Lance and two younger sisters, Gayle and Cheryl. He gravitated toward sports, in particular Australian football, which upset his mother, who thought the game too rough. Hart was educated at Clarence High School and participated in football and athletics. He played as a rover in the Tasmanian under-15 schoolboys team before his growth spurt, and held a junior high-jumping record for about 20 years. Playing on the ball helped develop his ground skills, but he was able to exert greater presence on the field after his growth spurt.

Hart was invited to Clarence in 1964 to play for the under-17s team. But because their season started late, he went and trained with the under-19s team. He went on to win the best first-year player award, and then won the best and fairest the following season.

These performances caught the attention of Harry Jenkins, the Tasmanian-based recruiting scout for Richmond. Acting on Jenkins' recommendation, club secretary Graeme Richmond flew to the island state to watch Hart in action, but he missed seeing Hart play. Nevertheless, Richmond was prepared to sign Hart sight unseen. Hart's mother warned that he would need suitable clothing to wear to work, which he didn't have. Richmond countered by offering the youngster a suit and six shirts, then posted papers to the Hart household, which were readily signed. At a time when untried players were asking VFL clubs for large signing on fees, Richmond knew he had a bargain. Aged 17, Hart crossed Bass Strait determined to develop his precocious talent, which was unusual; most Tasmania players played a number of seasons in the local competition before crossing to Victoria as mature age recruits.

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