Lewis Thomas Charles Richards RIP

LEWIS THOMAS CHARLES RICHARDS
Born: March 15, 1923
Dies: May 8, 2017
Collingwood: 1941-55, 250 games, 423 goals
Captain: 1952-55
Premiership captain: 1953
Leading goalkicker: 1944, '48, '50
Victorian representative: three games
Hall of Fame: Collingwood
Hall of Fame: AFL

March 15, 1923: Born Lewis Thomas Charles Richards.
1941: Makes Collingwood debut in Round 6 v Carlton, following in the footsteps of grandfather Charlie Pannam and uncles Charles and Alby Pannam.
1944: Leads Collingwood's goalkicking for the first time.
1947: Represents Victoria for the first time.
1948: Collingwood leading goalkicker and Victorian representative. Marries Edna Lillian Bowie.
1950: Collingwood leading goalkicker.

Lou Richards played 250 games for Collingwood.

1952: Appointed Collingwood captain, leads Magpies to a losing Grand Final v Geelong.
1953: Leads Collingwood to a drought-breaking premiership, reversing the previous year's result v Geelong. The flag is the Pies' first in 17 years.
1955: Retires after 250 games.
1956: Replaces great friend Jack Dyer as resident tipster at The Sun. His Kiss of Death column becomes legendary due to the outrageous dares he took on if his tips failed. "Louie the Lip" once had to cut Ted Whitten's lawn with nail scissors, while he rowed along the Barwon River in a bathtub with Billy Goggin another time.

Lou Richards with great mate Jack Dyer at the MCG.

1959: Joins Channel 7 and forms part of the original World of Sport panel with Jack Dyer and Ron Casey. Also stars with Dyer and Bob Davis on Seven's League Teams on Thursday nights. Over 26 years with the station, he not only features prominently on two of football's most popular shows, but provides match-day commentary on games and is a regular on radio.
1972: Appointed Court Jester to King of Moomba John Farnham. Becomes King of Moomba himself in 1981.
1987: Switches to Channel 9 after Channel 7 loses the football rights for a year. He becomes a regular on both The Footy Show and The Sunday Footy Show, where `Lou's Handball' was a highlight.

Lou Richards and Max Walker on the set of The Sunday Footy Show.

1996: Inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.
2004: Named captain of the Greek Team of the Century.
2008: Wife Edna dies, aged 87, following a three-year battle with dementia.
2009: In his own poor health, Richards ends his 67-year involvement with football. Stops hosting "Lou's Handball" and remains mostly out of the public eye.
2014: Immortalised with a bronze statue at the club's headquarters.
2017: Dies, aged 94, just two days after Collingwood celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Lou Richards with the 1953 premiership cup.

Tom Hafey 1931-2014 RIP

Collingwood News

The Collingwood Football Club has joined the football world in mourning the loss of Tom Hafey, one of the great coaches of the 20th century.
Collingwood President, Eddie McGuire, described Hafey’s passing, at the age of 82, as the felling of a giant of the game.
“It wasn’t simply the incredible success he enjoyed as a coach that stood him apart from so many. It was what he stood for,” McGuire said.
“He lived the life he wanted his players to live. If he could do it, they could do it. He was often referred to as a player’s man, which is true, but I think he was also a club man in the sense that he built not only great teams but great clubs.
“He invariably left behind a stronger football club, a club that knew a lot more about what it took to succeed. He was idiosyncratic, with his t-shirts and cups of tea and all the rest of it – ‘T-shirt Tommy’ – but he picked Collingwood up at its lowest ebb and took it to a remarkable period of sustained success.
“He loved the game and footballers and football followers loved him. He left an indelible mark on the Collingwood Football Club as he did with the hundreds of thousands of people he met through his passion for football.
“Our thoughts are with Tommy’s wife Maureen, their children Rhonda, Karen and Jo, and the extended family.”
After first making his coaching mark by winning four premierships with Richmond, Hafey joined Collingwood at the end of the 1976 season, a time of historic failure for the Magpies which saw the club collect its first wooden spoon.
Under Hafey’s stewardship, almost miraculously Collingwood rose from last to first, with the club finishing on top of the ladder at the end of the 1977 home and away season only to finished second to North Melbourne who reeled in a 27-point three-quarter time deficit to draw the grand final. The Kangaroos won the replay by 27 points. The Magpies played in, but won none of, three grand finals in the following four seasons.
Ray Shaw was Hafey’s captain in 1979 and 1980 and a Copeland Trophy winner, with Billy Picken, in 1978.
With the highest regard, Shaw said Hafey’s gift as a coach was simplicity.
“He kept it simple. Get fit, be hard at the ball and get it down to the forwards as quick as possible,” Shaw recalled.
“It was basic but inspiring. There was never any confusion. You knew what was required and where you stood with Tommy. One of the first memories I have of him is him pushing himself as hard as any of us in the pre-season runs around Studley Park. It was hard not to respect someone like that.
“We got confidence from knowing we were fit, probably fitter than most other teams, and he preached the team over the individual constantly. ‘Use your team-mates’, he would say.
“He was tough, no question about it. But he would ring up on a Friday night and have a chat about things – he knew as players we would have our minds on the game on match day – get a feel for your mood and make you feel like you really mattered. You didn’t want to let him down.”
In all, Hafey coached Collingwood in 138 matches and five grand finals across five and-a-half seasons, with a winning percentage of 65.22. This period of star-crossed prosperity, which ended with his departure from Victoria Park half way through the 1982 campaign, is a rich part of a coaching career which has been lauded as one of the finest the game has ever known.

Tom Hafey's Collingwood Career
Games Coached: 138 (89 wins, 47 losses, 2 draws)
Finals Coached: 18 (9 wins, 8 losses, 1 draw)
Grand Finals: 1977, 1977 Replay, 1979, 1980, 1981

TRIBUTES

Tributes have flooded in for coaching legend Tom Hafey as the football community mourns the passing of one of its greats. Hafey, who coached Richmond to four premierships and Collingwood to five Grand Finals, died of cancer on Monday.

Collingwood President Eddie McGuire
“It wasn’t simply the incredible success he enjoyed as a coach that stood him apart from so many. It was what he stood for. He lived the life he wanted his players to live. If he could do it, they could do it. He was often referred to as a player’s man, which is true, but I think he was also a club man in the sense that he built not only great teams but great clubs. He left an indelible mark on the Collingwood Football Club as he did with the hundreds of thousands of people he met through his passion for football.”

Former Collingwood captain Ray Shaw
“He kept it simple. Get fit, be hard at the ball and get it down to the forwards as quick as possible. It was basic but inspiring. There was never any confusion. You knew what was required and where you stood with Tommy.
"One of the first memories I have of him is him pushing himself as hard as any of us in the pre-season runs around Studley Park. It was hard not to respect someone like that...he would ring up on a Friday night before a big game or a final and have a chat about things – he knew as players we would have our minds on the game on match day – get a feel for your mood and make you feel like you really mattered. You didn’t want to let him down."

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse
"Tommy coached me for half a season, but that half a season established a bond that was alive and well up until this afternoon. He was an amazing man. You get blessed when your first two coaches are the late Allan Jeans and now the late Tommy Hafey. They teach you so much about life and so much about football and I think the secret is the fact that both men were not just football coaches. Tommy will be well remembered as a great man, not only as a great coach, but a great teacher of men and boys."

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou
"Australian Football is mourning Tom Hafey, who numbers among just 14 individuals recognised in our history for service to the game as one of our great coaches. Tom Hafey built teams and clubs to be successful, guided young men to be successful both on the ground and off their ground in their lives and, above all, simply loved our game.
"A man who brought sustained success to Richmond in the 1960s and 1970s after two decades in wilderness, Tom built a feared side that claimed four flags from five Grand Finals and then he revitalised the fortunes of Collingwood, taking the Magpies to a Grand Final in 1977 the year after a wooden spoon and five Grand Finals in all, without achieving the ultimate success.
"Through each of his stints at four clubs, Tom championed fitness, teamwork, morale and dedication, and lived those ideals to the fullest with his personal creed of five Ds that 'Desire plus Dedication plus Discipline plus Determination equals your Destination'.
"Tom's record of 522 games as a senior VFL/AFL coach is exceeded by just four men in history and he was a loyal and trusted friend to thousands across our game, who are feeling his loss deeply today."

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale
"Tommy means so much to Richmond. He has had an enormous influence on so many people connected with the club.
"His coaching achievements at Tigerland are legendary, and he was a constant source of inspiration to the yellow and black.
"Tommy was a fine example of how to get the most out of life. His mantra of hard work, discipline, dedication, persistence, honesty, loyalty, integrity, good health and vitality, was not only the recipe for success on the football field, but success in his wonderful life."

AFL Coaches Association CEO Danny Frawley
"In 2011 Tom was inducted as a 'Coaching Legend' of the AFLCA, joining John Kennedy Snr. and Ron Barassi. This honour was due recognition of this individual's massive influence on the game of Australian Rules.".

AFL legend and five-time premiership player Francis Bourke
"I’m devastated as I’m sure all of us fellow players of Tom’s are. I’m very grateful, especially as a young man, to have come under the tutelage, the influence and good example Tom Hafey gave.
"He gave so much of himself to us as his players. It was a privilege to be part of all that with him at the helm.”

Dual Richmond premiership player Rex Hunt
"The fondest memories are that the legacy continued on until Tom passed and they’ll continue on forever more. He was interested in you as a person and if he was interested in you as a person, he was interested in your family.
"It was the confidence I got through the leadership of Hafey and him letting me be as good as I could be, I’ll take it to my grave. I’m forever indebted. Each and every person at that club is proud to call Tom a friend."

Sydney Swans CEO Andrew Ireland
"Tom will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in AFL history, and while at the helm for three seasons, he certainly made his mark at the Swans at an important time. He has been an iconic figure in the game and his passing will be felt by a great many across the industry.
"On a personal level, I was fortunate to be coached by Tom during my career at Collingwood, including the 1977, 1979 and 1980 Grand Finals. He was an outstanding mentor and a great motivator who demanded the highest level of professionalism from his players."

Geelong CEO Brian Cook
"I know from talking to those around the club during his time as coach that he left a positive impression during his time at Geelong. Tom was a man of fine character who made an indelible mark on Australian football. The premierships he won at Richmond and his overall record are obvious, but in talking to past players such as Neil Balme, Gareth Andrews and Steve Hocking, it is clear that he made a major impact on them as people in addition to his role as coach. As a mark of respect our players and officials will wear black armbands on Saturday in our game against Fremantle."

Ron Richards RIP

COLLINGWOOD NEWS Ron Richards (left) with older brother Lou holding the 1953 premiership trophy won by Collingwood, with both men in the side. The Collingwood Football Club is deeply saddened by the passing today of one of its most revered figures, Ron Richards. The 1953 premiership star, who went on to serve the club as a coach, match committee chairman and director, lost an extended battle with illness in the early hours of this morning. He was 85 years of age. Collingwood president Eddie McGuire described Richards as a Magpie royal, a man who was able to step out from the considerable shadow of his celebrated older brother, Lou, by helping to guide Collingwood for decades. “In the rich history of the Collingwood Football Club, Ron Richards will always be known as one of its greatest servants,” McGuire said. “Ron was a member of the Pannam/Richards dynasty, which collectively produced more matches than any other in the game’s history and dates back to 1894, through Charlie Pannam Sr.  (In all the extended Richards family played in 930 games, kicked 1125 goals and were part of eight premierships.) “Ron distinguished himself in everything he did at Collingwood, be it as a star of the 1953 grand final who had been picked out by Jock McHale for an unaccustomed role on the wing, coach or administrator. Ron was best on ground in the flag triumph, helping his brother Lou, who was captain, to lift the premiership cup. “Later, as Lou moved into the world of show business and the media, Ron dedicated himself to Collingwood, something he cared for deeply. He served as a thirds and seconds coach. He spent time on the board and he sat by the side of Tom Hafey and Leigh Matthews as chairman of selectors. “In any discussion of great Collingwood men, Ron Richards – Collingwood life member, AFL life member, legend and premiership star – cannot be overlooked. “To his family, especially his wife Glenys, we offer our condolences. A wonderful man has been lost and the support of his beloved Collingwood will be sorely missed.” Murray Weideman, at 17 years of age one of the youngest players on the field in the 1953 grand final, remembers Richards typifying Collingwood of that time. “As a player, Ron was small, but showed that courage which was typical of the Richards and Pannam families. If you look at the blokes from the ’53 team, they were called the Magpie midgets, but they were incredibly tough and always fought to win,” Weideman said. “It was a great thrill to play in that side, and if you look at Lou (Richards), Des Healey, Bob Rose, Thorold Merrett and all those great, great players to play for Collingwood that year, Ron was one of them. “He was, above all else, a fine man.” A product of the Collingwood area and graduate of Collingwood Tech, Richards played 143 matches in black and white between 1947-1956. He began coaching the thirds, or under 19s, in 1964 and seconds in 1972. He was Leigh Matthews’ match committee chairman when the Magpies broke their 32 year premiership drought in 1990. Across the decades, Richards was involved in more than 1300 matches involving the various Collingwood teams. He has been cited as a formative influence as a coach and mentor by the likes of Peter Daicos, Peter Moore and Bill Picken and became, in 1990, the first Collingwood recipient of the Jack Titus award for services to football. Richards is survived by his wife Glenys, his brother Lou, children Shar, Dean, Kane and Cameron and grandchildren Andrew, Annabel, Sam, Abby, Georgia and Edward.

SUPERFOOTY COLLINGWOOD is mourning the loss of one of its great servants on and off the field, Ron Richards. The younger brother of footy legend Lou, Ron Richards passed away early today after a long battle with illness. He was 85. One of the best on the ground in the Magpies' 1953 premiership side - Lou was the captain - Richards served the club for most of his life as a player, assistant coach, match committeeman chairman and board member. Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said the club had lost one of its most revered links with the past. “In the rich history of the Collingwood Football Club, Ron Richards will always be known as one of its greatest servants,” McGuire said. “Ron was a member of the Pannam/Richards dynasty, which collectively produced more matches than any other in the game’s history and dates back to 1894, through Charlie Pannam Sr. “Ron distinguished himself in everything he did at Collingwood, be it as a star of the 1953 grand final who had been picked out by Jock McHale for an unaccustomed role on the wing, coach or administrator. “Ron was best on ground in the flag triumph, helping his brother Lou, who was captain, to win the premiership. “Later, as Lou moved into the world of show business and the media, Ron dedicated himself to Collingwood, something he cared for deeply. “He served as a thirds and seconds coach. He spent time on the board and he sat by the side of Tom Hafey and Leigh Matthews as chairman of selectors. “In any discussion of great Collingwood men, Ron Richards – Collingwood life member, AFL life member, legend and premiership star – cannot be overlooked.” Richards played 143 games for the club from 1947-1956. The extended Richards-Pannam families represented Collingwood as players in more than 930 games for 1125 goals, including eight premierships.

REAL FOOTY Collingwood has paid tribute to one of its ''greatest servants'', after the death of Ron Richards on Friday. Richards, the younger brother of football great Lou, passed away after losing a long battle with illness. He was 85. Richards, a key player in the Magpies' 1953 premiership side, had also spent considerable time at the club as assistant coach, on the match committee and on the board. Magpies president Eddie McGuire said Richards was one of the club's most revered figures. "In the rich history of the Collingwood Football Club, Ron Richards will always be known as one of its greatest servants," McGuire said. "Ron was a member of the Pannam/Richards dynasty, which collectively produced more matches than any other in the game's history and dates back to 1894, through Charlie Pannam snr. "Ron distinguished himself in everything he did at Collingwood, be it as a star of the 1953 grand final who had been picked out by Jock McHale for an unaccustomed role on the wing, coach or administrator. Ron was best on ground in the flag triumph, helping his brother Lou, who was captain, to lift the premiership cup. "Later, as Lou moved into the world of show business and the media, Ron dedicated himself to Collingwood, something he cared for deeply. ''He served as a thirds and seconds coach. He spent time on the board and he sat by the side of Tom Hafey and Leigh Matthews as chairman of selectors. In any discussion of great Collingwood men, Ron Richards - Collingwood life member, AFL life member, legend and premiership star - cannot be overlooked,'' McGuire said. Richards played 143 games for the Magpies from 1947-1956. The extended Pannam-Richards families pulled on the black-and-white guernsey in more than 930 games, including eight premierships.

Neil Mann dead aged 88

From SUPERFOOTY

COLLINGWOOD has lost one of its favourite sons - champion big man Neil Mann.
The player and one-time coach of the Magpies died early today, aged 88, after battling ill health in recent years.
Few men have given as much as Mann gave to Collingwood over many decades.
Universally liked and loved by Magpies fans and respected by opposition players and supporters, Mann was a man with big hands and a big heart.
In one famous photograph taken for the Herald, Mann held 24 eggs in one hand.
His 12 seasons with Collingwood as a player yielded 179 games from 1945-1956, and he was the ruckman in the 1953 Magpies premiership side.
He won the Copeland Trophy in 1954, took over as captain after Lou Richards' retirement and finished second (1954) and third (1953) in the Brownlow Medal.
Mann was also coach of the club from 1972 to 1974 after serving as reserves coach for 14 years.