by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
To coincide with the 25th anniversary of the club's entry into the AFL, the Adelaide Crows held their first Hall Of Fame induction on April 29. The inductees were two-time premiership coach Malcolm Blight, former chairmen Bob Hammond and Bill Sanders, former captain and current board member Mark Ricciuto and fellow club champions Andrew McLeod, Ben Hart, Tony Modra and Simon Goodwin.
Among the criteria for Hall of Fame inclusion are years of service, games played and personal achievements, including premierships and Club Champion awards, as well as personal qualities like leadership, integrity and courage. Blight, already an AFL Hall Of Fame member, described it as a humbling experience to be inducted, saying “It’s a great privilege to be selected alongside seven other fantastic club people. I am proud of my time at the Crows and tonight has been a great chance to reflect on the history of the club.”
Inductees:
Bob Hammond served as the club chairman 1991-2000. During his time, Blight coached the side to consecutive Grand Final wins 1997-1998. They are the only two Grand Finals in which the team has played.
Bill Sanders served as the club CEO 1990-2001, was a board director in 2003 and chairman 2004-2008.
Ben Hart:
311 games and 45 goals 1992-2006
1997-1998 Premierships
2003 preseason premiership
Club best and fairest 1993 and 2002
All Australian 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002
Player life member
Youngest ever Adelaide player (17 years 257 days on debut)
First Adelaide player to play 300 games for the club
Assistant Coach 2008-2011
Assistant coach at Collingwood since 2012
Anthony Modra
118 games and 440 goals 1992-1998
Five time leading goalkicker 1993-1997
Won Mark of The Year three times
Most goals in a match for Adelaide (13, twice)
All Australian 1993, 1997
Life Member of Adelaide FC 2008
Club career goals record holder
Coleman Medalist 1997
Modra badly injured a knee during the 1997 Finals series and missed the Grand Final. As a result, he struggled in 1998 and netted just 19 goals in 8 games. He was omitted from the 1998 Grand Final team and was traded to Fremantle at the end of 1998. He topped Fremantle's goalkicking in 1999 with 71 goals. He played a total of 47 games and kicked 148 goals before being forced to retire during the 2001 season due to bad knees.
Andrew McLeod
340 games and 275 goals 1995-2010
1997-1998 Premiership teams and won the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground in both Grand Finals (only one of two players to do so, the other was Hawthorn's Gary Ayres)
2003 preseason premiership, won the Michael Tuck Medal as best on ground
Club best and fairest 1997, 2001, 2007
All Australian 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007 (Captain)
Runner-up in the Brownlow Medal 2001
AFL Player’s Association Most Valuable Player award 2001
Member of the Indigenous Team of the Century
Jim Stynes medal winner 2005 as best on ground in the International Rules Series
Life Member of Adelaide 2003
Games record holder for Adelaide
Malcolm Blight
Premiership coach 1997, 1998
Coached the Crows in 74 games for 41 wins
Began his playing career with SANFL club Woodville (now Woodville-West Torrens). In 1972, he won the club best and fairest award as well as the SANFL Magarey Medal (SANFL Brownlow equivalent). Joined North Melbourne in 1974 and played 178 games through 1982. He played in North's 1975 and 1977 Premierships, won North's best and fairest as well as the Brownlow Medal in 1978 and the Coleman Medal as the League's leading goalkicker in 1982. He was the team's playing coach for six games in 1981. He returned to Woodville in 1983 and coached the team 1983-87. He was appointed Geelong coach in 1989 but walked away from coaching after losing three Grand Finals in 1989, 1992 and 1994. He took up a role in the media before being appointed Adelaide's coach. He left Adelaide at the end of 1999 and was semi-retired until St Kilda lured him back to the coach's box in 2001. The Saints had high hopes that Blight ("the messiah") could turn around the struggling team. It didn't work and Blight was let go after Round 15. He later admitted that he probably had not really been ready to coach again, but the lure had been too great. He returned to the media but joined the board of the fledgling Gold Coast Suns. He remains with the Suns, but stepped down from the board in 2012 to take up a role as a coaching advisor to inaugural coach Guy McKenna and remains in that role as support to current coach Rodney Eade.
Simon Goodwin
275 games and 162 goals 1997-2010
Captain 2008-2010
1997-1998 Premierships
2003 preseason premiership
Club best and fairest 2000, 2005, 2006
Michael Tuck Medal winner 2006
All Australian 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009
Life Member of Adelaide 2005
Simon Goodwin is currently an assistant coach with the Melbourne Demons and is being groomed to succeed Paul Roos' after the 2016 season.
Mark Ricciuto
312 games and 292 goals 1993-2007
Captain 2001-2007
1998 Premiership, missed the 1997 Grand Final due to injury
2003 preseason premiership
Club best and fairest 1998, 2003-2004
All Australian 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 (Captain), 2005 (Captain)
Brownlow Medal winner 2003 (Runner up 2004)
AFL Rising Star Nominee 1993
AFL Players Association Best Captain 2005, 2006
Club leading goalkicker 2006 (44 goals)
Best Team Man 1994, 2003
Player life member
Inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame 2011
Quickest ever in duration to reach 300 career games (13 years 82 days)
Ricciuto is now on Adelaide's board of directors
Ryan Smith, Adelaide Media Release, AFL Record Season Guide, Encyclopedia of League Footballers, author notes
Article last changed on Tuesday, May 05, 2015 - 7:39 PM EDT
