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by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

The AFL held their annual Hall Of Fame dinner last week, naming eight new inductees and elevating Carlton champion Alex Jesaulenko to Legend Status. Jesaulenko was an inaugural inductee to the Hall of Fame in 1996. Born in Austria, Jesaulenko is the first non-indigenous born Australian to be elevated to Legend. He is the 22nd player to be named a Legend of the Game. He joins fellow Carlton greats John Nicholls and Ron Barassi as a Legend.

Although a champion player over the course of his career, Jesaulenko is perhaps best remembered and immortalized for one brief moment of play. His famous mark (catch of the ball) during Carlton's famous Grand Final come-from-behind win over Collingwood is one of the best known in football. Commentator Mike Williamson also created a bit of a catch-phrase at the time by exclaiming, "Jesaulenko, you beauty!" Those words, in part, can sometimes be seen on placards held up by fans at games. It is not unusual to see a fan-made sign exclaiming "You bewdy".

ALEX JESAULENKO - CARLTON & ST KILDA
Carlton: 256 games, 424 goals, 1967-1979
St. Kilda: 23 games, 20 goals, 1980-1981
279 games, 444 goals for Carlton and St Kilda, 1967-1981
Carlton Premierships 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979
Carlton Best and Fairest 1975
Carlton leading goalkicker 1969, 1970, 1971
Victorian State Representative, 15 games
All Australian 1969, 1972
Carlton Captain 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979
St Kilda Captain 1981
Coached Carlton 1978, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990
Coached St Kilda 1981, 1982
Carlton Team of the Century
AFL Team of the Century
Inducted into Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996

The inductees:

TOM McARTHUR - QAFL Umpire
502 games, 1959-1965
14 QAFL Grand Finals
10 QAFL State games
Queensland Team of the Century & Umpire of the Century

McArthur was a baker by trade and played 58 games in the QAFL. Injuries suffered in a car accident forced him to retire as a player and he took up umpiring. His record 502 games is unlikely to be broken at any level and is the most by any umpire in a senior league. In 1976, he was awarded the VFL Merit Award for services to Australian football. He was also actively involved with the umpires’ association.

GAVIN BROWN - COLLINGWOOD
254 games, 195 goals, 1987-2000
1990 Premiership
Best & Fairest 1989, 1994, 1997
Victorian State Representative, 11 games
1990 International Rules Series
EJ Whitten Medallist 1989, 1997 (Victorian Best On Ground in State of Origin Games)
All Australian 1989, 1991, 1994
Collingwood Captain 1994-1998
Collingwood Team of the Century (interchange)

Brown also played in Collingwood's 1986 Under-19's premiership. He was a courageous and fearless player on a wing or up forward. He was a fierce tackler and always put the team first. He was a fan favorite among the Collingwood faithful. He is currently an assistant coach with the Magpies, working with the defense.

GARRY HOCKING - GEELONG
274 games, 243 goals, 1987-2001
Best & Fairest 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996
Victorian State Representative, eight games
All Australian 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996
Geelong Captain 1995, 1999
Geelong Team of the Century

Known as "Buddha", Hocking was a tough as nails midfielder. His four best & fairest wins are a club record. He relinquished the captaincy early in 1995 to concentrate on his own game. For much of his career, he played with chronic knee problems, which finally forced him to retire in 2001. He once famously changed his name for a week to "Whiskas" as part of a sponsorship deal with the cat food company.

GLEN JAKOVICH - WEST COAST
276 games, 60 goals, 1991-2004
Premierships 1992, 1994
Best & Fairest 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000
WA State Representative, eight games
International Rules Series 2003
All Australian 1994, 1995

His 276 games are a club record and he is rated as one of the best defenders of his era. Alongside current Eagle Coach John Worsfold and current Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna, the Eagle defense was one of the best. As a center halfback, his duels with Kangaroo star Wayne Carey became legendary as he was one of few who could keep Carey in check. His four best & fairest wins are equaled only by former Eagle Ben Cousins. Jakovich was recently named to the All-Australian selection panel to replace the late Chris Mainwaring who tragically passed away last year.

Jakovich joins former teammates Dean Kemp and Peter Matera as a Hall Of Famer.

KEVIN SHEEDY
There is little which can be said about "Sheeds" that hasn't already been said. A legend in his own time, he made his mark as both player and coach. He is a favorite son at Richmond, the team he played for, as well as Essendon, the club he coached for 27 years.

Playing Career:
251 games, 91 goals, 1967-1979
Premierships 1969, 1973, 1974
Best & Fairest 1976
Victorian state representative, eight games
AFLPA MVP Award 1974
Captain 1978
Richmond Team of the Century

Essendon Coach:
635 games, 1981-2007, (386 wins, 242 losses, 7 ties)
Premierships 1984, 1985, 1993, 2000
Pre-Season Premierships 1981, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2000
International Rules Coach 2005, 2006
All Australian Coach 1984, 1985, 1993, 2000
Essendon Team of the Century

GEOF MOTLEY - PORT ADELAIDE (SANFL)
258 games, 156 goals, 1953-1966
Premierships 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965
Best & Fairest 1958, 1959, 1963, 1965
Captain 1959-1966
SA State Representative, 28 games
Magarey Medallist 1964 (SANFL Brownlow equivalent)
Coached Port Adelaide 1959-1961
Coached North Adelaide 1967-1969
Port Adelaide Life Member
SANFL Life Member
South Australian Football Hall of Fame

Motley has the rare distinction of never being reported during his career. After his coaching stints, he became a player manager. His clients include Nathan Buckley and Warren Tredrea. Motley was named to a half back position in the club's greatest team of 1870 to 2000. Motley also has a Medal of the Order of Australia.

Motley's son, Peter, joined Carlton in 1986 and had a promising future as a player. He played 19 games 1986-87 before a near-fatal car crash (a drunk driver hit his car while at a stop light). ended his career. To this day, his right side is partially paralyzed.

NOEL TEASDALE - NORTH MELBOURNE
178 games, 71 goals, 1956-1967
Pre-Season Premierships 1965, 1966
Best & Fairest 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966
Brownlow Medallist 1965
Victorian State Representative, 17 games
All Australian 1966
Captain 1965, 1966, 1967
North Melbourne Team of the Century

Teasdale was also named as the players' choice as the leading player from 1951-60 at the club's 2005 Shinboner of the Century dinner.

Teasdale was awarded his Brownlow Medal retrospectively as in 1965, voting ties were broken on a countback system, whereby the player having the most "3 votes" won out. The AFL abolished the countback system in 1980. In 1989, retrospective medals were awarded to players who had lost on countbacks.


DES TUDDENHAM - COLLINGWOOD & ESSENDON
Collingwood: 182 games, 251 goals, 1962-1971 & 1976-1977
Essendon: 69 games, 66 goals, 1972-1975
Collingwood Best & Fairest 1963
Collingwood captain 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1976
Essendon captain 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
Victorian state representative, five games
Coached Essendon 1972-75
Coached South Melbourne 1978
Collingwood Team of the Century

Source: Melbourne Age, Encyclopedia of League Footballers, 2008 AFL Season Guide, and author notes

Article last changed on Sunday, May 11, 2008 - 7:08 PM EDT


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