The AFL great Ron Barassi has died, his family confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
“After a full and extraordinary life, Ronald Dale Barassi, aged 87, left us today due to complications from a fall,” the family said.
“He died peacefully, surrounded by loving family. We ask for privacy at this time.”
Barassi was a giant of the football world, as a player, coach and media personality.
He was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1978, became a life member of the AFL in 1979 and was the first player to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996 as a legend.
Barassi played more than 200 games and won six premierships with Melbourne, and then won four premierships as a coach – two with Carlton and two with North Melbourne. He shares that record of 10 premiership involvements with Norm Smith, another Melbourne great.
He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Ron Barassi Sr, and play at Melbourne, where he pioneered the position of ruck rover. After winning the grand final six times with Melbourne, Barassi made the move to Carlton, playing just 50 games as captain and coach, before making coaching his sole focus.
The AFL chair, Richard Goyder, described Barassi as the most important person in Australian football in the last 70 years, saying his vision for the game was even more significant than his on-field records.
“A champion of Victoria who relished the battles against SA, WA and Tasmania at state level, Barassi saw the potential ahead if the game could unlock interest in New South Wales and Queensland and constantly pushed the game’s administrators to dream big, plan bigger and be prepared to risk dramatic steps into the unknown,” Goyder said in a statement.
“He revolutionised the game as a player – created the position of ruck rover – built premiership success at clubs as a coach and then was our first great evangelist to take the game north and grow it to become what we have today,” Goyder said.
The outgoing AFL chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, paid tribute to Barassi as a fierce, challenging and determined advocate for the game who never stopped making an impact.
“Every time in recent years when we would see him at the MCG watching a match, our game was better for his presence and we have lost a hero of our sport,” McLachlan said.
The Melbourne football club extended its condolences to Barassi’s family, with its chief executive, Gary Pert, saying “his legacy will forever be etched in the history of the game”.
“The entire football community has lost a giant, but Ron’s spirit and impact will live on through the game that he loved so dearly.”
The prime minster, Anthony Albanese, said there was no more famous name in football and described Barassi as “a legend in every sense of the word”.
“A fearless player and leader, a visionary coach and a tireless champion for the growth and success of Australian rules football,” Albanese said on Twitter/X.
“Ron’s name and his legacy will be remembered as long as footy is played. May he rest in peace.”
Barassi’s death comes after his two most beloved teams, Melbourne and Carlton, faced off against each other in a final for the first time in more than two decades, with the Demons sent packing in straight sets for the second year in a row.
