Barassi, Ron (1936-2023), was one of the greatest players in Australian Rules football history. He won 10 Victorian Football League (VFL, now Australian Football League [AFL]) premierships as a player, captain-coach, or coach. A captain-coach is a player who also coaches the team. As a player, Barassi was a ruck rover. A ruck rover is one of three players, called followers, who should follow the ball wherever it goes.
Ronald Dale Barassi was born on Feb. 27, 1936, in Guildford, near Castlemaine, Victoria. Barassi played for 15 years in the VFL. From 1953 to 1964, he played for Melbourne, and helped the team win six VFL premierships. In 1965, Barassi became the captain-coach for Carlton. He retired from playing Australian Rules football in 1969, but continued coaching Carlton until 1971. During his time at Carlton, Barassi won two VFL premierships. He later coached for Melbourne, North Melbourne (where he won two VFL premierships), and Sydney. Barassi was inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 1987, and elevated to “Legend of Australian Sport” in 2006. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame as an AFL Legend in 1996. Barassi died on Sept. 16, 2023.
