John Kennedy

John Kennedy Senior (born 20 December 1928) is an Australian rules football coach and player. Born in Camberwell, Kennedy's professional career began as a school principal. In 1950, he joined the Hawthorn Football Club as a player. Over the next ten years, he played 169 games for Hawthorn, serving as Captain from 1955 until his retirement, and

winning the club's Best and Fairest award four times (in 1950, 51, 52 and 54). In 1960, he took over as Hawthorn coach, and led the team to their first premiership in 1961. In 1963, he stepped down as coach, but Hawthorn's poor onfield performance over the next few years saw him recalled to the role in 1967. He coached Hawthorn to subsequent premierships in 1971 and 1976, when he again stepped down from the role. In 1985, Kennedy became the coach of the North Melbourne Football Club, and coached them until 1989. As a player, Kennedy was renowned for his toughness and skill. He was an inaugural induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. As a coach, Kennedy has a similar reputation for toughness, but also for oratory. Kennedy is notorious for borrowing ideas from any source he thinks will inspire the players, but it is his passion