Hawthorn Hawks icon John Kennedy Snr has died at the age of 91, it has been confirmed. The footy legend passed away peacefully on Thursday morning.
The Victorian-based club announced the sad news on Thursday afternoon in a statement published online, in which the club described triple premiership-winning Kennedy as a man of “extraordinary humility and strong family values”.
While club President Jeff Kennett said: “John will live on within the Hawthorn Football Club forever. He set and lived the standards that are the culture of the Family Club. I extend the club’s and my condolences to his family.
“John’s impact on the Hawthorn Football Club will be eternal and his legacy will always live on at Hawthorn. So much of what Hawthorn is today, is because of the foundations John laid in yesteryears.
“His booming voice will forever echo in the corridors of the football club and the legend of the man in the brown overcoat, with a heart of gold, will be passed down from generation to generation of the Hawthorn family.”
Kennedy began his career at Hawthorn in 1950 and played a total of 164 games, before retiring and assuming the role of coach in 1959. Kennedy Snr led the team to their first-ever premiership win in 1961, and again in 1971 and 1976. However he retired in 1976 to spend more time with his family.
He then made a shock return to the sport in 1985 when he accepted the coaching position at North Melbourne, leading the team to the finals twice during his five-year tenure. In 1993 he was named AFL Commissioner and earlier this year, just weeks before his death, became the 29th Australian Football Hall of Fame legend.
Kennedy’s son John Kennedy Jr followed in his father’s footsteps and played in four premierships with the Hawks, while his son Josh Kennedy currently plays for Sydney Swans, having debuted at Hawthorn in 2008.
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