John Robinson
From Snoutslouts
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Biographical
- Born:
- Height: 183 cm
- Weight: 65 kg
- Recruited from: Port Adelaide
- GFC League Debut: 1957
Guernsey Number:
John Robinson played primarily as a back pocket, using his relative height to advantage when covering the "resting rover" in the period before player interchanges.
Robinson started his football career with Port Adelaide. He captained Port’s junior colts’ premiership side in 1951 when he was runner-up in the best-and-fairest award. He added a senior colts flag in 1952. In 1954 and ’55 he played in the back pocket in league grand final wins against West and Norwood and in 1956 he played in the seconds grand final when Port beat West.
Robinson switched to the Bay in 1957 as he was living in the area. Over three seasons he played 46 league games. In 1959 under revered captain-coach Neil Davies he played his part in a run that took the Tigers to the preliminary final. Robinson retired as a player at 26 to become a school teacher.
In 1960, in his first year of coaching, he guided the junior colts to the premiership, losing only one game for the season – to Port.
Upon his retirement from playing Robinson served Glenelg as:
- Junior Colts coach 1960 (Premiers)
- Senior Colts coach 1961 - 1962
- Selector 1967 - 1970, and 1992 - 1994
- Chairman of Selectors under John Nicolls, John Halbert, Kym Hodgeman and Mark Williams
- Management Committee 1976 - 1995
- Chairman 1987 - 1995
- recruiter for many years
- member of the Hall of Fame selection committee from its inception in 2001 until 2022
He was awarded Glenelg Life Membership in 1975 and is one of the Greats of Glenelg. He was also awarded SANFL Life Membership in 2007.
He also was a long-time contributor to the SANFL as a club delegate and director, while he made an outstanding contribution to the sport’s development as a member of the SANFL Football Development Foundation from 1995-2005. And he served on the South Australian School Football Association executive for a decade.
References
1. Pride of the Bay
