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Kevin Sheedy

Kevin Sheedy AM was the coach of AFL club Essendon, and a former player for Richmond. He holds the AFL record for the most games combined as a player and coach.

Sheedy was the quintessential self-made player. Not blessed with great skills, he was able to carve out a brilliant career with dedication, perseverance and thoughtfulness. At his peak, he was a supreme big-game performer who epitomised the "kill or be killed" attitude of the Richmond club.

After his retirement, he commenced a coaching career with Essendon that endured through several eras of the game. Sheedy is an innovator whose ideas shaped the modern style of Australian football coaching, taking it away the hard training style and into the realms of a science. He has been at the forefront of many changes to the game in the last 25 years is always sought for an opinion on any matter concerned with football.

In 2007, he parted ways with the Essendon Football Club ending 27 years as Essendon senior coach. In his last home game in charge (against Richmond in Round 21) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a mammoth crowd of 88,468 people turned out to farewell the great man Sheedy and James Hird. After Essendon lost a closely contested match, Sheedy received a standing ovation as he left the field for the last time.

Sheedy's passion for coaching continues and he has vowed to pursue a coaching career at another club but in the meantime, he will be working in an ambassadorial position with the AFL.