Club History Port Adelaide Champion - John Cahill

[Ford Fairlane]

His record as Port Adelaide coach is phenomenal, his record as a player is often overlooked.

A fearless competitor, skilled, superb football brain, massive will to win and a true disciple of Fos Williams.

Johnny Wood called him Gentleman Jack but if you look closely you will see the glint of a stiletto up that sleeve. The gentleman could be ruthless.

John Cahill
John Cahill record
SANFL Games played: 264 (1958-1973)
SANFL Games coached: 443 (1974-1982, 1988-1996, 2005)
SANFL Goals: 286
Captain: 1967-1973
SANFL Coach: 1974-1982,1988-1996,2005
AFL Coach: 1997-1998 (44 games)

South Australian Representative Matches: 29 games
South Australia captain: 1969, 1970
South Australia coach: 1989
South Australia State of Origin coach: 1991, 1995

Premierships: 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965 (as player), 1977, 1979-1981,1988-1990,1992,1994,1995 (as coach)
Port Adelaide Best and Fairest: 1966, 1968, 1970, 1973
Port Adelaide Leading goal kicker: 1973
All-Australian: 1969
Member of Port Adelaide Football Club’s Greatest Ever Team (Right wing)
Port Adelaide Life Member: 1967
SANFL Life Member: 1996
Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame (1998)
South Australian Football Hall of Fame (2002)
Australian Football Hall of Fame (2002)
John Cahill

 

[charcolechaddy]

How has Jack been honoured at AO ?

 

[SYDpower]

Is Jack one of the surprise statues mentioned for Adelaide Oval forecourt? If this is true, it's just wonderful.

 

[charcolechaddy]

Is Jack one of the surprise statues mentioned for Adelaide Oval forecourt? If this is true, it's just wonderful.

Just looked it up, shared room with Mcloud.

They should have named one of the pockets the Stephen Curtis pocket.

 

[stanmack]

Jack Cahill, fearless, committed, skilled and inspirational both as a player and coach. The 1976 GF loss would have finished many coaches [ Halbert, Nichols, Winter come to mind] but he came back stronger and smarter than ever. His influence was the single biggest factor in our entry to the AFL in my opinion.

 

[Garibaldi Red]

I remember Bazza Curtin at Jack's Roast saying "If you wanted to play for Port Adelaide you bought a car from Jack, if you wanted to get to training you wouldn't buy a car from Jack".

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I know that not all our greats could get stands and bars but its a little sad the John Cahill and Andrew McLeod Room ie the Locker Room is so obscure.

Don't get me wrong its a great concept and fantastic idea and if you have the $$$ it will be a wonderful experience, but Jack deserves the recognition in line with Fos and Jack Oatey. I have written that I reckon the 4 players getting a statue should have got a stand name after them but Fos - 9 flags. Jack Oatey - 10 and Jack Cahill -10 should have shared the same honour whatever it was.

 

[Powerstufff]

I remember Bazza Curtin at Jack's Roast saying "If you wanted to play for Port Adelaide you bought a car from Jack, if you wanted to get to training you wouldn't buy a car from Jack".

Humour aside off-field he had a bit of a mixed reputation with his effects on other people's finances. I don't particularly like being -ve, my name on the new PAFC Honours Board in the AO players' race appears over Jack's guernsey. But IMO it needs to be said, plenty have and do say far harsher. FWIW the same dichotomy of opinion that applies with Don Bradman.

 

[tribey]

'Gentleman Jack' gained legs as a nickname due more to the Tennessee beverage of the same name rather than any nod to his character, I thought?

 

[HaroldOliver]

One thing I know for a fact, Jack was one of the greatest coaches ever. 10 premierships is just ludicrously brilliant. He will always be a hero to me.

 

[Vinostevo]

Jacks ability to get his players to play to their absolute best was second to none. It was as if the players didn't want to let him down, they had that much respect for him. A true champion of our club!

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

Is there any good footage of Jack in his playing days? it was way before my time

 

[Garibaldi Red]

Is there any good footage of Jack in his playing days? it was way before my time

I am sure there is something around but I can recall sitting on the north eastern side of AO and watching him drag us over the line in a prelim against Centrals in '72.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Is there any good footage of Jack in his playing days? it was way before my time

Here's Eldon Crouch with a tie wider than the new footbridge doing a This Is Your Life tribute to Jack. A roll call of famous SA footy names



There are glimpses of 'John Carle' in this footage of the 1965 GF

 

[tribey]

I know that not all our greats could get stands and bars but its a little sad the John Cahill and Andrew McLeod Room ie the Locker Room is so obscure.

Don't get me wrong its a great concept and fantastic idea and if you have the $$$ it will be a wonderful experience, but Jack deserves the recognition in line with Fos and Jack Oatey. I have written that I reckon the 4 players getting a statue should have got a stand name after them but Fos - 9 flags. Jack Oatey - 10 and Jack Cahill -10 should have shared the same honour whatever it was.

I'm still trying to work out what the great difference was between Jack Oatey - who was a very good player and insanely successful coach - and Jack Cahill, who was an elite player and Australian Football's answer to Phil Jackson.

One is always spoken of as a king among men who has his name on everything, the other is begrudgingly acknowledged as overseeing the Magpie machine that saw us promoted to the premier league of the national game.

Jack Oatey played for Norwood and coached Norwood and Sturt and-

Oh that's why.

 

[I Dont Care]

John Cahill, has always been regarded as the best player to not have won a Magarey medal

 

[gravedanger01]

had the very rare ability to inspire, lead and get the very best out of a player a rare commodity in anyone.......his record speaks for itself!!...