Durability was the cornerstone of “Jock” McHale’s reputation as a Collingwood footballer. Jock set a VFL record by playing 191 games consecutively between 1906 and 1917, a record not broken until 1943. He also served as captain-coach from 1912–1913 and as playing coach from 1914 through to the 1917 Grand Final. He was an integral part of the 1910 and ’17 Collingwood premiership teams.

From 1918 through to 1949, Jock, a final year student of 1894, forged a reputation as the most successful coach in VFL/AFL history. In total, he coached in 714 League matches for 467 wins and 10 ties (a 66.1 per cent winning rate). This included a record 59 finals matches and 17 Grand Finals for eight premierships.

In 1996 Jock was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame and then was elevated to legend status in 2005.

Today, Jock’s memory is perpetuated with the awarding of the Jock McHale Medal to the premiership-winning coach.

Peer Year 1894
Inducted 2010