Pioneering Australian Rules footballer Robert John “Bob” Skilton OAM is being celebrated by the nation’s most prestigious sporting club. Skilton is among a select goup to win three Brownlow Medals, Australian Rules Football’s highest individual accolade, and today is being honoured as the 47th Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Skilton said he is extremely proud and humbled to be Elevated to Legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, given the outstanding quality of recipients who have been bestowed with the honour.

“To be looked upon, or to even just to be considered as a part of such an incredible group of people, I’m just so proud,” he said.

“I remember when I was first inducted, I couldn’t believe the people I was mixing with. These were people that I had looked up to and to be considered as one of them was, and is, just so special.”

The champion footballer and Bloods Legend was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame as an Athlete Member in 1985 in recognition of his highly valued and distinguished contribution to the sport of Australian Rules Football.

Skilton represented South Melbourne in 237 games during a career spanning from 1956 to 1971, kicking 412 goals while playing as a rover, and later coaching the club and Melbourne. Nicknamed “The Chimp”, Skilton commanded respect across the VFL and captained South Melbourne from 1961 to 1971, being the champion player on nine occasions.

The annual Elevation of Sport Australia Hall of Fame Members to Legend status is the most celebrated sporting honour that can be bestowed on an Australian. Legend status provides the chance to honour Members who have distinguished themselves at the highest level and become a part of Australia’s rich sporting folklore. Skilton joins the likes of Sir Donald Bradman AC, Dawn Fraser AC MBE, Cathy Freeman OAM, Rod Laver AC MBE, Ian Thorpe AM, Shane Warne AO, John Eales AM and Wally Lewis AM as a Legend of Australian Sport.

Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legend and Chair, John Bertrand AO, said it was the perfect time to confirm that Skilton would become the newest Legend in the prestigious organisation.

“Bob Skilton had the rare distinction of being a player beloved by the supporters of South Melbourne while also being respected across the competition for his brilliance as a footballer, but also for his courage and fairness and commitment to the game,” Bertrand said.

“To win three Brownlow Medals over a period of a decade speaks to a footballer who was able to sustain his excellence and consistency while overcoming the challenges that elite athletes confront in their careers. Skilton is the true definition of a Legend. He emphasises everything that is good about sport in this nation and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame is delighted to announce his Elevation to Legend status.”

Robert John “Bob” Skilton OAM

Robert John “Bob” Skilton earned widespread respect across the VFL for his talent, leadership and sportsmanship during a stellar career representing South Melbourne.

Skilton’s excellence and sportsmanship is highlighted by the Brownlow Medals he claimed in 1959, 1963 and 1968 as the VFL competition’s best-and-fairest player. He is among a select group of players to win the Brownlow Medal three times and rates among the best footballers to play the game. Skilton was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 and feels incredibly proud to be Elevated to Legend status, with the admiration he holds for his peers.

“I’ve always been in awe of the absolute skill level of the other Hall of Fame athletes. The ability of some of those guys is incredible,” he said.

“You’ve only got to spend a short time with any professional athlete to realise how dedicated they are in everything they do. You must have the absolute desire to succeed,” he said.

“And training? You’re not going to succeed if you don’t train or if you don’t have a good work ethic. In a sense you have to be a little bit selfish. You have to be prepared to sacrifice time and social events. But you also have to know when not to be selfish, which is fundamental in a team environment.

“When you meet a Hall of Fame athlete, the one thing that stands above the rest is that they’re just all remarkably humble, fantastic people.”

Born in 1938, Skilton credits the guidance of his parents Robert and Rita, along with several teachers, as critical to his long-lasting career in football as a player and a coach.

“I was very lucky to have the right people around me and I had some very good teachers. I owe a big part of my success to my parents, especially my dad in the early days. He was a prisoner of war and I was seven by the time he came home,” he said.

“We would go down to Fishermans Bend and kick the footy and he wouldn’t kick it back to me unless I kicked it with my wrong foot. We’d spend hours kicking left foot, right foot. I owe my ability to kick with both feet to him.”

Skilton’s only finals appearance in his 16-season career with South Melbourne came in 1970 and he still laments the lack of team success. He said he would swap all of his individual accolades for the chance to share a premiership with his mates.

“I’d still swap them for a premiership because when it’s all said and done, you’re playing a team sport and there’s nothing like team success,” he said.

But he said the lasting friendships he forged with teammates including Peter Bedford, John Heriot, Max Papley and Herbie Matthews, among others, were a prized part of his life.

Skilton loved representing Victoria alongside fellow Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legends Ron Barassi AM and Ted Whitten OAM, and other champions.

He took particular delight in presenting the AFL Premiership Cup to his beloved Sydney Swans at the MCG in 2012 after their triumph over Hawthorn in a thrilling grand final.

“To be honest, I thought they had made a big mistake, because I thought, ‘With my luck, there’s no chance they’ll win,’” he said.

“But it’s one of the proudest sporting moments of my life and I’m just so grateful to the club for asking me.”

For further information contact: Michelle Stamper
Stamping Ground michelle@stampingground.com.au 0413 117711

Bob Skilton
Date of birth: 8/11/1938
Playing career: 1956-68, 1970-71 (South Melbourne)
Games: 237 Goals: 412
Player honours: Brownlow Medal 1959 (equal), 1963, 1968, 3rd Brownlow Medal 1958; best and fairest 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968; leading goalkicker 1959, 1962, 1963; captain 1961-71; Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee (Legend) 1996; AFL Team of the Century; South Melbourne/Sydney Team of the Century (captain); Victoria (25 games, 47 goals); also played Port Melbourne (VFA) 1972 (11 games, 11 goals, best and fairest).
Coaching record: South Melbourne 1965-66 (36 games, 16 wins, 20 losses); Melbourne 1974-77 (88 games, 28 wins, 60 losses).