Russell Ebert

Russell Ebert
OAM
Russell Ebert; OAM
	Russell Ebert statue at Adelaide Oval
Personal information
Full name	Russell Frank Ebert
Born	22 June 1949; Berri, South Australia
Died	5 November 2021 (aged 72)
Original teams	Loxton, Waikerie
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	90 kg (198 lb)
Position	Midfielder
Playing career1
Years	Club
1968–78, 80–85	Port Adelaide
1979	North Melbourne
Total
Representative team honours
Years	Team
1970–83	South Australia
1996–98	South Australia (Coach)
Coaching career3
Years	Club
1983–87	Port Adelaide
1988–90	Woodville
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1985. 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 1990.
Career highlights
	Club 3× Port Adelaide premiership player (1977, 1980, 1981); 4× Magarey Medal (1971, 1974, 1976, 1980); Jack Oatey Medal (1981); 6× Port Adelaide best & fairest (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981); Port Adelaide captain (1974–1978, 1983–1985); Port Adelaide leading goalkicker (1968); Port Adelaide 'All-Time' games record holder (392); Port Adelaide best first year player (1968); Representative 3× South Australian captain (1975, 1977, 1983); 29 games for South Australia; South Australian coach 1996, 1997, 1998; Honours Port Adelaide's greatest team (centre); Australian Football Hall of Fame, inducted 1996, Legend status 2022; South Australian Football Hall of Fame (2002); SANFL life member; Port Adelaide life member (1977);
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Russell Frank Ebert OAM (22 June 1949 – 5 November 2021) was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Australian rules football. Ebert is the only player to have won four Magarey Medals, which are awarded to the best and fairest player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He is one of four Australian rules footballers to have a statue at Adelaide Oval, the others being Ken Farmer, Malcolm Blight and Barrie Robran. Football historian John Devaney described Ebert as coming "as close as any player in history to exhibiting complete mastery over all the essential skills of the game," and he is widely regarded as the Port Adelaide Football Club's greatest-ever player.

Aside from his 367 premiership games at Port Adelaide, Ebert also played 25 games for North Melbourne in the 1979 VFL season and collected over 500 possessions as a midfielder for the club, which reached the preliminary final. Ebert was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996, and he was posthumously elevated to Legend status in June 2022, the highest honour that can be bestowed onto an Australian footballer.