Who was Ron Barassi? Cause of Death, Age, Wiki, Bio, Family, Career, Net Worth & More

Ron Barassi was a legendary Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality who passed away on September 16, 2023 at the age of 87. He was one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport, winning 10 premierships as a player and coach for Melbourne, Carlton and North Melbourne. He was also the first player to be inaugurated as a Legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame and one of four Australian rules footballers to be elevated to a Legend of Australian Sport.

He was known for his courage, skill, leadership and passion for the game. He also had a distinguished media career, working as a commentator, columnist and author. He died due to complications from a fall, surrounded by his loving family. His death was mourned by the football community and the public as a great loss for Australian sport and culture.

Must Read : Who was Ron Barassi’s Wife Nancy Kellett?

Table of Contents

Ron Barassi Biography Profile:

Field	Information
Name	Ronald Dale Barassi
Nick Name	Barass, Mr Football
Date of Birth	February 27, 1936
Birth Place	Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia
Age (as of 2023)	87 years old (died on September 16, 2023)
Gender	Male
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Profession	Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality
Nationality	Australian
Ethnicity	White (Italian, English, Scottish)
Home Town/State	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
School	Princes Hill High School in Carlton North, Victoria
College	None
Educational Qualification	Not known
Religion	Not known
Hobbies	Not known
Marital Status	Married twice (divorced once)
Boyfriend	None
Net Worth	Estimated to be $10 million as of 2021

Ron Barassi Early Life and Education

Ron Barassi was born on February 27, 1936 in Castlemaine, a town in central Victoria. He was the only child of Ron Barassi Sr., a prominent Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne Football Club. His grandfather, Reale Barassi, was an Italian immigrant who came to Australia in 1897. His mother’s name was Elza (née Dale), who had English and Scottish ancestry. Barassi grew up in a working-class family and lived in various suburbs of Melbourne. He attended Princes Hill High School but left at the age of 14 to pursue his football career.

Ron Barassi Family Details

Field	Information
Father Name	Ron Barassi Sr. (deceased)
Mother Name	Elza Barassi (née Dale) (deceased)
Brother(s)	None
Sister(s)	None
Wife/Husband	Nancy Nancarrow (married in 1958, divorced in 1970), Norma Lorraine (married in 1971)
Children	Ron Jr., Susan, Richard and Mark

Ron Barassi Career Highlight:

Ron Barassi is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of Australian rules football. He played 254 senior VFL games for Melbourne and Carlton, winning six premierships as a player and two as a player-coach. He also coached North Melbourne to their first two flags and Melbourne to their last one in 1964. He was the first player to be inaugurated as a “Legend” in the Australian Football Hall of Fame and one of four Australian rules footballers to be elevated to the same status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Barassi started his football career at Melbourne under the father-son rule, which was introduced by the club to recruit him after his father died in action at Tobruk during World War II. He lived with Norm Smith, Melbourne’s coach and a former teammate of his father. Under Smith’s guidance, Barassi became a star midfielder who pioneered the ruck rover position. He was known for his courage, skill, leadership and passion for the game. He played in six premiership-winning teams for Melbourne between 1955 and 1964, two of which he captained. He also won two best and fairest awards and two leading goalkicker awards for the club.

In 1965, Barassi shocked the football world by leaving Melbourne to join Carlton as a player-coach on a lucrative contract. He transformed Carlton from a struggling team to a powerhouse, leading them to two premierships in 1968 and 1970. He retired as a player after the 1969 season but continued as a coach until 1971.

In 1973, Barassi took over as the coach of North Melbourne, another struggling club that had never won a premiership. He recruited several star players from other clubs and instilled a winning culture at North Melbourne. He coached them to their first two flags in 1975 and 1977, making history as the first person to coach three different clubs to premierships.

In 1981, Barassi returned to Melbourne as their coach, hoping to revive their fortunes after a long period of decline. He coached them to their last premiership in 1964 but could not repeat the feat. He left Melbourne in 1985 after failing to make the finals.

In 1993, Barassi came out of retirement to coach Sydney Swans, a club that had relocated from South Melbourne in 1982 and had struggled to attract fans and success in New South Wales. He tried to promote the game in Sydney and improve the Swans’ performance but had little success. He resigned in 1995 after winning only 13 games out of 59.

Barassi also had a distinguished representative career, playing for Victoria in several interstate matches and national carnivals. He won two national championships and was named in the All-Australian team three times. He also captained Victoria on several occasions.

Barassi was also a media personality, working as a commentator, columnist and author. He wrote several books about his life and football, including Barassi: The Biography (1995), Barassi: The Footballer (2003) and Barassi: The Coach (2009). He also appeared in several documentaries and films, such as The Final Quarter (2019), a documentary about Adam Goodes’ final years in the AFL.

Barassi was honoured with various awards and recognitions for his contribution to Australian rules football and Australian sport in general. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1978 and received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000. He was named in the AFL Team of the Century as the rover and the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century as the coach. He was also awarded the AFLCA Coaching Legend Award in 2010.

Barassi died on September 16, 2023 at the age of 87, due to complications from a fall. He was survived by his wife Norma and his four children. His death was mourned by the football community and the public as a great loss for Australian sport and culture.

Ron Barassi Physical Stats and More:

Field	Information
Height (Aprox.)	in centimeters- 179 cm
Weight (Aprox.)	in Kilograms- 87 kg
Body Type	Athletic
Figure Size	Not known
Eye Color	Blue
Hair Color	Grey (originally brown)
Hair Length	Short
Shoe Size	Not known

Ron Barassi Social Media Handle

He was also a media personality who appeared on TV and radio shows. He did not have any official social media handles, but he had a Facebook page that was managed by his family and friends.