Bill Stephen so fondly remembered

“Getting Yarra its first Ovens and Murray premiership was one of my greatest thrills in football,” he said at the end of his 1958 to 1964 reign at Pigeonland.

The highly decorated and much sought after footballer, coach and mentor was aged 92-years. Yarrawonga football club Life Member Glenn Brear spoke of the wonderful result of club recruiters Leo Burke and Kevin O’Keefe.

“It was an absolute coup picking him up in 1957,” Glenn said. “In 1958 he came to Yarrawonga as captain coach. We won our first flag in 1959.

“He continued as playing coach through to 1963, then non-playing coach in 1964 and returned to Fitzroy as coach in 1965. Bill always remembered our town and people.”

Invited to train with Fitzroy in 1947, Stephen went on to play 166 games with the Lions and 14 with Victoria, including three carnivals over 11 years, won Fitzroy’s best and fairest award in 1950 and 1954 mainly as a defender, coached three playing and eight non-playing years, and is a Hall of Famer with Fitzroy/Brisbane.

He was always in great demand, with a lot more to his sporting background, including coach of Victoria in 1968 and 1980, coached Essendon 1976 and 1977, specialist coach South Melbourne 1971 and 1972, assistant coach North Melbourne 1973 to 1975 at St Kilda 1986 and 1987, and was Australian Football Council coaching instructor 1992 to 1995.

Stephen coached Fitzroy in four decades, the 1950s to the 1980s. He coached two Brownlow Medallists in Kevin Murray at Fitzroy and Essendon’s Graham Moss.

In that 1959 grand-final, in which Bill was best afield, Bob Flanagan started off at centre-half-forward and after five minutes, was moved to full-forward. He booted three goals including an extremely important one in the seesawing final quarter, which helped Yarrawonga defeat Wang Rovers 17-10-112 to 16-8-104 and win by eight points.

“I played under some very good coaches in my time but Bill was the most intelligent and the strictest in the way he wanted us to play and the way he wanted us to train,” Bob said.

“He was brilliant on his knowledge of football and the game plan. He was a top person, a real gentleman, a good, loving man.”

Bill’s interest in the youth was also specifically referred to. “When the thirds were to train, on Wednesday nights, Bill would go around the cafes and make sure the young boys would go to training and get them off the streets,” Bob, who turns 87-years-of-age in October, said.

“When they started playing O and M, he’d go on the bus with them and if they swore, they had to put money in a jar – he was all for making sure they were brought up as good citizens.”

So good, caring and effective on and off the field, and with Yarrawonga very much part of his life – that was Bill Stephen.

Bill is survived by wife of 72 years, Betty.