The Port Adelaide Football Club congratulates club champion John Cahill on his induction into the South Australian Sport Hall of Fame.

John “Jack” Cahill will be officially inducted by Sport SA at an event at Adelaide Oval on Friday 16 November but he was announced as one of the inductees this evening.

Cahill is a four-time Premiership player and four-time club best and fairest.

His first premiership was in 1959 - the club’s record-breaking sixth-in-a-row - while he was also part of the 1962 and 1963 flag winning teams.

His last premiership as a player came in 1965, the last time Port Adelaide lifted the Thomas Seymour Hill Trophy at the Adelaide Oval.

Club captain from 1967 to 1973, Cahill also represented South Australia on 29 occasions, captaining the side in 1969 and 1970.

Cahill retired in 1973 and immediately took on the role of senior coach after the departure of the legendary Fos Williams.

While it took until 1977 for Cahill to steer the club to his first premiership as coach, it would not be the last time he would achieve the ultimate success.

Cahill would go on to win ten flags in the SANFL during two amazing periods of success.

After winning three more flags between 1979 and 1981, Cahill took up an offer to coach Collingwood in the VFL at the end of the 1982 season, but his return to Alberton for the 1988 season was the start of another period of dominance.

The Magpies won another six premierships under Cahill before he became the inaugural coach of the Power in the AFL.

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas congratulated Cahill on his honour, saying he was a most deserving inductee.

“Few others have contributed so much to Port Adelaide over such a long period of time and few are likely to match his record as a player and/or coach,” he said. 

“Jack’s legacy at Port Adelaide both as a player and a coach is unrivalled. When you think of the modern-day Port Adelaide, you think of Jack Cahill.

“His success as a coach through the late eighties and early nineties laid the foundation for our club’s entry into the AFL. To that end, Jack is held in such high regard at our club that we named our club’s AFL best and fairest medal in his honour.

“His dedication, passion and football knowledge were vital planks in setting the club up for success both in the SANFL and AFL, and we can’t express how proud we are of his latest honour.”

Cahill’s induction into the SA Sports Hall of Fame adds to his already lengthy list of honours which includes being included in the Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame, the South Australian Football Hall of Fame and the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

John Vincent “Jack” Cahill record
SANFL Games played: 264 (1958-1973)
SANFL Games coached: 443 (1974-1982, 1988-1996, 2005)
SANFL Goals: 286
Captain: 1967-1973

Vice-Captain 1964-66


Port Adelaide SANFL Coach: 1974-1982,1988-1996,2005
Port Adelaide AFL Coach: 1997-1998 (44 games)

South Australian Representative Matches: 29 games
South Australia captain: 1969, 1970
South Australia coach: 1989
South Australia State of Origin coach: 1991, 1995

Premierships: 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965 (as player), 1977, 1979-1981,1988-1990,1992,1994,1995 (as coach)
Port Adelaide Best and Fairest: 1966, 1968, 1970, 1973
Port Adelaide Leading goal kicker: 1973 (59)
All-Australian: 1969
Member of Port Adelaide Football Club’s Greatest Ever Team (Right wing)
Port Adelaide Life Member: 1967
SANFL Life Member: 1996
Port Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame (1998)
South Australian Football Hall of Fame (2002)
Australian Football Hall of Fame (2002)

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