Jock McHale
| Jock McHale | |||
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| Personal information | |||
| Original team(s) | Christian Boys College/ East Melbourne/ Coburg Juniors | ||
| Debut | 1903, Collingwood | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
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Collingwood (1903-20) 261 Games, 18 goals | |||
| Coaching career | |||
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Collingwood (1912-49) 714 matches, 8 premierships (467 wins, 237 losses, 10 draws) | |||
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1949. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
James "Jock" McHale, (December 12, 1882 - 4 October, 1953) was an Australian rules football player and coach for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League.
McHale would move to Melbourne aged 5 after being born in Botany Bay, New South Wales. He played football at a young age for three junior teams (Christian Boys College, East Melbourne and Coburg Juniors) and would trial to play for Collingwood but was rejected, but would star in a pre-season match in a second attempt, beating superstar Fred Leech.
McHale would make his first appearance in 1903 for the black and white, and would play off half-back before moving into the centre. He would become a durable centreman, starting a 191-game streak between years 1906 and 1917. In 1912-1913 he would become captain-coach and then in 1914 he would become a playing coach up to the 1917 premiership, which would be his second premiership after being part of the 1910 premiership side. McHale would play matches in 1918 and 1920, but from 1918 to 1949. As a player, McHale played 261 games and kicked 18 goals, as well as representing Victoria.
McHale would be the most successful coach ever, coaching 714 VFL games with 467 wins and 10 ties (66.1% win rate), and a finals record of 59 finals, including 17 Grand Finals and 8 premierships. He would coach in terms of being more of an analysist and inspirer rather than a skills coach. His football brain earned him the respect of his players and the football public, and would coach the club to the 1917 flag. In 1918 when he set out as a non-playing coach, he would see them to the Grand Final for the next three seasons including the 1919 flag, his second as coach. He would continue a different coaching style, where he would assess his players each week on a traditional Thursday Night match-day type training. His style would work wonders, and in in 1927 he would coach them to another premiership, his third as coach. It would be the start of something special, where the Magpies would record a still AFL Record 4 straight premierships, under the combination of Coach McHale and Captain Syd Coventry. After another break from success, another two premierships would be won with McHale as coach in 1935-1936. For the next thirteen seasons he would have no more success, coaching in three more losing Grand Finals straight after his seventh and eighth premierships as coach, an unbelievable record.
In 1953, when Collingwood would defeat Geelong in the Grand Final, McHale would suffer a heart-attack on the sidelines, and would die 4 days later, on October 3, 1953.
Recognition
In 1996 Jock McHale was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame and then was elevated to legend status in 2005. He was also named coach in the AFL Team of the Century, named in 1996.
Since 2001, the premiership coach would be awarded the Jock McHale Medal, in honour of McHale's brilliant coaching record. Each premiership coach since 1950, the year after McHale would retire as coach, would be named a medallist.