Alan Killigrew was an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who went on to a celebrated career as senior coach in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL), South Australian National Football League

South Australian National Football League

The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....

 (SANFL) and West Australian National Football League

West Australian Football League

The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...

 (WANFL).

Playing career

Killigrew (163 cm or 5 ft 4in) was a physically small man but an effective rover in 78 matches with the St Kilda Football Club from 1938 to 1941 and 1943 to 1945. Originally from Murtoa, he was voted club champion

Trevor Barker Award

The Trevor Barker Award is an Australian rules football award for the player voted the St Kilda Football Club Club Champion during the home and away season in the Australian Football League by a voting panel....

 in 1940.

Coaching career

After his playing career was over Killigrew moved to Ballarat, where he managed a pub and coached Ballarat East and Golden Point. In 1956 he moved back to Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 to coach the St Kilda Football Club. He held this position from 1956 to 1958, demanding a "guts and determination" approach with emphasis on a fast running style and use of the handpass as an offensive tool. In 1958 he led the club to its first night premiership

Australian Football League pre-season competition

The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Football League premiership season...

 and during his tenure he coached two players to Brownlow Medal

Brownlow Medal

The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

s – Brian Gleeson

Brian Gleeson

Brian Gleeson is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL.Gleeson attended St Patrick's College, Ballarat and later played with St Kilda at Centre half-forward initially. He developed into a skilful and agile ruckman, winning the Brownlow medal in 1957...

 (in 1957) and Neil Roberts (1958).

Sensing a lack of support from the club board, Killigrew departed to Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 and the SANFL. He was senior coach at Norwood

Norwood Football Club

Norwood Football Club, nicknamed, Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club belonging to the South Australian National Football League in the state of South Australia...

 for three years where he steered the Redlegs

Norwood Football Club

Norwood Football Club, nicknamed, Redlegs, is an Australian rules football club belonging to the South Australian National Football League in the state of South Australia...

 to successive grand finals in 1960 and 1961 and a preliminary final in 1962.

In 1963 he was appointed senior coach for the North Melbourne Football Club

North Melbourne Football Club

The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

, where he again led a team to victory in the 1965 and 1966 pre-season night finals

Australian Football League pre-season competition

The Australian Football League pre-season competition, which is known at present as the NAB Cup, is a competition held before the beginning of the Australian Football League premiership season...

. He was coach for three seasons, achieving a 28/38 win loss ration (1 draw). An infamous moment was his violent run-in with Geelong's

Geelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

 Geoff Rosenow

Geoff Rosenow

Geoff "Tex" Rosenow was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League during the 1960s....

 in the players race at Kardinia Park. He also was the successful state team coach for Victoria

Victoria Australian rules football team

The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....

 in the 1966 Carnival

Interstate matches in Australian rules football

Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...

 at Hobart

Hobart

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...

.

In 1967 he moved once more, this time to Perth

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

 as coach of the WANFL's Subiaco Football Club

Subiaco Football Club

The Subiaco Football Club, nicknamed the Lions, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . It was founded in 1896, and admitted to the WAFL in 1901, along with North Fremantle...

. He held this position for a single season, his final year of senior coaching.