Chairman of the AFL Commission, Mike Fitzpatrick today announced former Collingwood FC champion and long-time media personality Lou Richards as the inaugural recipient of the John Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr Fitzpatrick bestowed the honour on the 91-year-old larger-than-life icon of Australian Football at a ceremony at the Westpac Centre which also saw the Collingwood Football Club unveil a statue of Richards, one of its favourite sons.

The establishment of the John Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award was announced by the AFL Commission in late 2012, with nominations called for from AFL Clubs last year. It recognises an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to the game in multiple fields of endeavour. John Kennedy Snr played 164 games for the Hawthorn Football Club, and was a senior coach at both Hawthorn and North Melbourne Football Club for 412 games, including three premierships, before serving on the Board of North Melbourne and then the AFL Commission.

Mr Fitzpatrick highlighted the remarkable commitment and contribution of Lou Richards to the game over many decades – both as a footballer and in his post-playing career as a football media pioneer and said he was a fitting first recipient of the John Kennedy Award.

“Lou Richards has had a profound and enduring influence on our code, both with a football in his hands and also, at the end of his playing career, with a microphone and a pen,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“In each of these guises, he became synonymous with Australian Football and the larrikin streak that often characterises our game. He never took himself too seriously and revelled in the opportunity to have some fun and to add some colour to the debates of the day.

“Lou has enriched our enjoyment and love of the game in so many ways, over such a long period of time.”

Lou Richards began his career in football in 1941 at the Collingwood Football Club, playing 250 games across 15 seasons. He captained the club for four years from 1952-1955, leading the club to their twelfth premiership in the 1953 season. His extensive family connections with the club spanned three generations, with grandfather Charlie Pannam, uncles Charles and Alby Pannam, and brother Ron all playing for the club – making it the only club in combined VFL/AFL history to have been captained by three generations of the same family.

Following his retirement from football, he embarked on a media career that would span more than five decades – beginning as a sports journalist with The Argus and Sun News Pictorial, and later moving into radio with 3DB and television commentary, co-hosting League Teams and appearing on the World of Sport panel on Channel 7. He eventually moved across to Channel 9 and became a long-term regular on the Footy Show and Sunday Footy Show.

“Working across radio, television and print, Lou became a larger-than-life character who helped to bring football to life for millions of fans in their lounge rooms throughout an extraordinary post-playing career involved with the game,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

The John Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented periodically to an individual who has made an extraordinary and positive contribution to the AFL competition and/or the game of Australian Football as an administrator, media representative, player, coach or field umpire, or any combination thereof.