Gavin Wanganeen

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox AFL biography

Gavin Adrian Wanganeen (born 18 June 1973) is a former Australian rules footballer and, after retirement, artist. He played for the Essendon Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), and also for the Port Adelaide Magpies in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). A Brownlow Medal winner and Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee, Wanganeen was appointed Port Adelaide's inaugural captain upon entry into the AFL in 1997 and is the first Indigenous Australian footballer to win the Brownlow Medal and reach the 300-game milestone at senior VFL/AFL level.

Since retirement, Wanganeen has taken up painting, exploring his Kokatha identity in his artwork. He was an ambassador for the Adelaide Fringe in 2019.

Early life and education

Gavin Adrian Wanganeen was born on 18 June 1973<ref name=af>Template:Cite web</ref> in Mount Gambier to a footballing family; his great-grandfather had played for the local team, Koonibba Football Club, at the Koonibba Mission, near Ceduna, on the west coast of South Australia.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Dead</ref> His family, who are Kokatha people,<ref name=ralph2010>Template:Cite news</ref> moved from Mount Gambier to Port Lincoln for a few years. When Wanganeen was five, they moved again to Salisbury, a northern suburb of Adelaide.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Wanganeen played junior football for Adelaide-based South Australian Amateur Football League club Salisbury North, and attended Salisbury East High School.<ref name=":0" /> At the age of 14, Wanganeen joined the Port Adelaide Under-17s side in the SANFL.<ref name=":0" />

Football career

Port Adelaide: 1990

Wanganeen made his senior SANFL debut with Port Adelaide in 1990 at only 16 years of age, one of the youngest ever drafted.<ref name=medal/> The 1990 SANFL season was the last year that the competition was the highest level of football in South Australia. He played 24 matches and kicked 46 goals, winning the SANFL Rookie of the Year award, starring in Port Adelaide's 1990 SANFL Grand Final win kicking two goals.<ref name="koori">Argent, P. "Now an immortal", Koori Mail, 16 June 2010, p. 85.</ref>

Essendon: 1991–1996

Wanganeen's potential was identified early by Essendon, and after losing another South Australian star, Craig Bradley, to Carlton, Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy was determined to secure Wanganeen. As he recalled in an interview for The Football Record:

We always knew he was an exciting talent. We had spotted him very early and watched his progress through the Port Adelaide Reserves to the seniors and knew he would make the grade at AFL level. A lot of people told us he would not shift from Adelaide, but I suppose that only made us all the more determined to get him across.<ref name="main">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

After doing a deal with Melbourne, Essendon secured Wanganeen with Pick number 12 in the 1989 VFL Draft. Wanganeen debuted for the club in 1991, Round 2 in a win against Richmond.Template:Cn

Essendon came from the clouds in 1993 to win their 15th VFL/AFL premiership with a team that became known as the "Baby Bombers". Wanganeen enjoyed a special year individually, with his fearless attacking approach from defence typical of Essendon's play that season. He would end up winning the first of his five All-Australian jumpers, then followed by winning the 1993 Brownlow Medal, polling 18 votes (which included four counts of three votes late in the season) to edge out Carlton's Greg Williams (who would win his second Brownlow the following season), and North Melbourne's Wayne Carey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was the first Indigenous Australian footballer to win the Brownlow Medal.<ref name="great">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

At 20 years of age, Wanganeen was the youngest winner of the League's best and fairest award since Fitzroy's Denis Ryan in 1936.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He was also a key player in South Australia's State of Origin Carnival Championship, and Essendon's Premiership win that year. In 2002, Wanganeen was voted the 19th best Essendon player of all time in the "Champions of Essendon" list.Template:Cn

Port Adelaide return: 1997–2006

Wanganeen returned to Port Adelaide in 1997 as the club's 59th captain and its inaugural captain in the AFL. He received 11 Brownlow votes for the year, but after his first season injuries conspired to minimise his impact. He relinquished the Port Adelaide captaincy at the end of the 2000 AFL season which saw a return to his best form.Template:Citation needed In 2003 Wanganeen was favourite to once again win the Brownlow (he finished equal second). In 2004 Wanganeen won his second premiership medal in Port's first AFL premiership side. Wanganeen played his 300th AFL game in the 2006 season, but then injured his right knee in an SANFL game for the Port Adelaide Magpies, which led him to retire from football.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wanganeen was the first Aboriginal player to play 300 AFL games.<ref name=ralph2010/>

Art

Wanganeen found a new passion following the closure of his football career and has become an accomplished visual artist, with two solo exhibitions by 2018<ref name=ed>Template:Cite web</ref> and much of his artwork decorating his home in suburban Adelaide.<ref name=beaut>Template:Cite web</ref>

His second exhibition, Through the Stars,<ref name=ed/> was part of the 2018 South Australian Living Artists Festival in Adelaide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In April 2025, Wanganeeen partnered with Nordic Design Furniture, with his artwork hanging in their showroom on Magill Road, Stepney.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other activities

In 2013, Wanganeen was appointed senior coach of Pulteney Grammar School's football team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also had business interests, involving ownership of three Anytime Fitness centres at Modbury, Port Adelaide, and Essendon.<ref name="cycleculture">Template:Cite web</ref>

He served as a voluntary ambassador for the Australian branch of the White Ribbon Campaign, a men's campaign that tackles violence against women, and participated in the 2013 "Cycling for Culture" event to draw attention to the importance of language and culture to Aboriginal well-being, specifically to attract funds to contributing to the further development of the Kaurna language.<ref name="cycleculture" />

In February 2019, Wanganeen was appointed one of three Fringe Ambassadors for the Adelaide Fringe, where he appeared in conversation with Holly Ransom for the Fringe Talk Show.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021, Wanganeen competed on Australian Survivor: Brains V Brawn as part of the Brawn tribe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After his tribe lost the immunity challenge on day 7, Wanganeen got voted out, being the third person voted out and placing 22nd.Template:Cn

In May 2023, it was announced that Wanganeen would be participating in the twentieth series of Dancing with the Stars. He was paired with Megan Wragg.Template:Cn

Recognition and legacy

The Gavin Wanganeen Indigenous Scholarship (GWIS) was established at the University of South Australia in 2005 to support disadvantaged Indigenous students to complete a university degree.<ref name="cycleculture" />

The Gavin Wanganeen Medal, for the Best player under 21, was instituted at PAFC in 2006.<ref name=medal>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Wanganeen first married Stephanie Richards, and they share a daughter and a son, Tex,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who is also a footballer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wanganeen married Pippa Hanson in July 2012<ref name="beaut" /><ref name="wanganeenpippafirstchild">Template:Cite news</ref> and they have four daughters together.<ref name="beaut" />

Wanganeen is the first cousin of AFL players and brothers Aaron and Alwyn Davey,<ref name="realfooty_070509">Flanagan, M., "The Davey pacesetters Template:Webarchive", Real Footy, 9 May 2007. Retrieved on 9 May 2007.</ref> and a third cousin of Rabbit Proof Fence actress Natasha Wanganeen.

Football statistics

Wanganeen's football statistics between 1991 and 2006 are shown in the table below.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:AFL player statistics legend Template:AFL player statistics start |- | 1991 || Template:AFL Ess || 4 | 18 || 12 || 13 || 155 || 89 || 244 || 39 || 38 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 8.6 || 4.9 || 13.6 || 2.2 || 2.1 |- | 1992 || Template:AFL Ess || 4 | 21 || 11 || 17 || 238 || 121 || 359 || 55 || 73 || 0.5 || 0.8 || 11.3 || 5.8 || 17.1 || 2.6 || 3.5 |- | scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 1993# || Template:AFL Ess || 4 | 22 || 5 || 3 || 267 || 146 || 413 || 69 || 30 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 12.1 || 6.6 || 18.8 || 3.1 || 1.4 |- | 1994 || Template:AFL Ess || 4 | 22 || 12 || 9 || 286 || 101 || 387 || 82 || 42 || 0.5 || 0.4 || 13.0 || 4.6 || 17.6 || 3.7 || 1.9 |- | 1995 || Template:AFL Ess || 4 | 23 || 10 || 10 || 267 || 124 || 391 || 60 || 27 || 0.4 || 0.4 || 11.6 || 5.4 || 17.0 || 2.6 || 1.2 |- | 1996 || Template:AFL Ess || 4 | 21 || 14 || 8 || 242 || 111 || 353 || 64 || 43 || 0.7 || 0.4 || 11.5 || 5.3 || 16.8 || 3.0 || 2.0 |- | 1997 || Template:AFL PA || 1 | 20 || 14 || 6 || 219 || 129 || 348 || 49 || 28 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 11.0 || 6.5 || 17.4 || 2.5 || 1.4 |- | 1998 || Template:AFL PA || 1 | 15 || 8 || 9 || 176 || 60 || 236 || 52 || 28 || 0.5 || 0.6 || 11.7 || 4.0 || 15.7 || 3.5 || 1.9 |- | 1999 || Template:AFL PA || 1 | 16 || 5 || 4 || 193 || 92 || 285 || 59 || 15 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 12.1 || 5.8 || 17.8 || 3.7 || 0.9 |- | 2000 || Template:AFL PA || 1 | 10 || 6 || 5 || 120 || 55 || 175 || 36 || 9 || 0.6 || 0.5 || 12.0 || 5.5 || 17.5 || 3.6 || 0.9 |- | 2001 || Template:AFL PA || 4 | 24 || 41 || 22 || 256 || 109 || 365 || 75 || 26 || 1.7 || 0.9 || 10.7 || 4.5 || 15.2 || 3.1 || 1.1 |- | 2002 || Template:AFL PA || 4 | 20 || 12 || 7 || 201 || 83 || 284 || 64 || 21 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 10.1 || 4.2 || 14.2 || 3.2 || 1.1 |- | 2003 || Template:AFL PA || 4 | 25 || 15 || 18 || 433 || 91 || 524 || 161 || 33 || 0.6 || 0.7 || 17.3 || 3.6 || 21.0 || 6.4 || 1.3 |- | scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 2004# || Template:AFL PA || 4 | 19 || 24 || 10 || 193 || 103 || 296 || 86 || 17 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 10.2 || 5.4 || 15.6 || 4.5 || 0.9 |- | 2005 || Template:AFL PA || 4 | 23 || 13 || 8 || 227 || 135 || 362 || 75 || 29 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 9.9 || 5.9 || 15.7 || 3.3 || 1.3 |- | 2006 || Template:AFL PA || 4 | 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 9 || 9 || 1 || 1 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 9.0 || 9.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 |- class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3| Career ! 300 !! 202 !! 149 !! 3473 !! 1558 !! 5031 !! 1027 !! 460 !! 0.7 !! 0.5 !! 11.6 !! 5.2 !! 16.8 !! 3.4 !! 1.5 |}

Football honours and achievements

Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
1991 7
1992 11
1993 18
1994 6
1995 7
1996 4
1997 11
1998 3
1999 11
2000 —
2001 4
2002 2
2003 21
2004 2
2005 2
2006 —
Total 109
Key:
Green / Bold = Won

Essendon

Team

Individual

Port Adelaide

Team

Individual

Other individual awards

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:1990 Port Adelaide premiership players Template:1993 Essendon premiership players Template:2004 Port Adelaide premiership players Template:Port Adelaide Football Club captains Template:Essendon Team of The Century Template:John Cahill Medal Template:AFL Brownlow Medallists Template:Robert Rose award Template:Michael Tuck Medal Template:1992 All-Australian team Template:1993 All-Australian team Template:1995 All-Australian team Template:2001 All-Australian team Template:2003 All-Australian team Template:Navboxes Template:1989 VFL national draft Template:AFL Indigenous Team of the Century Template:Aboriginal South Australians Template:Australian Survivor contestants Template:Authority control

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