View source for Mark Ricciuto

{{short description|Australian rules footballer}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Mark Ricciuto
| image = Mark Ricciuto 300th.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = 
| fullname = Mark Anthony Ricciuto
| nickname = "Roo"
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|6|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Waikerie]], [[South Australia]]
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| originalteam = [[West Adelaide Football Club|West Adelaide]]
| height = 184&nbsp;cm<ref name="hw">{{cite web|title=Mark Ricciuto|url=http://australianfootball.com/players/player/mark%2Bricciuto/13119|publisher=Australian Football|access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref>
| weight = 93&nbsp;kg<ref name="hw" />
| position = Midfielder, Forward
| guernsey = 32
| statsend = 2007
| years1 = 1993–2007
| club1 = {{AFL Ade}}
| games_goals1 = 312 (292)
| sooyears1 = 1994–1999
| sooteam1 = [[South Australia Australian rules football team|South Australia]]
| soogames_goals1 = 5 (2)
| nationalyears1 = 1998–2000
| nationalteam1 = [[Australia international rules football team|Australia]]
| nationalgames_goals1 = 2 (0)
| careerhighlights = * [[Brownlow Medal]]: [[2003 Brownlow Medal|2003]]
*[[Australian Football League|AFL]] [[List of Australian Football League premiers|premiership player]] ([[1998 AFL Grand Final|1998]])
* 8× [[All-Australian team|All-Australian]] (1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 (c), 2005(c))
* 3× [[Malcolm Blight Medal]] (1998, 2003, 2004)
* {{AFL Ade}} captain (2001–07)
* [[AFL Rising Star]] nominee (1993)
* [[South Australia Australian rules football team|South Australia team representative]]
* 4× [[Showdown Medal]] (1998, 2000, 2004, 2005)
* 2× [[AFL Players Association awards#Best Captain|AFLPA best captain]] (2005, 2006)
* [[List of Adelaide Football Club leading goalkickers|Adelaide leading goalkicker]] (2006)
* [[Adelaide Football Club#"Team of the Decade"|Adelaide Team of the Decade]] - half-forward flank
* [[VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century]] <small>(named 2007)</small>
* [[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] <small>(inducted 2011)</small>
* [[South Australian Football Hall of Fame]] <small>(inducted 2012)</small>
* 4x [[Merv Agars Medal]] (1996-1998, 2004)
}}
'''Mark Anthony Ricciuto''' ({{IPAc-en|r|ɪ|ˈ|tʃ|uː|t|oʊ}} {{respell|ri|CHOO|toh}};<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqfzJ3Ohn8c 2011 Hall of Fame - Mark Ricciuto], Adelaide FC, 9 June 2011. Accessed 20 November 2016.</ref> born 8 June 1975) is a former [[Australian rules football]]er who played for the [[Adelaide Football Club]] in the [[Australian Football League]] (AFL). From Ramco, South Australia, Ricciuto started as a junior with the local Waikerie Magpies Football Club. He joined the [[West Adelaide Football Club]] in the [[South Australian National Football League]] (SANFL), making his debut at the age of 16, before being recruited by Adelaide as a [[Zoning (Australian rules football)|zone selection]] prior to the [[1993 AFL season|1993 season]].

Playing as a midfielder, he established himself in Adelaide's side, receiving a nomination for the [[AFL Rising Star]] in 1993, his debut season, and being named in the [[All-Australian team]] the following season, the first of eight selections overall. Having played in Adelaide's premiership side in 1998, also winning the [[Malcolm Blight Medal]] as the club's [[best and fairest]], Ricciuto replaced [[Mark Bickley]] as the club's captain prior to the [[2001 AFL season|2001 season]].

Consistently considered one of the best midfielders in the competition during the early 2000s (decade), Ricciuto shared the 2003 [[Brownlow Medal]] with [[Nathan Buckley]] and [[Adam Goodes]], and was selected in the All-Australian team for four consecutive seasons between 2002 and 2005, captaining the side in both 2004 and 2005. Having played more of a forward role in his last two seasons, Ricciuto retired at the end of the [[2007 AFL season|2007 season]], having played a total of 312 games for Adelaide, kicking 292 goals.

Also representing [[South Australia Australian rules football team|South Australia]] in [[Interstate matches in Australian rules football|interstate football]] and [[Australia international rules football team|Australia]] in the [[International Rules Series]], Ricciuto was inducted into the [[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] in 2011, and the [[South Australian Football Hall of Fame]] in 2012.

==AFL career==
===Early career (1993–1996)===
Ricciuto was born in [[Waikerie, South Australia]]. He was recruited by [[SANFL]] team [[West Adelaide Football Club|West Adelaide]] and soon after – as a 16-year-old high schooler – was recruited by the [[Adelaide Football Club|Adelaide Crows]] in 1992. He debuted in the [[Australian Football League|AFL]] in 1993. Ricciuto earned his first All-Australian selection as a 19-year-old in 1994.

===Rising career (1997–2001)===
After a stellar year in 1997 (in which he received his second All-Australian guernsey) he ended up missing the 1997 premiership due to a late season injury. Despite this setback, he rallied in 1998 to again be an All-Australian, win the club's best and fairest, and play in his only premiership. He was appointed as the Adelaide captain in 2001.

===Career high (2002–2005)===
In 2003, he was joint winner of the league's highest individual honor, the [[Brownlow Medal]], with [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]]'s [[Nathan Buckley]] and [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]]'s [[Adam Goodes]]. In 2004 he came second in the Brownlow medal. In 2004 and 2005 he earned his seventh and eighth All-Australian guernsey. However at the end of the 2005 season, Ricciuto was suspended following an incident in the Crows' final regular season match against [[West Coast Eagles|West Coast]]; thus ruling him out of [[Brownlow Medal]] contention and the Crows' first qualifying final against fourth placed {{AFL Stk}}, hampering the Crows' attempts at a straight path to the preliminary final. Indeed, the Crows lost this match by just eight points, and ultimately the Crows finished one match short of the 2005 decider.

===Twilight career (2006–2007)===
Late in the [[2006 AFL season|2006 season]], Ricciuto was ruled out of the Crows' final few matches due to a "mystery ailment" which was later found to be [[parvovirus B19]].<ref>[http://www.gatago.com/aus/sport/aussie-rules/28448414.html Mark Ricciuto] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927045940/http://www.gatago.com/aus/sport/aussie-rules/28448414.html |date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> Nevertheless, Ricciuto led the Crows to their second straight top-two finish in 2006 and thus a more direct path to the preliminary final, again against the [[West Coast Eagles]] where again the Crows finished one match short of the decider, losing the preliminary final by just 10 points.

Ricciuto played his 300th AFL game on 21 July 2006 against [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]]. He kicked 5 goals in a game that Adelaide won by 72 points. He was quicker than any other player in AFL history to this milestone, in 13 years and 83 days, some 11 days quicker than Carlton's [[Craig Bradley]].<ref>[http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=258069 Crows must recruit better, says Ricciuto] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605135948/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=258069 |date=5 June 2011 }}</ref>

===Retirement===
Ricciuto announced his retirement on 16 August 2007 due to persistent injuries. During his career, he amassed an incredible eight All-Australian selections, a record matched in the AFL era only by St Kilda's [[Robert Harvey (footballer)|Robert Harvey]] as well as Lance Franklin. Ricciuto was also twice named All-Australian captain in 2004 and 2005, joining Paul Kelly, Wayne Carey, and Michael Voss as the only multiple All-Australian Captains in the AFL era.

==Personal life==
{{BLP sources section|date=August 2018}}
Ricciuto is noted for his [[Italy|Italian]] heritage, and bears a large tattoo of his family name on his back.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} His grandfather was born in the small Italian town of [[Fragneto Monforte]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=King |first1=Sarah |last2=O'Connor |first2=Desmond |title=Building blocks of settlement: Italians in the Riverland, South Australia |journal=Italian Historical Society Journal |date=2003 |volume=11 |pages=6–7 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/14929390.pdf |access-date=18 January 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

On 19 January 2008, Ricciuto married Sarah Delahunt.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Meegan |first1=Genevieve |title=Ricciuto's perfect match |url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/ricciutos-perfect-match/news-story/b48823e85762b2f46be83da321cf7bcc |access-date=18 January 2019 |work=The Advertiser|location=Adelaide|date=18 January 2008 |language=en}}</ref> They have two daughters and four sons.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Homfray |first1=Reece |title=Crows great Mark Ricciuto and wife Sarah welcome fifth child, Rocco, to the clan |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/crows-great-mark-ricciuto-and-wife-sarah-welcome-fifth-child-rocco-to-the-clan/news-story/5b382ba6aa5396abd3eb9e87c4f131bb?nk=1a4293a825899bd38b9061500a13b53d-1547810317 |access-date=18 January 2019 |work=Herald Sun |date=27 November 2013}}</ref>

==Post AFL career==
In 2009, he played for Prince Alfred College Old Collegians in division 4 of the South Australian Amateur Football League.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

Ricciuto played in the ANZAC day clash 2008 with Waikerie A grade against Loxton. Waikerie won the match by 38 points.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

Ricciuto also played in the 2008 Riverland Grand Final with Waikerie against Renmark. In time on in the final quarter with not very much time left on the clock, Ricciuto kicked the 12th goal for Waikerie to seal back-to-back Premierships for Waikerie.<ref>{{cite news|title= Mark Ricciuto leads Waikerie Magpies to Riverland premiership|publisher=news.com.au |url= http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,24341042-12428,00.html| first =Jesper|last=Fjeldstad|date= 14 September 2008 }}</ref>

Ricciuto now works in the media is an AFL commentator for both [[Triple M]] and [[Fox Footy]] and also hosts the weekday Triple M breakfast show with former Australian world number 1 squash player [[Chris Dittmar]] and local media personality Laura O'Callaghan.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Shows - Roo, Ditts & Loz {{!}} Triple M | url=https://www.triplem.com.au/shows/roo-ditts-loz | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209073859/https://www.triplem.com.au/shows/roo-ditts-loz | access-date=2025-02-22 | archive-date=2021-12-09}}</ref>

Ricciuto was inducted into the [[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] in 2011,<ref>{{cite news | url =http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/halloffame/hard-working-mark-ricciuto-inducted-into-afl-hall-of-fame/story-fn8wskg9-1226072659693 | title =Hard-working Mark Ricciuto inducted into AFL Hall of Fame | first =Jon | last =Anderson | work =Herald Sun |date =9 June 2011}}</ref> and into the [[South Australian Football Hall of Fame]] in 2012.<ref>[http://www.sanfl.com.au/hall_of_fame/mark_ricciuto/ Hall of Fame: Mark Ricciuto] – South Australian Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 September 2012.</ref>

In March 2014, a section of the Eastern Stand at [[Adelaide Oval]] was named after Ricciuto.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-09-23 |title=SA Greats Honoured |url=https://www.adelaideoval.com.au/news/sa-greats-honoured/ |access-date=2024-05-05 |website=Adelaide Oval |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Statistics==
:<ref>[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/M/Mark_Ricciuto.html Mark Ricciuto's player profile at AFL Tables]</ref>
{{AFL player statistics legend}}
{{AFL player statistics start}}
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1993 AFL season|1993]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 19 || 2 || 0 || 238 || 145 || 383 || 66 || 33 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 12.5 || 7.6 || 20.2 || 3.5 || 1.7
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1994 AFL season|1994]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 21 || 23 || 15 || 285 || 142 || 427 || 118 || 27 || 1.1 || 0.7 || 13.6 || 6.8 || 20.3 || 5.6 || 1.3
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1995 AFL season|1995]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 21 || 21 || 26 || 210 || 119 || 329 || 89 || 24 || 1.0 || 1.2 || 10.0 || 5.7 || 15.7 || 4.2 || 1.1
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1996 AFL season|1996]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 22 || 9 || 9 || 267 || 188 || 455 || 97 || 19 || 0.4 || 0.4 || 12.1 || 8.5 || 20.7 || 4.4 || 0.9
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1997 AFL season|1997]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 21 || 6 || 13 || 316 || 193 || 509 || 106 || 33 || 0.3 || 0.6 || 15.0 || 9.2 || 24.2 || 5.0 || 1.6
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | [[1998 AFL season|1998]]
|style="text-align:center;"|[[Adelaide Football Club|Adelaide]]
| 32 || 24 || 22 || 25 || 386 || 183 || 569 || 111 || 35 || 0.9 || 1.0 || 16.1 || 7.6 || 23.7 || 4.6 || 1.5
|- style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1999 AFL season|1999]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 21 || 9 || 4 || 274 || 162 || 436 || 97 || 13 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 13.0 || 7.7 || 20.8 || 4.6 || 0.6
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2000 AFL season|2000]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 22 || 20 || 10 || 334 || 247 || 581 || 104 || 43 || 0.9 || 0.5 || 15.2 || 11.2 || 26.4 || 4.7 || 2.0
|-style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2001 AFL season|2001]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 23 || 27 || 20 || 265 || 186 || 451 || 93 || 48 || 1.2 || 0.9 || 11.5 || 8.1 || 19.6 || 4.0 || 2.1
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2002 AFL season|2002]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 22 || 35 || 15 || 261 || 190 || 451 || 86 || 67 || 1.6 || 0.7 || 11.9 || 8.6 || 20.5 || 3.9 || 3.0
|-style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2003 AFL season|2003]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 24 || 24 || 16 || 333 || 232 || 565 || 79 || 69 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 13.9 || 9.7 || 23.5 || 3.3 || 2.9
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2004 AFL season|2004]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 22 || 17 || 17 || 305 || 230 || 535 || 87 || 44 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 13.9 || 10.5 || 24.3 || 4.0 || 2.0
|-style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2005 AFL season|2005]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 24 || 21 || 16 || 292 || 240 || 532 || 104 || 52 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 12.2 || 10.0 || 22.2 || 4.3 || 2.2
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2006 AFL season|2006]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 17 || 44 || 26 || 158 || 87 || 245 || 102 || 18 || 2.6 || 1.5 || 9.3 || 5.1 || 14.4 || 6.0 || 1.1
|-style="background:#eaeaea;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[2007 AFL season|2007]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ade}}
| 32 || 9 || 12 || 10 || 60 || 41 || 101 || 30 || 13 || 1.3 || 1.1 || 6.7 || 4.5 || 11.2 || 3.3 || 1.4
|- class="sortbottom"
! colspan=3| Career
! 312
! 292
! 222
! 3984
! 2585
! 6569
! 1369
! 538
! 0.9
! 0.7
! 12.8
! 8.3
! 21.1
! 4.4
! 1.7
|}

==Honours and achievements==
{| style="margin-right:4px; margin-top:8px; float:right; border:1px #000 solid; border-radius:8px; background:#fff; font-family:Verdana; font-size:8pt; text-align:center;"
|- style="background:#fff;"
| colspan="2;" style="padding:3px; margin-bottom:-3px; margin-top:2px; font-family:Arial; "| '''[[Brownlow Medal]] votes'''
|-
! style="width:50%;"| Season
! style="width:50%;"| Votes
|-
| [[1993 Brownlow Medal|1993]]
| —
|-
| [[1994 Brownlow Medal|1994]]
| 5
|-
| [[1995 Brownlow Medal|1995]]
| 5
|-
| [[1996 Brownlow Medal|1996]]
| —
|-
| [[1997 Brownlow Medal|1997]]
| 18
|-
| [[1998 Brownlow Medal|1998]]
| 21
|-
| [[1999 Brownlow Medal|1999]]
| 1
|-
| [[2000 Brownlow Medal|2000]]
| 10
|-
| [[2001 Brownlow Medal|2001]]
| 7
|-
| [[2002 Brownlow Medal|2002]]
| 13
|-
|- style="background:#D9F9E9;"
| '''[[2003 Brownlow Medal|2003]]'''
| '''22'''
|-
| [[2004 Brownlow Medal|2004]]
| 23
|-
| [[2005 Brownlow Medal|2005]]
| 11
|-
| [[2006 Brownlow Medal|2006]]
| 8
|-
| [[2007 Brownlow Medal|2007]]
| 2
|-
| '''Total'''
| '''146'''
|-
| colspan=2| <small>Key:</small>
|- style="background:#d9f9e9; border:1px solid #aaa; width:2em;"
| colspan=2| <small>Green / '''Bold''' = [[List of Brownlow Medal winners|Won]]</small><!--
<br />* = joint winner</small>
|- style="background-color:#FFCCCC; border:1px solid #aaaaaa; width:2em;"
| colspan=2| <small>Red / ''Italics'' = [[Brownlow Medal#Ineligibility|Ineligible]]</small>
-->
|}
*'''Team'''
**'''[[AFL Premiership]] ([[Adelaide Football Club|Adelaide]])''': 1998
**'''[[McClelland Trophy]] ([[Adelaide Football Club|Adelaide]])''': 2005
*'''Individual'''
**'''[[Brownlow Medal]]''': 2003
**'''[[All-Australian team|All-Australian]]''': 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004–2005 (captain)
**'''[[Malcolm Blight Medal|Malcolm Blight Medal (Adelaide F. C. Best & Fairest)]]''': 1998, 2003, 2004
**'''[[List of Adelaide Football Club leading goalkickers|Adelaide F. C. Leading Club Goalkicker Award]]''': 2006
**'''[[List of Adelaide Football Club captains|Adelaide F. C. Captain]]''': 2001–2007
**'''[[AFL Players Association awards#Best Captain|AFLPA Best Captain Award]]''': 2005, 2006
**'''[[Showdown Medal]]''': 2000, 2004, 2005
**'''[[Australian international rules football team|Australian Representative Honours in]] [[International rules football|International Rules Football]]''': 2000
**'''[[Italian Team of the Century#The team|Italian Team of the Century - ruck-rover (captain)]]'''
**'''[[Australian Football Hall of Fame]] inductee''': 2011
**'''[[South Australian Football Hall of Fame|SA Football Hall of Fame Inductee]]''': 2012
**'''[[AFL Rising Star|AFL Rising Star Nominee]]''': 1993 (Round 16)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{AFL Tables|ref=M/Mark_Ricciuto.html}}

{{1998 Adelaide premiership players}}
{{Adelaide Football Club captains}}
{{AFL Brownlow Medallists}}
{{AFLPA best captain}}
{{Malcolm Blight Medal}}
{{VFL/AFL club best and fairest winners in premiership years}}
{{Adelaide leading goalkickers}}
{{1993 AFL Rising Star nominees}}
{{Showdown Medal}}
{{navboxes
| title = Mark Ricciuto in All-Australian teams
| list1 = 
{{All-Australian captains}}
{{1994 All-Australian team}}
{{1997 All-Australian team}}
{{1998 All-Australian team}}
{{2000 All-Australian team}}
{{2002 All-Australian team}}
{{2003 All-Australian team}}
{{2004 All-Australian team}}
{{2005 All-Australian team}}
}}
{{1998 Australian international rules team}}
{{2000 Australian international rules team}}
{{navboxes
| title = Mark Ricciuto in South Australian State of Origin teams
| titlestyle = background:red; color:gold; border: solid blue 2px;
| list1 ={{1994 South Australia State of Origin players}}
{{1995 South Australia State of Origin players}}
{{1996 South Australia State of Origin players}}
{{1997 South Australia State of Origin players}}
{{1999 South Australia State of Origin players}}
}}
{{AFL Italian Team of the Century}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricciuto, Mark}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Adelaide Football Club players]]
[[Category:Adelaide Football Club premiership players]]
[[Category:All-Australians (AFL)]]
[[Category:Australian people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Sportspeople of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Brownlow Medal winners]]
[[Category:Malcolm Blight Medal winners]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Adelaide]]
[[Category:South Australian State of Origin players]]
[[Category:West Adelaide Football Club players]]
[[Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Australian rules football commentators]]
[[Category:Australia international rules football team players]]
[[Category:VFL/AFL premiership players]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]