Gary Ablett Sr.

Gary Ablett, Sr. (born October 1, 1961) is a retired Australian Rules Football player. He was arguably one of the most legendary players ever to play the game. However, his life after football has been less successful.

Ablett grew up in the town of Drouin in Victoria's Gippsland region. His father was a champion horse trainer and his mother was a talented track and field athlete. He was one of eight children, with two of his four brothers playing professional football and all of his siblings succeeding in their chosen sports. One of his sisters is married to former Hawthorn star Michael Tuck.

Ablett dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and became a brickie's labourer. During his teenage years, he was charged with criminal offences such as assault and drug possession, and came close to imprisonment on more than one occasion.

In 1982, Ablett was recruited by the Hawthorn Football Club as a wingman, in what was then the Victorian Football League. His first season was not successful. He played only six games and kicked nine goals. At season's end, he returned to his uncle's home town of Myrtleford, and played out the 1983 season there.

At that time, his football career seemed over. Then, in 1984, he was picked up by Geelong, where he moved to the forward line. In the 1984 season, he turned his career around, playing 15 games and kicking 33 goals. He was awarded best and fairest at Geelong that same year.

For the next twelve seasons, Ablett was one of the stars of what soon became the Australian Football League. He played in four grand final teams - 1989, 1992, 1994 and 1995, although Geelong lost each time. In 1989, he kicked nine goals and was awarded the Norm Smith Medal, for best player afield in the Grand Final - a match widely regarded as one of the best ever played.

In 1986, Ablett became a born-again Christian and has been said to be slightly aggrieved at constantly being referred to as "God" by fans.

Ablett announced his retirement from football due to personal reasons prior to the 1991 season. He made a comeback halfway through that year.

Ablett won three consecutive Coleman Medals, for the most goals kicked in a season, in 1993, 1994 and 1995. In those three seasons, he broke the 100-goal barrier each time - a rare feat in Australian Rules. He also became the first Geelong player to do so. He represented Victoria in State of Origin games 11 times, being the side's captain in 1995. He made the All-Australian team 7 times, in 1984, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995, as well as being selected in both the AFL and Geelong Teams of the Century. In total, Ablett played 242 games, and kicked 1021 goals.

At the end of the 1996 season, Ablett announced he would be retiring. He had never been able to deal with the media well, and this may be why, unlike many renowned footballers, Ablett did not become involved in sports broadcasting after his retirement. He became involved in a number of controversies in his private life, most notably when a young woman, Alicia Horan, died of a drug overdose while in Ablett's hotel room. While Ablett faced no charges over the incident, the coronial inquest suggested that his negligience had played a role in her death, and much of the media coverage was scathing of Ablett.

It has been suggested that this incident, in particular, is responsible for the AFL Hall of Fame Committee's refusal to admit Ablett. In 2004, after several years of being overlooked, Ablett asked the Geelong Football Club to stop nominating him.

Ablett's eldest son, Gary Ablett Jr. has followed in his footsteps and now plays for Geelong. Another son, Nathan, is currently playing in local leagues and is likely to also be drafted in two or three years time.

There is also a English football (soccer) player called Gary Ablett; see Gary Ablett (English footballer).