Ronald Dale Barassi was an Australian rules footballer, coach, and media personality.
Regarded as one of the greatest and most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player to be inaugurated into the Australian Football Hall of Fame
Who is Cherryl Copeland, Ron Barassi’s wife?
The Hall of Famer married Cherryl Copeland in 1981, Copeland, an artist wholly disinterested in football. They would spend the rest of his life together in a sprawling bohemian St Kilda apartment.
Barassi died on 16 September 2023 due to complications from a fall, Barassi unintentionally changed the game before he even took the field.
After his father’s death at Tobruk in 1941, a group of players and officials at the Melbourne Football Club pledged to support his widow, Elza, and her young son.
Barassi’s coaching career was both successful and regarded by many as revolutionary.
His clean record and passion for the game exemplified by his campaigning for the establishment of a national club-level competition has earned him a place as a celebrity and popular culture figure in Australia.
