Gary Ablett, Sr., Australian footballer
Gary Ablett Sr. (born 1 October 1961), is a former professional Australian rules footballer who represented Hawthorn and Geelong in the Australian Football League (AFL). Nicknamed "God", Ablett is widely regarded as one of Australian football's greatest players, and was especially renowned for his high-flying spectacular marks and his prolific goalkicking.After playing for several country teams in and around his hometown of Drouin, Victoria, Ablett was recruited by Hawthorn and made his Victorian Football League (VFL) debut in 1982. However, he struggled to adjust to city life and retreated to Myrtleford the following year. The Geelong Football Club managed to lure him back to professional football in 1984, and by the late 80s, he had become one of the VFL's biggest stars. His 1989 VFL Grand Final appearance, during which he kicked a grand final record nine goals for a losing side, is regarded as one of football's greatest individual performances, earning him the Norm Smith Medal. At the beginning of the 1991 season, Ablett shocked the football world by abruptly announcing his retirement from the game, but made a comeback midway through the year. He went on to appear in the 1992, 1994, and 1995 grand finals, before officially retiring after the 1996 season.Ablett's individual accolades and achievements include an induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, an AFL Team of the Century selection, the 1993 AFL Players Association MVP award (now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy), and three Coleman Medals. He remains Geelong's all-time leading goalkicker, with 1021 goals; and, in 2006, was voted by past and present Geelong Football Club players as the greatest Geelong footballer of all time.