Mary Gearin reports.
MARY GEARIN: For younger folk, Bob Davis may best spring to mind as one of the first larrikin footballers on TV. Back in the dawn of television he starred on the pioneering footy variety shows, World of Sports and League Teams, along with fellow legends Jack Dyer and Lou Richards.
(Excerpt from archival footy show)
Lifelong Geelong fan, Ian Cover, is one of the many successors of Davis' media legacy. He's a founding member of radio's Coodabeen Champions.
IAN COVER: Lots of people that are in the media today, footy media, can thank Bob for where they are and perhaps they could also reflect the same amount of enjoyment that Bob did out of the game.
MARY GEARIN: But well before Bob Davis' TV stardom came the footy. His legendary career began in 1948. He was the Geelong Flyer, named after the train that ran between the town and Melbourne. As a speedy half forward flanker he played 189 games over a decade.
COMMENTATOR (archival audio): Davis goes back looking for Aylett.
MARY GEARIN: He won two flags along the way and was club captain from 1955 to '58, captain-coach for one of those years. And he brought to the ground an entertaining style of play that he would champion his whole life.
Ian Cover.
IAN COVER: Skilful play, flamboyant play, bit of flair, kick goals, run with the ball, all those sort of things. And the game today we talk about, you know, flooding and pressing and defensive approaches and stuff but hopefully that people still remember you can still play with a little bit of Bob Davis in you as well.
MARY GEARIN: John Harms is writer for The Footy Almanac website, and also an entrenched Cats fan.
JOHN HARMS: He always encouraged teams to play hard but fair and that certainly was reflected in comments that he made right throughout his life.
MARY GEARIN: After hanging up the boots, Bob Davis went on to coach the Cats for a further six years and took them to a flag in 1963. That's a feat no other Cats coach could match for 44 years.
On grand final morning in 2007, as Geelong lined up against Port Adelaide for what would become its drought-breaking flag, John Harms shared a radio segment with Davis. And he remembers that even at that point Bob Davis had rare perspective.
JOHN HARMS: It was one of the best 10 minutes I've ever spent and Bobbie was just beautiful and at the end he said, look I hope that both teams play to the best of their ability and may the better side win. And I just thought, Bob you know you are just a star.
MARY GEARIN: Ian Cover got to know the Geelong legend, even hosted his 70th birthday party, and says despite his status as club legend he was always approachable.
IAN COVER: It was oh hello Bobby and he'd call out back to them and always would stop and say g'day and that. So he was just very personable, friendly and you felt like you wanted to go and give him a big bear hug as well because he was like, you know, cuddly fatherly type figure.
It's extraordinary, one of the things I've observed over the years that Bob coached Geelong to a premiership in 1963 and all those fellows that played under him, including great games like "Polly" Farmer and Doug Wade, John Sharrock, Billy Goggin, Alistair Lord, Bob was like a father figure to them.
And even later, when I'd be hosting a function and now they're men in their sixties and seventies and not much younger than Bob, they would always still defer to him as the coach or the father of them all.
MARY GEARIN: John Harms agrees.
JOHN HARMS: The thing about Bob he's just, it was never about him. From the first time I met him, I knew that he was more interested in you and talking about you. For all the things that he'd done in his life, it was, and that was completely genuine and you know that was just such a warmth and such a tremendous thing.
MARY GEARIN: As one of few people in any sport who could be said to have made a 60 year contribution, both on and off the field, as both player and personality, Bob Davis will be long remembered, according to John Harms.
JOHN HARMS: Such a fantastic solid citizen who's given so much to the club and to the town and just much love. I think we'll be talking about Bob Davis for a long time.
MARK COLVIN: John Harms, author and footy writer, talking to Mary Gearin.
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