Sam Newman
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | December 22, 1945, |
| Recruited from | Geelong Grammar School |
| Height/Weight | 189cm / 94kg |
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | 1964, Geelong vs. St. Kilda, at Kardinia Park |
| Team(s) | Geelong
306 games, 110 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2006 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
Sam Newman (born John Noel William Newman; December 22, 1945 in Geelong, Victoria) was an Australian rules football player for the Geelong Cats and is now a local celebrity, reknowned womanizer, television personality and part-time specialist ruck coach.
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[edit] VFL/AFL career
Newman's entire VFL/AFL playing career was spent at Geelong Football Club. He played his first senior game for the club in 1964, having been recruited while still at Geelong Grammar School. Newman being a very tall man, in his first four seasons he played with acknowledged ruck master, Graham 'Polly' Farmer.
As a player, Newman quickly distinguished himself because of his prodigious athletic skills, and the wide range of positions that he could play, in a era when players tended to specialise to a great degree.
In the 1967 finals series, he suffered a serious kidney injury in the first semi-final, and as a result missed the Grand Final, which Geelong lost to Richmond. He had part of one kidney removed, but courageously returned to play the next season and win Geelong's Best and Fairest award.
During his 17 season career he played 300 games, primarily as ruckman, including 41 games as Geelong captain. He twice won club Best and Fairest (1968 and 1975), was selected All-Australian (1969), and played for the Victorian state team 8 times. He retired in 1980, having polled 100 Brownlow Medal votes throughout his career.
In 2002, he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame and has also been honoured as a "Legend of the Geelong Football Club".
In December 2005, Newman was appointed as ruck coach for the Melbourne Football Club to mentor players such as Jeff White, Mark Jamar, Paul Johnson and Nick Smith.
[edit] Media career
Newman is an integral part of the AFL version of The Footy Show on the Australian Nine Network. One of Newman's best-known contributions to the show is "Street Talk", in which he interviews people around the streets of Melbourne on a topical issue. His interviews often contain sexual innuendo (especially when interviewing women) and mocking of the interviewees.
On "The Footy Show", Newman has a reputation for controversial antics, including:
- wearing blackface after Aboriginal guest Nicky Winmar failed to show.
- having his pants and underpants pulled down by Hawthorn captain Shane Crawford, revealing his genitals live on air.
- completely stripping live on air (to the tune of with "You Can Leave Your Hat On"), alongside Billy Brownless, Dermott Brereton and Roland Rocchiccioli. Although only the studio audience inititially saw the men's genitals, Sam later exposed his on camera.
- being pushed by former Demon player, David Schwarz, after throwing a pie in his face.
- getting punched in the stomach live on air by Shane Crawford.
- chasing Shane Crawford with clear violent intent after Crawford appeared to draw on an Archibald Prize-entered portrait of Newman - later revealed to be a copy.
- spraying Crawford with a fire extinguisher because Crawford interrupted him during the segment Sam's Mailbag and because Crawford had spat water at Newman when he walked into the studio.
- deliberately antagonizing panel guest Jason Dunstall during a Back to the 80s-themed show because he did not dress in an 80s outfit or hairstyle. A clearly annoyed Dunstall told host Garry Lyon to control Newman's comments. Eventually, when Newman appeared in a gorilla suit, Dunstall vented his annoyance on co-host James Brayshaw, picking him up, carrying him out of the studio and putting him in an empty rubbish bin.
- when Shane Crawford brought in a basket of baby supplies into the studio, Newman took down his own pants to facilitate a "nappy change". Crawford then poured water and talcum powder on Newman and wrapped him up in cloth.
- being sprayed with a fire extinguisher by Shane Crawford (in Shane's retaliation for being sprayed by Sam earlier in the season). Newman left the studio to shower and change, but was then shown naked in the shower. When he returned later in the show, he was wearing only a dressing gown. At the end of the show, Crawford and other guests Jonathan Brown (Brisbane Lions) and Matthew Richardson (Richmond) threw water bottles at Newman, who again left the studio.
- repeatedly showing (during "Sam's Mailbag") a video of Garry Lyon (the show's host) being stretchered off the field in agony with a broken leg and drinking a glass of vodka at the same time. The letter was from a person writing to Newman to tell him that he drinks vodka every time he sees the video. Sam's comment towards the person after he read the letter was "you're gonna get pissed tonight," as in he meant that he was going to show the video a lot of times. An annoyed Lyon left the studio but returned after the commercial break.
Newman's other media appearances have included the Sunday sports show Any Given Sunday in 2005.
On radio station Triple M, Newman formerly provided special comments during AFL games, but on May 8, 2006, was sacked from that position for "negativity" (for which he had been previously suspended in 2005), and for swearing at a talkback caller after the Round 6 match between the Western Bulldogs and St. Kilda. The sacking occurred two weeks after he walked out on a broadcast midway through a round 4 clash between the Western Bulldogs and the Geelong Cats, having expressed disgust at the style of football being played and the perceived quality of umpiring. [1] Newman retains his Triple M job of previewing Friday night and Saturday afternoon matches.
[edit] Tabloid Celebrity & Personal Life
Newman is reknowned womanizer and somewhat reluctant sex symbol, often using his open, aggressive suggestion, charm and contacts to score dates and brief affairs with famous women. Some of the women Sam has been linked to include:
- Australian model Imogen Bailey. The two have refused comment to such rumours.
- Pamela Anderson, who is apparently 'just a good friend', although Newman erected a large image of Pamela Anderson on the front exterior glass wall of his Canterbury Road, Melbourne home, without obtaining council permission. However, he was later allowed to keep the artwork when permits were issued. The building later won architectural awards and is renowned as a St Kilda landmark.
- a make-up artist from Channel Nine
Newman has at various times has drawn attention for:
- being bashed by an ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.
- being run over by his pregnant girlfriend after a drunken argument;
- a woman broke a window trying to break in to his St Kilda house[2].
- being ejected from Perth's casino.
In 2004, Newman was reported to have had plastic surgery, most noticeably a facelift.
In 2005, he bought a yellow Lamborghini Murciélago, which is widely recognised as he drives it around Melbourne. In August 2006, he was involved in an altercation with the Panton Hill Volunteer Fire Brigade, accusing the driver of the fire truck of cutting him off while driving at Kinglake.
On the 17th of June, 2006, Newman was involved in an incident at the Löwenbräu Keller in Munich. Arriving at a Samba party (held in celebration of Australia's group match against Brazil in the 2006 FIFA World Cup) wearing an Australian soccer jersey, Newman was heckled by the crowd. A confrontation ensued: Newman was allegedly abused and spat upon before he retaliated with a jab to his antagonist's chin.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Sam Newman profile on GFC.com.au
- Newman's "Legends Lunch" at GFC
- Player Bio at Full Points Footy
- AFL statistics
- Sam Newman at the Internet Movie Database
- The Trouble With Sam
- The Footy Show AFL official website
- Triple M website
- Google Video featuring Sam Newman being punched by Shane Crawford on the Footy Show
Categories: Australian rules footballers | 1945 births | Australian Football Hall of Fame | Australian racecar drivers | Australian rules football commentators | Australian television personalities | Carji Greeves Medal winners | Geelong Cats players | Living people | Nine Network presenters | People from Geelong | People from Melbourne | Triple M presenters | All-Australians
