Ron Coote

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Ron Coote was an Australian rugby league player for the South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs clubs.

Born in Kingsford, New South Wales in 1944 Coote was a South Sydney junior and the son of 1930s Easts forward Jack Coote.

Coote was a tall, rangy lock with a upright running style. He was famous for his outstanding cover defence and low, "round-the-legs" tackling technique. He was bestowed the name "Prince of Locks" after his crowning as second greatest lock ever (behind "King of Locks" Johnny Raper). Coote is considered one of the greatest players ever and the best non-Immortal player of rugby league.

He represented Australia in 23 Tests and World Cup games between 1967 and 1975 and was captain for 3 games in the 1970 World Cup.

He played 151 games for South Sydney from 1964-71 and 108 games for Eastern Suburbs from 1972-1978.

With both clubs enjoying success during his tenure, Coote's Grand Final record is phenomenal. He played in nine Grand Finals in 11 seasons from 1965 to 1975. He won four premierships at Souths and consecutive premierships at Easts in 1974 & 1975.

After football Coote became a successful businessman owning a number of McDonalds franchises. He was at one time a member of the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) judiciary. In 2000 he founded the Men of League program which supports former players, officials and referees who have fallen on hard times. The program offers practical assiatance and grants for medical operations; it mentors players about to retire from the game and promotes the game in regional areas. As at 2007 Ron Coote is President of the Men of League Program.

In 2004 he was named by Souths in their South Sydney Dream Team,^[1], consisting of 17 players and a coach representing the club from 1908 through to 2004.

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