Australian Football

From a debut with the Magpies under age teams in the late 1960s, to his stint as Chief Executive Officer of the club when the Power won its first AFL flag in 2004, Brian Cunningham played an integral role with the Port Adelaide Football Club over a period spanning 35 years.

The years in between saw 'Bucky', as he was affectionately known, kick 428 goals from a total of 256 league games for Port after debuting in 1971. Impeccably fair, highly skilled and one of the most naturally two-sided players of his era, he formed one half of a formidable roving combination with Darrell Cahill for much of the seventies.

He kicked four goals and was Port’s best player in the drought-breaking 1977 Grand Final win against Glenelg, and captained the Magpies to three consecutive premierships between 1979 and 1981. He also represented South Australia six times before retiring from league football after the 1983 season.

After a stint as a television commentator, Cunningham became Chief Executive Officer at Port Adelaide in 1992 and oversaw the club’s successful bid for an AFL license in the mid-90s. Leading a stable and effective administration, his influence was a significant part of Port’s successful transition into the AFL, and fittingly the club secured its first AFL premiership in 2004, his final year as CEO.

Author - Max Sayer