Sam Kekovich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sam Kekovich
Sam Kekovich in Melbourne, September 2019
Personal information
Full name	Sam Kekovich
Nickname(s)	Slammin' Sam
Date of birth	(1950-03-11) 11 March 1950 (age 75)
Place of birth	Manjimup, Western Australia
Original team	Myrtleford (O&MFL)
Position(s)	Midfielder / Forward
Career highlights
North Melbourne Premiership player: 1975 Syd Barker Medal: 1969 North Melbourne leading Goalkicker: 1969, 1971 & 1972

Sam Kekovich (born 11 March 1950) is a well-known Australian media personality. He is also a sports commentator and a former Australian rules football player. Many people know him for his lively personality. He is also famous for his funny advertisements promoting lamb meat.

The Kekovich Family

Sam has an older brother named Brian Kekovich. Brian also played VFL football for the Carlton Football Club. He even kicked four goals in Carlton's 1968 Grand Final win. Brian's career ended soon after due to a serious back injury.

Sam also had a younger brother, Michael. Michael showed great promise as a young player for North Melbourne. Sadly, Michael died at age 17 in an accident in 1971.

Football Career

Sam Kekovich began his senior football career in 1968. He joined the North Melbourne Football Club (the Kangaroos) in the Victorian Football League (VFL). The very next year, he won the club's best and fairest award. He was also their top goalkicker with 56 goals.

In 1975, Sam played a big part in North Melbourne's first-ever premiership win. He helped the team's main ruckman, Mick Nolan, especially during boundary throw-ins. Sam often won these contests against Hawthorn's top ruckman.

After playing 124 VFL games for North Melbourne, Sam moved to Collingwood Football Club in 1977. He played only four games there before leaving the VFL. However, his football journey continued. He joined the Prahran Football Club in the Victorian Football Association. He played 20 games for Prahran and was part of their 1978 VFA Premiership team.

Sam Kekovich was later named in the North Melbourne Football Club Team of the Century. This is a special honor for the club's best players ever.

Media Career

Sam Kekovich is known for his energetic style in the media. He became famous for his "rants" on the ABC show The Fat. These were direct-to-camera speeches where he spoke in a serious, funny way. He often used many different cultural references. His speeches usually ended with his famous line, "You know it makes sense. I'm Sam Kekovich."

The ABC even released an album of his spoken words called You Know it Makes Sense. It was nominated for an award in 2002. Sam has also performed these "rants" in advertisements. These included ads for North Melbourne Football Club memberships.

Lambassador Campaign

From 2005 to 2014, Sam Kekovich led a very popular advertising campaign. He worked for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA). These ads encouraged people to eat more Australian lamb, especially around Australia Day. The advertisements were done in Sam's unique, serious but funny style. They often made exaggerated, satirical statements.

The first ad caused some discussion. Sam jokingly called vegetarians "un-Australian" for not eating lamb on Australia Day. This made some animal rights groups upset. However, the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau decided the ads were satirical and allowed them to continue. Many later ads also received complaints, but they were all dismissed.

Sam continued his role as the "Lambassador" into the 2020s. He appeared in Australia Day lamb ads in 2021 and 2022. In these ads, he continued to promote Australian lamb in his well-known style.

Sam was also an executive producer for the Australian film Blinder, released in 2013. This movie is about a legendary former local football player.

Awards and Nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards for Australian music.