Sam Kekovich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sam Kekovich |
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Sam Kekovich in Melbourne, September 2019
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Sam Kekovich | ||
| Nickname(s) | Slammin' Sam | ||
| Date of birth | 11 March 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Manjimup, Western Australia | ||
| Original team | Myrtleford (O&MFL) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder / Forward | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Sam Kekovich (born 11 March 1950) is a well-known Australian media personality, sports commentator, and former Australian rules football player. He is famous for his strong opinions and funny, often over-the-top, advertisements for Australian lamb.
Sam is also known for his lively personality, both during his football career and in his later work in the media. He became especially famous as the face of the Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) campaigns, encouraging people to eat lamb.
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Sam's Family and Early Life
Sam Kekovich has two brothers, Brian and Michael. His older brother, Brian Kekovich, was also a talented VFL football player. Brian played for the Carlton team for two seasons. He even kicked four goals in Carlton's big Grand Final win in 1968. Sadly, Brian's career ended soon after that game due to a serious back injury.
His younger brother, Michael, showed great promise in football at a young age. He played for the North Melbourne team when he was just 16. Michael also played in the North Melbourne Second XVIII team. Tragically, Michael passed away at 17 years old in 1971.
Sam's Football Journey
Sam Kekovich started his professional football career with the Victorian Football League (VFL) club North Melbourne in 1968. The team is also known as the Kangaroos.
Playing for North Melbourne
In his second year, 1969, Sam won the club's best and fairest award, called the Syd Barker Medal. He was also the top goalkicker for North Melbourne that year, scoring 56 goals.
Sam played a very important part in North Melbourne winning their first ever premiership in 1975. He helped the team's main ruckman, Mick Nolan, by winning many of the boundary throw-ins. This helped North Melbourne beat Hawthorn in the Grand Final.
Moving to Collingwood and Prahran
After playing 124 games for North Melbourne between 1968 and 1976, Sam moved to the Collingwood team in 1977. He only played four games for Collingwood before leaving the VFL that season.
However, his football career wasn't over. He then 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.
Later, in 1987, Sam became the coach for the Camberwell Football Club. He coached the team for three seasons. Sam Kekovich was even chosen to be on the interchange bench for the North Melbourne Team of the Century, which is a big honor.
Life After Football: Media Star
After his football career, Sam Kekovich became a well-known media personality. He is famous for his unique "rants" where he speaks directly to the camera in a serious, deadpan style. These rants often mix different ideas and cultural references. He usually ends them with his famous line, "You know it makes sense. I'm Sam Kekovich."
He appeared on TV shows like The Fat on the ABC. He also worked as a radio presenter on stations like 3AK and SEN 1116. You might have also heard him on Triple M's AFL coverage or on ESPN.
The Famous Lamb Ads
From 2005 to 2014, Sam Kekovich was the face of a very popular yearly advertising campaign for Meat and Livestock Australia. These ads came out before Australia Day and encouraged people to eat more Australian lamb.
The advertisements were done in Sam's well-known "rant" style. They often made funny, over-the-top statements about what it meant to be "un-Australian." The very first ad caused some discussion because he joked that vegetarians were un-Australian for not eating lamb on Australia Day. Even though some people complained, the ads were allowed to stay on air because they were seen as satire, meaning they were meant to be funny and not serious.
Sam continued to appear in these lamb ads for many years. In 2021, he was in an ad about "knocking down interstate walls" with lamb. In 2022, he was the "head of the National Lamb Rollout."
Sam also worked as an executive producer for an Australian film called Blinder, which was released in 2013. The movie is about a legendary former local football player.
Awards and Recognition
Sam Kekovich released a spoken word album in 2001 called You Know It Makes Sense: The Wisdom of Slammin Sam Kekovich. This album was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release in 2002. The ARIA Music Awards are a big annual music awards ceremony in Australia.
