36 Facts About Fos Williams

Fos Williams played 34 interstate games for South Australia, captaining the team from 1954 to 1958 and he coached the team in 45 games from 1955 to 1969.

The only football Fos Williams played prior to World War II was in Quorn.

Fos Williams played for the Quorn Albions and was a start player for Quorn High School.

Fos Williams enlisted in the Australian Army on 5 March 1942, serving as a signalman.

Fos Williams had a late start to football due to World War II, returning to Adelaide to start his career as a league footballer in July 1946 at the age of 24.

Fos Williams initially wanted to play with Port Adelaide where his brother Frank had been playing.

Subsequently, Fos Williams became the 609th player selected to play for club in the SANFL making his league debut on 20 July 1946.

Fos Williams played as a rover in West Adelaide's victorious 1947 Grand Final against Norwood at the Adelaide Oval.

Fos Williams first gained state selection for South Australia while with West Adelaide and kicked 112 goals for the club until the end of 1949.

Subsequently, on 22 January 1950 Fos Williams was released in good faith by West Adelaide so he could become the captain-coach of Port Adelaide.

In 1953, Fos Williams returned Port Adelaide to the Grand Final, a stage where the club would remain for seven consecutive seasons.

In 1954 Fos Williams led Port Adelaide to its second premiership under his guidance, defeating his old club West Adelaide by 3 points in the 1954 SANFL Grand Final.

In 1956, Fos Williams again defeating his old club West Adelaide, this time by 16 points in the 1956 SANFL Grand Final.

Motley took over as captain-coach and Port would win a sixth successive flag in 1959 and finish third in 1960 and 1961 before Fos Williams returned in 1962.

Fos Williams returned to Alberton in 1962 as non-playing coach taking over from Geof Motley, who stayed on as team captain.

Fos Williams led Port Adelaide to premierships in 1962.

Fos Williams continued to coach Port Adelaide until the end of the 1973 season when they finished fifth.

John Cahill, protege and successor of Fos Williams took over as Port Adelaide coach for 1974 and would go on to break Fos Williams' record of 9 premierships as coach, when he won 10, all with Port Adelaide.

Fos Williams returned to West Adelaide as coach in 1974 but the side finished with its third "wooden spoon" in a row.

Fos Williams recruited former Port Adelaide rover Trevor Grimwood in 1975 and the Bloods improved, making their first finals series since 1969 by finishing fifth in 1976 and improved again to reach the finals again in 1977, ultimately finishing third after losing to Glenelg in the Preliminary Final at Football Park.

In early July, Fos Williams was named for the first time in the South Australian team for the upcoming 1947 Hobart Carnival at the expense of an injured Jack Oatey.

Fos Williams was captain of the South Australian state from 1954 to 1958.

Fos Williams won a Simpson Medal for best on ground in the 1955 WA v SA match played in Perth.

Fos Williams was the coach of the South Australian team from 1955 to 1958, from 1960 to 1966 and again in 1968 and 1969.

Fos Williams was named in the Sporting Life "Team of the Year" in both 1950 and 1951.

Football historian and Norwood supporter Bernard Whimpress believes the passion that Fos Williams had for interstate football added a lot to the rivalry.

Fos Williams was the son of Melville George Williams and Emma Otellia Williams.

Fos Williams had three brothers who played league football being Frank, Glynn and Alec Williams.

Fos Williams married Veronica Ganley on 26 January 1956 in Unley, South Australia.

Son Mark Fos Williams played 380 games of league football for West Adelaide and Port Adelaide in the SANFL, and Collingwood and Brisbane in the VFL, and coached the Australian Football League's Port Adelaide Football Club for twelve years, including its first AFL premiership.

Anthony Fos Williams played for West Adelaide and Port Adelaide.

Youngest son Stephen Fos Williams played 268 games and coached eight seasons for Port Adelaide in the SANFL, winning nine premierships as player and coach.

Daughter Jenny Fos Williams represented Australia in several sports, but was best noted as a lacrosse player.

Fos Williams was survived by his wife Von, sons Mark and Stephen and daughter Jenny.

Fos Williams was made a Member of the Order of Australia on 26 January 1981 for his service to the sport of Australian football.

Williams has a number of honours in his name, such as the Fos Williams Medal, awarded to South Australia's best player in a State of Origin game, and grandstands at both Alberton Oval and Adelaide Oval named the "Fos Williams Stand".