Robert Walls was a grade 6 teacher at Park Orchards Primary School at the time that he was head coach at Fitzroy.
36 Facts About Robert Walls
1.
2.
Robert Walls grew up in Brunswick, Victoria and was educated at Coburg High School.
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Robert Walls initially supported Essendon like his mother, but ended up at Carlton because Brunswick at that time was part of Carlton's recruiting zone.
4.
Robert Walls was recruited from Coburg Amateurs by the Carlton Football Club and made his senior VFL debut with them as a tall, skinny 16-year-old on 22 April 1967 against Hawthorn at Princes Park.
5.
Robert Walls gave a sign of things to come when he scored a goal with his first kick.
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Robert Walls was judged Man of the Match in the 1972 VFL Grand Final when he kicked six goals against arch-rivals Richmond in a masterful display.
7.
Robert Walls played 218 games and scored 367 goals for Carlton before obtaining a clearance to Fitzroy midway through the 1978 season.
8.
Robert Walls made his Fitzroy debut in round 9 of the 1978 season, where he kicked 2 goals in a losing effort against Footscray.
9.
Robert Walls went on to play 14 games in his first season at Fitzroy, kicking 24 goals.
10.
In Round 17 of the 1980 season against Essendon at Windy Hill, Robert Walls injured his knee in the third quarter and had to be carried off.
11.
Robert Walls announced his retirement shortly after the incident having played 41 games and kicked 77 goals for Fitzroy, taking his overall VFL tally to 259 games and 444 goals.
12.
Robert Walls first task was a major clean-out of older players who were clearly "past it" after the club's disappointing 1980 season, Robert Walls lifted the Lions to their best era since winning a premiership in 1944.
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Robert Walls was then replaced by David Parkin as Fitzroy Football Club senior coach.
14.
Robert Walls became senior coach of Carlton in 1986, when he replaced David Parkin in a jointly announced agreement with Fitzroy Football Club to swap senior coaches.
15.
Thanks in part to an influx of interstate recruits including South Australians Stephen Kernahan, Craig Bradley and Peter Motley, Robert Walls had immediate success in his first year at the club taking the side to a Grand Final in 1986 and a premiership in 1987.
16.
The Blues under Robert Walls made the finals again in 1988 but by mid-1989 they were struggling when Carlton under Robert Walls lost eight of their first ten games.
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Robert Walls was sacked as Carlton Football Club senior coach after the team lost a home match to the lowly Brisbane Bears in Round 10,1989.
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Robert Walls was then replaced by Alex Jesaulenko as caretaker senior coach of Carlton for the rest of the 1989 season, who was eventually appointed full-time senior coach of Carlton.
19.
Robert Walls ended his tenure as coach of Carlton Football Club with 84 games.
20.
Robert Walls became the senior coach of the Brisbane Bears from 1991 to 1995.
21.
Robert Walls replaced Norm Dare as senior coach of the Brisbane Bears.
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Robert Walls' coaching style was criticised about the incident by Kevin Sheedy who has several times questioned his credibility as a football coach.
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Robert Walls was then replaced by John Northey as Brisbane Bears senior coach.
24.
However during the 1997 season, Richmond under Robert Walls struggled and Robert Walls was sacked after a 137-point defeat by the eventual premiers, the Adelaide Crows, in Round 17,1997.
25.
Richmond under Robert Walls sat 15th on the ladder with six wins and eleven losses.
26.
Robert Walls was then replaced by assistant coach Jeff Gieschen as caretaker senior coach for the rest of the 1997 season, who was eventually appointed as full-time senior coach of the Richmond Football Club.
27.
Robert Walls returned for one last coaching role, in 1999 he coached Victoria in the state's last ever State Representative game.
28.
Robert Walls became a columnist for The Age in Melbourne, and joined the Seven Network providing special comments during AFL matches.
29.
When Seven lost the broadcast rights for AFL matches at the end of 2001, Robert Walls was recruited by both Network Ten and the now defunct AFL-dedicated Fox Footy pay television channel.
30.
Robert Walls provided special comments during match broadcasts, and was a member of Fox Footy's On the Couch with Gerard Healy and Mike Sheahan from 2002 until 2008.
31.
Robert Walls then switched to the One HD Monday night program with Stephen Quartermain to co-host the new football discussion show One Week at a Time.
32.
In 2005, Robert Walls was involved in a feud with Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos, after Robert Walls stated that "the Swans can't possibly win the AFL Premiership with Paul Roos' style of coaching".
33.
Robert Walls was on the Network 10 commentary team with Stephen Quartermain and Tim Lane when the Swans suffered a 43-point defeat against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium, after which they were particularly scathing and critical of Sydney's misbehaviour and overall performance in that match.
34.
Robert Walls has now come out of retirement, providing special comments on matches for Crocmedia.
35.
In 2006, Robert Walls was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
36.
Robert Walls was inducted into the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame in 1990, and was elevated to Legend status in 2011.