View source for John Halbert

{{short description|Australian rules footballer}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2025}}
{{for|the Irish hurler|John Halbert (hurler)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}

{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = John Halbert
| image = 
| fullname = John Arno Halbert
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1937|9|5|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Hyde Park, South Australia]]
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| height = <!-- ### cm -->
| weight = <!-- ### kg -->
| position = 
| statsend = 1984
| years1 = 1955–1968
| club1 = {{SANFL Stu}}
| games_goals1 = 244 (253)
| sooteam1 = [[South Australia Australian rules football team|South Australia]]
| soogames_goals1 = 16
| coachyears1 = 1979–1982
| coachclub1 = {{SANFL Gle}}
| coachgames_wins1 = {{0}}97 (64–31–2)
| coachyears2 = 1983–1984
| coachclub2 = [[Sturt Football Club|Sturt]]
| coachgames_wins2 = {{0}}48 (26–22–0)
| coachgames_winstotal = 145 (90–53–2)
| careerhighlights = *[[List of SANFL premiers|SANFL Premiership player]]: ([[1966 SANFL Grand Final|1966]])
*[[Magarey Medal]]: (1961) 
*[[List of Sturt Football Club captains|Sturt captain]]: (1962–1968)
*4× [[P.T. Morton Medal]]: (1958, 1960, 1961, 1964)
*[[All-Australian team]]: (1961)
*[[South Australian Football Hall of Fame]], inducted 2002
*[[Australian Football Hall of Fame]], inducted 2017
}}

'''John Arno Halbert''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|MBE}} {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (born 5 September 1937) is a former [[Australian rules football]]er who played for the [[Sturt Football Club]] in the [[South Australian National Football League]] (SANFL).

A member of the [[Australian Football Hall of Fame]], Halbert has had a long involvement in Australian rules football in South Australia, as a player, coach and administrator.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanfl.com.au/hall_of_fame/john_a_halbert_mbe_am/| title=John A Halbert MBE AM| publisher=[[South Australian National Football League|SANFL]]|access-date=16 June 2014}}</ref>
Halbert was also a Bradman Medalist in the 1961/62 & 1964/65 seasons, denoting the greatest domestic cricketer in the State for that season. He is the only person in history to claim the title of Magarey Medalist and Bradman Medalist.

==Playing career==
Halbert was a centreman and first played for Sturt in 1955. In his debut season he finished second in the [[Magarey Medal]] count to [[Lindsay Head]] and in 1958 was again the runner up with Head winning another Medal. He also polled well in 1960 but again finished second, this time losing to [[Barrie Barbary]]. The Medal was finally his in 1961, his 20 votes enough to hold off the challengers. Sturt had actually finished with the wooden spoon that season but it was a good year for Halbert, as well as winning that elusive Magarey Medal he was also picked in the [[All Australian]] team after his performances for the South Australians at the [[1961 Brisbane Carnival|Brisbane Carnival]]. He represented South Australia at interstate football at total of 17 times during his career. In 1962 he was made captain of Sturt and led them to a premiership in 1966, their first flag since 1940. Injuries prevented Halbert from playing in Sturt's 1967 and 1968 premiership sides, and he was forced to retire. He finished with a then club record 251 SANFL games.

In 1979 he became coach of [[Glenelg Tigers|Glenelg]], leading them to the 1981 and 1982 SANFL Grand Finals where they were beaten by [[Port Adelaide Magpies|Port Adelaide]] and [[Norwood Redlegs|Norwood]] respectively. He left The Bay after the '82 Grand Final and replaced the legendary coach of Sturt, [[Jack Oatey]] in 1983. Halbert would lead the Double Blues to his third Grand Final appearance in three years but again luck was against him when Sturt were defeated by [[West Adelaide Bloods|West Adelaide]]. After the Double Blues could win only eight matches in 1984 and finished seventh, Halbert was replaced as coach by [[Mervyn Keane]]. It was his last senior coaching position in the SANFL, although he became a state selector during the late 80s and through the 90s.

Halbert was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

He also played two [[first-class cricket]] matches for [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]] in the 1961–62 season.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{AustralianFootball | john+halbert/417 }}
*[https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/16/16116/16116.html CricketArchive page for John Halbert]

{{Magarey Medal winners}}
{{1966 Sturt premiership players}}
{{P.T. Morton Medal}}
{{Sturt Football Club captains}}
{{Glenelg Football Club coaches}}
{{Sturt Football Club coaches}}
{{Sturt Team of The Century}}
{{1961 All-Australian team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halbert, John}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sturt Football Club players]]
[[Category:Glenelg Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:Sturt Football Club coaches]]
[[Category:Magarey Medal winners]]
[[Category:All-Australians (1953–1988)]]
[[Category:Australian cricketers]]
[[Category:South Australia cricketers]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Adelaide]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Adelaide]]
[[Category:South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire]]