Legend laid to rest

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 10:26

West Australian Football Hall of Famer Ken Armstrong will be laid to rest today, Tuesday, November 10, after dying at the age of 73 following a short illness.

The respected Perth premiership coach and player, who was inducted into WA Football's Hall of Fame last year, adopted revolutionary training techniques with the Demons in the mid-1970s.

Many of his methods, especially the concentration on sports medicine and psychological testing, are now commonplace at most AFL and WAFL clubs.

With an outstanding squad that included champion rover Robert Wiley, defender Mal Day, captain Ken Inman and full-back John Quartermaine, Armstrong's teams won the 1976 and 1977 WAFL premiership and lost by two points to East Perth in the 1978 grand final.

However, Armstrong's association with Perth stretches back to 1955 when he was a rookie in the club's premiership team. He played 171 matches for the Demons and represented WA in 1955 and 1959.

Armstrong also coached Subiaco from 1980 to 1982 and returned to the helm of the Demons in 1991 when the club was caught in a crisis.

His son Gary played in the WAFL and also coached Perth in 1999-2000, while grandson Steven was a member of West Coast's 2006 AFL premiership team.

Armstrong also had an award struck in his name by The Australian Coaches Football Association - the Ken Armstrong Community Coach of the Year - recognising excellence and measurable achievements through quality coaching techniques over a number of years.

The Ken Armstrong award is for all coaches involved at the Community club level, from Seniors to Youth (13 years +), including all levels in Amateur, Sunday, Peel and Country Football Leagues. This award is presented in recognition of a stalwart of our national game in Western Australia.

Ken Armstrong

Player (WANFL) Perth FC

1955 (Premiers) – 1963

170+ games, 41 goals

Club Captain 1961

State games 1955, 1959

Player-Coach (SDFL) North Mt Barker

1964 & 1965 Premiers combined SDFL carnival sides

1966 Grand Final

1967 Coach WA State Schoolboys Team (Hobart)

Assistant Coach (WAFL) Perth FC

1971 Premiers, 1972 Grand Final, 1973 Premiers