Jordon, who passed away yesterday (August 13), aged 75, was born and bred in Richmond.
His father, Clarrie, had played 15 senior games at Richmond from 1934-36 and later served in the R.A.A.F. during World War 2.
Jordon junior set out to follow in his father’s footsteps, playing with Richmond’s under-19s team from 1953-55, and winning their Best and Fairest award in his last season.
But Jordon decided against pursuing a league football career and joined VFA club Coburg in 1957.
He played nearly 100 games there and won the club’s Best and Fairest three times, before retiring at the end of the 1962 season to focus on his cricket career, as wicket-keeper for the Victorian Sheffield Shield team.
Jordon was then approached by his mate, Graeme Richmond, who had taken over as the Tigers’ secretary (a combination of today’s CEO and Football Operations Manager), and offered the job as coach of the Club’s under-19s, which he duly accepted.
That was the start of an amazing coaching career at Richmond, and several other clubs, for Slug Jordon.
In his initial stint as under-19s coach, from 1963-70, Slug guided the team into back-to-back finals series, in 1963-64, and an incredible four consecutive premierships, from 1967-70.
To this day, throughout the entire history of AFL/VFL football at all levels, only famous Collingwood senior coach, ‘Jock’ McHale, has managed that feat of four premierships in-a-row.
After a year off (1971), Jordon returned to Richmond in 1972, as under-19s coach for a further two seasons, winning his fifth premiership in 1973.
The seeds of the aggressive, relentless, win-at-all-costs attitude, which was the hallmark of the senior Richmond sides coached by Tommy Hafey, during the Tigers’ greatest-ever era back then, were sown by Ray Jordon at under-19s level.
Slug coached many under-19s players, who subsequently went on to play in premierships at senior league level, win Best and Fairests, Club goalkicking awards and other footballing honors - the likes of Kevin Bartlett, Royce Hart, Michael Green, Graham Burgin, Michael Bowden, John Ronaldson, Ian Owen, Rex Hunt, Wayne Walsh, Bryan Wood, Neil Balme, Daryl Cumming, Laurie Fowler, Cameron Clayton and Emmett Dunne.
Playing under Slug was quite an experience, as Ronaldson (dual Tiger senior premiership player) explained in Elliot Cartledge’s excellent book, “The Hafey Years”.
“Slug was pretty raw back then . . . I was pretty fortunate because I didn’t get too many rockets from him,” Ronaldson said.
“He used to have a big sketchbook and he would write down after each game a little précis of every player’s game.
“I can remember the second game I played in the under-19s, against Collingwood at Victoria Park. Graeme Jenkin and Len Thompson played, and I didn’t go that well.
“At the end of the season, Slug would let you read all of the comments he’d made about you in his sketchbook.
“For the Collingwood game, he had written, “Ronaldson got two kicks today and one of them as up his arse from me!”
“Slug would never leave you guessing as to where you stood.”
Royce Hart, who played 15 games and kicked 52 games in the under 19s under Slug’s astute eye in 1966, before attaining football immortality at Tigerland, gave an insight into the legendary junior coach in his book, “The Royce Hart Story”.
“Ray Jordon coaches the under-19 players as a senior coach would and, thus, when a player eventually makes the senior team, the transition isn’t as hard because of his previous preparation and grooming.”
Slug would go on to plenty more coaching success after leaving Richmond, at North Melbourne, Melbourne, Essendon, the Central Dragons, the Prahran Dragons, and the Victorian Teal Cup (under-18s) team.
But, it’s his outstanding contribution to that golden Yellow and Black era, for which he’s best remembered in the football world.
Ray Jordon was the embodiment of the famous Tigerland ‘Eat ‘em Alive’ spirit, and immensely proud of his Richmond heritage, and the Life Membership that the Club bestowed upon him in 1994.
On behalf of the Club, deepest sympathy to Ray’s wife, Marie, and the rest of the Jordon family.
