Merv Agars
Australian rules footballer and journalist
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Mervyn Stanley Agars (12 June 1925 – 8 August 2017) was an Australian rules footballer and journalist. He played with West Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). An eight-time state representative, Agars went on to have a significant career in sports journalism and in 2002 was inducted into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame.[3] In 2018, Agars was posthumously inducted into the SA Media Awards Hall of Fame.
Elliston, South Australia
Nuriootpa, South Australia
| Merv Agars | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Mervyn Stanley Agars[1] | ||
| Born |
12 June 1925 Elliston, South Australia | ||
| Died |
8 August 2017 (aged 92) Nuriootpa, South Australia | ||
| Original team | Prince Alfred College | ||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb)[2] | ||
| Position | Follower[2] | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1946–1952 | West Adelaide | 106 (92) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1948-1950s | South Australia | 8 | |
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Source: AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early life
Born to John and Margaret, on a sheep farm close to Elliston, South Australia, Agars grew up as one of 10 siblings, with seven brothers and two sisters.[4] Aged 13, he began boarding at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide and studied there for three years before returning to the family farm.[4] Towards the end of World War II, Agars served in the Air Force Reserve.[4]
Career
Agars, a follower, began playing for West Adelaide in 1946 and in his second year of senior football was a member of their 1947 premiership team. He also played cricket for East Torrens and scored a century on his A-Grade debut in 1947.[5]
In 1948, he joined The Advertiser and worked in the printing office, while he continued to play football for West Adelaide and at representative level for South Australia.[4] He married his wife Margaret—the sister of state cricketer Phil Ridings—in a ceremony at an Anglican church in Adelaide in 1949.[6] Agars topped the goalkicking at West Adelaide in 1951, his penultimate season.
Retired from football, Agars transferred to the editing section of The Advertiser in 1953 and began work as a sports journalist.[4] He later became sports editor, a position he held for close to 20 years, the longest serving in the newspaper's history.[7]
During his journalism career, Agars covered four Summer Olympics.[4] He is the author of the book West Adelaide Football Club, Bloods, Sweat and Tears, a history of the club which was published in 1987.[3]
The Advertiser annually awards the Merv Agars Medal to the best player from the Australian Football League's two South Australian clubs.[8]
Personal life
One of Agars' West Adelaide teammates, Don Taylor, was his brother-in law, and a nephew, Leon Lovegrove, played in the club's 1961 premiership team.[8]
Agars' son, Graeme, is a noted golf and tennis commentator.[7]
Death
Agars retired and resided in the Barossa Valley until his death in 2017.[4]