The Red Fox

Norm Smith is regarded by many as the greatest coach in the history of the Australian Football League, having transformed a battling Melbourne into a League heavyweight that won six premierships in 10 seasons (1955-64).

In this meticulously researched monument to Smith’s life – enriched by the recollections of more than 100 people, many of whom had played with or under the Demon dictator – author Ben Collins lays bare the man behind the legend … in all his glories and foibles.
In this most captivating analysis of Smith, a portrait emerges of a frightfully hard and brutally honest coach who was ruthless in football but possessed disarming compassion away from the game.

This is his story, concurrent with that of his older brother and fellow coach Len Smith, from their childhood in tough, working-class Northcote during the Depression to their status as the most influential coaches of their generation. 

‘Smith never attempted records. He never thought of his own football.
He was (both) the clever architect, and the faithful builder ... 
No spotlights for Smith, no hushed crowd, but afterwards always the warm feeling of another good show tucked away, another match won.’ 
Hec de Lacy, The Sporting Globe, 1949.

‘I walk a straight line and I never deviate.’