Adelaide Crows pay homage to dedicated volunteer and foundation statistician Bob Shoolbread

Most people couldn’t pick him out of a crowd, but for this dedicated foundation statistician the friendships he formed at the Crows have been pivotal to his cancer fight.

He has rubbed shoulders with Malcolm Blight and Gary Ayers, shares a friendship with Andrew McLeod, and was Neil Kerley’s right-hand-man, but even diehard fans may not know his name.

His story is one comparable to Paul DePodesta, the foil for Oakland Athletics’ iconic Moneyball general manager Billy Beane, just without the Hollywood script or best-selling book.

But for 79-year-old Bob Shoolbread, it took more than three decades to receive something analogous to a box-office hit for his dedication to the Adelaide Crows.

Now, his the foundation volunteer statistician’s name will go down in club history.

The Richmond man and West Adelaide life member, was last week recognised as the Crows’ 76th life member, joining just a handful of volunteers to have received the honour.

Bob Shoolbread was a volunteer for the Adelaide Crows and went on to commit 25 years of service to the club. Picture: Brinley Duggan

His eventual recognition followed a six years after his retirement in a period when club chief executive Andrew Fagan left the club after a seven-year tenure and longtime chairman Rob Chapman stepped down.

New chairman and former South Australian Premier John Olsen entered the club with a direction to recognise and add to its history.

But, since his 2015 retirement from the Crows, the journey has been a tough one for Shoolbread.

His hand was forced by a battle with throat cancer, leading to a laryngectomy that left him struggling to speak and communicate with the coaches and players.

Shoolbread said it was the friendships he made while involved with Adelaide that had helped him with his illness.

“I had my first operation (on my throat) and 10 years later I had to have another one and I’ve still got (throat cancer) now,” he said.

“It’s not going away and it doesn’t get better. It’s bloody well embarrassing.

“My friends, though, they understand what I go through – it’s bloody hard.”

Malcolm Blight after his last game as Crows coach in 1999. Picture: File

Andrew McLeod kisses the premiership cup after the 1998 grand final. Picture: Craig Borrow

Shoolbread’s wife, Judy, said the friends her husband had made were the “most important” thing to come out of his quarter century with the Crows.

“In Bob’s case, he sometimes finds it difficult with talking, but his mates don’t take any notice of it,” she said.

As for footy, it remained a pillar of his life and something he could use to temporarily ignore his cancer battle.

“I just love the game. Football doesn’t change when you sit here and watch it,” he said.

Shoolbread said he did not know exactly how many Crows games he had been a part of, but estimated it had to be more than 400.

The clear highlight were the 1997 and 1998 premierships, but he said getting to know great coaches like Blight and Kerley, as well as champion players like McLeod, Mark Rucciuto, Darren Jarman and Shaun Rehn ran a close second.