Bob Skilton on having his name alongside Bradman, Fraser and Freeman as a Legend of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Triple Brownlow Medallist Bob Skilton has just received another massive accolade, becoming a Legend of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

1961. Bob Skilton. South Melbourne v Geelong.

He’s about to turn 85 and has been retired from footy for more than 50 years, but triple Brownlow Medallist Bob Skilton is still kicking goals.

The champion South Melbourne rover, who helped to transform the game in a glittering career spanning 16 seasons and 237 games, was this week elevated to Legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Skilton has become the 47th legend of Australian sport’s most prestigious club, and only the fourth VFL-AFL footballer to be elevated to that status, joining Ron Barassi, Ted Whitten and Leigh Matthews.

An elated Skilton told the Herald Sun this week: “To be looked upon, or even just to be considered as a part of such an incredible group of people, I’m just so proud.”

Skilton, who has battled ill health in recent seasons, couldn’t have been more excited when he was presented with the award on Monday, which goes with the long list of other accolades garnered throughout his football career.

He was presented with a specially-crafted Legend award from Sport Australia Hall of Fame Chair John Bertrand - who himself was made a legend in 2013 for his 1983 America’s Cup triumph - at a special luncheon at the picturesque Skilton family home in Garfield North.

Bob Skilton has been elevated to a Legend of Australian Sport by the Sport Hall of Fame. Picture: Hamish Blair

Skilton’s family and a select group of friends and former teammates were on hand to celebrate the honour.

Legend status is awarded to those members who have distinguished themselves at the highest level and made themselves a part of Australia’s rich sporting folklore.

He now sits alongside the likes of Sir Don Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Rod Laver, Ian Thorpe, Shane Warne, John Eales and Wally Lewis as legends of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

“I’ve always been in awe of the absolute skill level of the other (Sport Australia Hall of Fame) athletes. The actual ability of some of these guys is incredible,” Skilton, 84, said.

“I’ve got so much admiration for what they’re capable of doing … I don’t think I’m anywhere near their class.

“I remember when I was first inducted (as a member in 1985), I just couldn’t believe the people I was mixing with - those were people I had always looked up to - and to be considered one of them was - and is - just so special.”

Bertrand said it was the perfect time to honour Skilton for his lifetime commitment to sport and to fair play.

“Bob Skilton had the rare distinction of being a player beloved by the supporters of South Melbourne while being respected across the competition for his brilliance as a footballer, but also for his courage and fairness and commitment to the game,” Bertrand said.

Bob Skilton with John Bertrand, the Chair of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Picture: Hamish Blair

“To win three Brownlow Medals over a period of a decade speaks to a footballer who was able to sustain his excellence and consistency while overcoming the challenges that elite athletes confront in their careers.

“He emphasises everything that is good about sport in this nation and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame is delighted to announce his Elevation to Legend status.”

Skilton shared tales with his family and former teammates on Monday, as the magnitude of the honour sunk in for the former Swans great.

Among his former South Melbourne teammates who attended the lunch were Max Papley, Peter Bedford and John Heriot.

Skilton couldn’t be more appreciative of the honour and praised those who had helped him become one of the game’s most respected footballers.

Among those whom he made special mention were his parents, including his father who had been captain-coach of Port Melbourne, his late wife Marion, who died in 2021, his former South Melbourne captain Ron Clegg, his running coach Bill Mitchell and one of his South Melbourne coaches, Noel McMahen.

Skilton said football - and the Swans - had given him so much over the years, especially mateships bonded on and off the field.

“We (South Melbourne) didn’t have much success when I was playing, especially early in the piece – we didn’t have the best side,“ he said.

Skilton in his South Melbourne days.

“We battled, and in its own way, it made for a different kind of mateship among the players. We had to form friendships in different ways because we didn’t have the success that other teams had to bond over. But I think it strengthened our relationships and made us appreciate each other.

“I’m so lucky to be able to say that those friendships have lasted a lifetime.”

Skilton played 25 games for Victoria, and while he never tasted premiership success, the highlight of representing his state was the next best thing.

“Every time I pulled on the guernsey for Victoria, I was just in awe of how good the players were – and suddenly I had the likes of (Ted) Whitten, (Kevin) Murray, (John) Nicholls, (John) Schultz and (Ron) Barassi all on my team,” he said.

“I was playing with the best and I couldn’t believe that I was considered to be among them - the same blokes that belted me each week (in the home and away season).”

He won three Brownlows (1959, ‘63 and 68) - only one of four players to achieve that feat - but he says he would have swapped all three for a premiership medal that eluded him.

“I’m very, very lucky (to have won the Brownlows),” he said. “I couldn’t have had any success without the help I had from the guys around me.”

Max Papley, John Heriot and Peter Bedford with Skilton. Picture: Hamish Blair

“But I’d still swap them for a premiership - because when it’s all said and done, you’re playing a team sport, and there’s nothing like success when you are playing a team sport.”

Skilton played in his one and only final - for a loss - in his penultimate season (1970).

But his loyalty to the club has never wavered, not even when the Swans moved to Sydney in 1982 - 11 years after Skilton’s career ended.

It’s fitting that the Swans named the club’s best and fairest after Skilton - he won nine of them - and continues to have a close relationship with the club today.

He was there when the Swans ended a 72-year premiership drought in 2005 and he was chosen as the man to hand over the 2012 premiership cup when Sydney won the 2012 Grand Final.

“2005 was incredible,” he said. “It would have been a relief for the old South Melbourne supporters who had stayed loyal for so long, and I can’t thank them enough,” he said.

Sydney players on the podium after the 2012 grand final as Bob Skilton looks on.

That moment of hanging over the 2012 premiership cup was one of the highlights of his life.

“It’s one of the proudest sporting moments of my life and I’m just so grateful to the club for asking me.”

Asked about his favourite Swans player, he baulked almost as so famously did on the field, uneasy about choosing one individual out of a crop of stars.

“There are always some players who will stand out, but I’m loath to individualise because I just love all of them - and it’s a team effort,“ he said.

“But there’s nothing like the blokes that wear your number (No.14), especially when they’re great. I probably shouldn’t be so singular, but to this day I still name Paul Kelly as one of the best – I just love the way he went about his footy.”

Skilton was disappointed the Swans bowed out of the finals race last Friday, but he knows they will be back again next season.

There will be two more Sport Australia Hall of Fame legends to be named at a function in Sydney on October 16.

Originally published as Bob Skilton on having his name alongside Bradman, Fraser and Freeman as a Legend of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.