Gary Cowton
Gary Cowton (born 30 December 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) as well as having stints with Footscray and South Melbourne.
| Gary Cowton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 30 December 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Geelong, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Benalla (O&MFL) | ||
| Debut | 1971, North Melbourne vs. Collingwood, at Victoria Park | ||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 93 kg (205 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1971–1978 | North Melbourne | 129 (34) | |
| 1979–1980 | Footscray | 40 (4) | |
| 1981 | South Melbourne | 8 (0) | |
| 1983–1984 | North Melbourne | 22 (1) | |
| Total | 199 (39) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1984. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Cowton, often known as "Crazy Horse", was a utility player and was a key member of the successful North Melbourne side of the 1970s. He played in five successive grand finals, winning two of them. The first, in 1975 was as a reserve, in 1977 he played on the half back flank in their drawn game and premiership win.
After his football career, Gary completed his Bachelor of Business Degree, majoring in Macro Economics at La Trobe University Bendigo. His career in the Australian Public Service began in 1998 with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005). He served in West Kimberley at Derby, WA and the East Kimberley at Kununurra, WA and then Cairns, QLD which included Cape York.
Whilst in Cairns, Gary was sponsored by AFL PNG and traveled to Papua New Guinea for some AFL clinics.
Cowton stood as a Senate Candidate for the Australian Capital Territory in the 2019 Federal Election.