Ric Charlesworth: Field Hockey
Richard Ian (Ric) Charlesworth, (born 6 February 1952) is a former First-class cricket and hockey player and one of the greatest sporting coaches of Australia. He is also a medical doctor, completing a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Western Australia in 1976 and a former federal politician, a diverse and successful Member of Parliament.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Ric Charlesworth became “Western Australian Sportsman of the Year” three times, “West Australian Sports Champions of the Year Award for ‘Coach of the Year’ from 1994 to 2000” and was awarded the “Advance Australia Award” in 1984, “Order of Australia” medal in 1987 and Player of the Tournament in the 1986 World Cup. He won the Olympian’s Medal, an annual award given to the player judged by umpires to be the fairest and best in men’s division in Western Australia. He was also named “Australian Coaching Council ‘Team Coach of the Year’ Award” seven times and was honored the Australian sports medal in 2000 for his achievements in the Australian sport. Charlesworth played a total of 227 games for Australia and retired after the 1988 Olympics. He was inducted into the Australian Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008, the second person to achieve the award.
Why Was He So Good?
Ric Charlesworth played cricket, football and hockey but his most successful role was being the most exceptional coach of Australian national hockey teams for both men and women. Under his management, his teams always emerged victorious in many international tournaments including the Hockey World Cup and Hockey Champions Trophy.
What You May Not Know
- Lester Charlesworth, his father, who was also a dentist, represented Western Australian Cricket between 1949 and 1951.
- The Charlesworth Medal, the female equivalent of the Olympian’s Medal, is named in his honor.
- In 1983, he entered politics and became a Federal Member of Parliament for Perth from Australian Labor Party. It was a position he held for 10 years before retiring in 1993.
- Ric Charlesworth wrote three books, “The Coach – Managing for Success” all about coaching philosophies to achieve success in the field; second book, “Staying on Top” narrates the five principles necessary for being the best and staying there; and the third book “Shakespeare the Coach”, a motivational handbook for coachers, teachers, managers and trainers.
- He became head coach of Kookaburras in 2009 and won the Hockey World Cup twice and Champion’s Trophy four times in a row. Charlesworth resigned in 2014.
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