It was on this day 13 years ago that Mark Ricciuto cemented his status as the greatest player to ever wear a Crows guernsey.

The fresh-faced Riverland boy made his AFL debut with Adelaide as a 17-year-old back in 1993, and quickly became one of the Club’s most respected players.

Ricciuto’s rise began when he won his first of what would be eight All Australian awards in just his second season at the elite level.

A courageous and tough competitor, Ricciuto was denied a spot in Adelaide’s 1997 premiership due to a groin injury, but played a pivotal role in the Club’s second flag the following season.

Ricciuto’s game reached another level after he was named Crows captain in 2001, with his finest hour coming on the AFL’s night of nights in 2003.

In an incredible count, ‘Roo’ polled four best on grounds in the second half of the season to charge into contention for the AFL’s most prestigious individual award.

He was then awarded one vote in Adelaide’s loss to Port Adelaide in the final round of the season to join Sydney’s Adam Goodes and Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley on 22 votes.

It was the first three-way Brownlow Medal tie since 1930 and just the second in the award’s history.

Ricciuto went on to finish runner-up in the count the following year as one of four top-five finishes in the Brownlow. He polled a total of 144 votes from 312 games with the Club.

Ricciuto remains Adelaide’s only winner of the Brownlow Medal.

He retired at the end of 2007 as one of the most decorated players in history, with a Brownlow Medal, a premiership medallion, eight All-Australian jumpers and three Crows Club Champion awards in the trophy cabinet.

Ricciuto was named among eight inaugural inductees into Adelaide’s Hall of Fame last year.