Adelaide’s first 300-game player Ben Hart has been inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
The two-time Crows premiership defender was among six members of the football community honoured at a function in Melbourne on Tuesday night.
Hart is the fifth Crow (who played all or most of their career with the Club) to be inducted, joining Mark Bickley, Mark Ricciuto, Darren Jarman and Andrew McLeod.
The Hall of Fame recognises those who have made "significant contributions" to the game at any level since 1858.
Hart, who is now an assistant coach at Collingwood, was the youngest player in Adelaide’s inaugural squad in 1991. He was wearing his Rostrevor College uniform when the 16-year-old Year 12 student was first introduced to the media in 1991.
A year later, he became the youngest ever Crow on AFL debut (17 years, 256 days).
Hart moved quickly from combining SANFL with North Adelaide and his school commitments to starring for Crows in defence, where he won All-Australian selection in his first season (1992) and was named AFL Rookie of the Year.
In both 1997 and 1998 he was a key contributor to Adelaide’s Grand Final triumphs. And although the Crows crashed in 1999, Hart’s form was rewarded with a Club Champion award and selection in a third AFL All Australian team.
He won his second Club best-and-fairest in 2002, when he also was chosen for a fourth time as an All Australian.
In 2006 Hart became the first Adelaide player to reach the 300-game milestone.
After spending a season year back in the SANFL with North Adelaide, he returned to the Crows for the 2008 season as an assistant coach. He has worked with Collingwood since 2012.
Last year Hart was one of eight inaugural inductees to the Adelaide Football Club’s Hall of Fame.
Crows Chairman Rob Chapman said Hart was not only a fine footballer but also a quality person.
“Ben is a true champion of our Club and deserving of every accolade that comes his way,” Chapman said.
“We watched him grow from a fresh-faced teenager in the Club’s early days and become a premiership defender who was hardly ever beaten.
“He was versatile and had the rare ability to play on both tall and small forwards and look at ease.
“Ben will always be a favourite of many Crows fans for the outstanding service he gave our Club over a long period of time.”
The late Richmond and South Fremantle champion Maurice Rioli, Brisbane Lions midfielder Nigel Lappin, East Fremantle's Ray Sorrell, Sturt star Paul Bagshaw and St Kilda defender Verdun Howell were the other 2016 inductees.
BEN HART
311 AFL games and 45 goals for Adelaide (1992-2006)
Member of the 1997 and 1998 premiership teams
Member of the 2003 Pre-season premiership team
Two-time Club Champion (1999, 2002)
All Australian 1992, 1993, 1999, 2002
Player life member
Youngest ever Adelaide player (17 years 257 days on debut)
First Adelaide player to play 300 games for the Club
Assistant Coach (2008-2011)
AFC Hall of Fame
8 games for South Australia (State of Origin)
4 International games for Australia
27 games and 4 goals for North Adelaide (1990-1992, 2007)
Assistant coach, Collingwood (2012-current)
