Adelaide Crows stalwart Barrie Downs has received the AFL’s 2013 Jack Titus Award, recognising more than 60 years’ service to football.
Downs, widely known as “BJ”, has been with the Adelaide Football Club as team manager since it joined the AFL in 1991 and has attended each of the Club’s 533 premiership games in the past 23 seasons.
However, his involvement in South Australian football dates back to 1952 when he started playing for the South Adelaide Football Club. He later served South at committee level before joining West Adelaide, where he spent a further 22 years in administration and football roles.
He is a life member of the West Adelaide and Adelaide football clubs and in 2010 received the AFL Coaches Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
Adelaide CEO Steven Trigg said the prestigious Titus Award was fitting recognition of outstanding service to football clubs.
“Barrie has made an extraordinary contribution to football in this State over many years and is an incredibly worthy winner,” Trigg said.
“We are very proud and thankful for BJ’s efforts through the first 23 years of the Adelaide Football Club but also aware that his service to the Crows started after nearly 40 years with South Adelaide and West Adelaide.”
The award is named in honour of Jack Titus, who served Richmond Football Club for 52 years. He played 294 games in 18 seasons for the Club and then served in administration roles for 34 years.
