Ken Ward

Kenneth Ward was born on 30 September 1935. He played his junior and local football with Ashburton in Melbourne's eastern suburbs and was part of the club's premiership side in 1953. His form there attracted interest from several Victorian Football League clubs, and he signed with Richmond on 15 April 1955.

Ward spent 1955 in Richmond's reserves and played in the reserves premiership win over Footscray, where he was named among the best players. He made his senior debut against Geelong at Kardinia Park in round 4 of 1956, coming on as 20th man for Allan Cooke.

A back pocket player standing 173 centimetres, he relied on reading the play, pace and clean disposal, and often picked up the opposition rover. In 1957 he finished fourth in Richmond's best and fairest. That year he starred in the round 7 upset of Melbourne, the reigning premiers coached by Norm Smith, whom Richmond had not beaten for four years. Richmond won by two points, although the scoreboard had wrongly shown Melbourne ahead by one; the goal umpires' cards confirmed the Tigers' win. The Football Record praised his pace, anticipation and clearing dashes as a match-winning effort.

National Service and a thigh injury cost him much of 1958. He undertook thirteen weeks of intense summer training with teammates including Tom Hafey, Ron Branton, Tista de Lorenzo and John Jenkins, but a knee injury hampered his 1959 season. His last senior game was against St Kilda in August 1959. In all he played 43 senior games and 35 reserves games for Richmond.

After being delisted he tried out with South Melbourne and then played for Oakleigh in the Victorian Football Association. In 1962 he moved to New South Wales to become captain-coach of St George, guiding the club to a premiership and winning its best and fairest award.

Little about Ward's private life has been made public. News of his death reached Richmond through his niece's husband. He died in Rosebud, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

Ken Ward died on 18 October 2026 in Rosebud, Victoria, at the age of 91. Richmond Football Club announced his death on 23 October in a tribute by club historian Rhett Bartlett, who had been informed by Ward's niece's husband. The cause of death was not made public, and no funeral details had been published at the time of the announcement.

Ward's career was short, but his part in the 1957 win over Melbourne, one of the most surprising results of the decade, secured his place in Richmond history. He also left a mark on the game in Sydney, where he captain-coached St George to a premiership.