RANAFA LegendsHistory of the LegendsThe Royal Australian Navy Australian Football Association (RANAFA) has a long standing history of honouring players and officials deemed to have contributed significantly to RANAFA over a number of years by inducting them into the RANAFA version of the Hall of Fame called ‘Legends’. The first inductions into the ‘Legends’ Hall of Fame were held in 2003 in Canberra where members past and present gathered en masse to see the inaugural 20 Legends become immortalised. The Legends were players and officials who had made an outstanding contribution to Navy Footy dating from the early 1980’s - 2003. In 2004 another 6 inductees became Legends. From 2010 onwards, there have been a trickle of new inductees in the Legends as their significant contributions are recongised. The latest inductee in 2025 was Wayne 'BP' McColl, who became the 41st Legend of Navy football. |  |
2025 Inductees
Wayne 'BP' McCollWayne has contributed to RANAFA in various forms for over 20 years. His early playing days as a fearless, talented and reliable backman/midfielder set the standard for the respect he would continue earn through his various administration roles in later years. He was pivotal in creating the culture for success with increased committee accountability, foresight and financial management. His playing career with RANAFA spanned 8 years between 1996 and 2008 during which he received the following awards: MVP (2006), ADFAR All Stars (1996) & New Zealand ADF Tour (1997). BP has been a pivotal cog in the RANAFA committee for over a decade, however his role as Treasurer from 2017 – 2025 set the financial foundations from which RANAFA could flourish. Embodying the true spirit of RANAFA, BP was never one to remain within his RANAFA job description. He has assisted in every aspect of RANAFA over the years including water person, runner, strapper, marketing and commercial engagement, equipment manager, transport and player release advocate whenever he saw the requirement. BP is pictured right with RANAFA President, CAPT Ben Favelle, as he was presented the commemorative Legends jumper at the 2025 National Carnival. |  |
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The assembled legends gathered around Jim Smail and his Trophy at the 2023 presentation. | NominationsThe minimum requirements to be considered for Legend induction are:
Nominations are to be submitted to William Veale, email: william.veale@defence.gov.au, by 28 Feb each year in order to be considered for induction that calendar year. Post 28 Feb each year, received nominations will assessed by the RANAFA Legends committee and pending the quality of the nominations successful candidates will be inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame at the ADFAR National Championships. ADFAR Championships are held in Melbourne in March/April each year. All nominations will receive written feedback on their nomination. |
Current RANAFA Legends
The current list of 40 Legends listed below can also be found on the Legends honour board housed at the home of Navy Footy, HMAS Cerberus.
2003
| Graham Thurstans | Darren Murray | Michael Partridge | Michael Oleksyn |
| Ken McKeown | Bill McBride | Graham Crispin | Geoff Ledger |
| Jamie McGinley | Bob Jefferies | Col Bambrook | Adam Harris |
| Chris Ploughman | Tony Cocks | Kevin Smyth | Doug Cornish |
| Ian Wheeler | Jim Smail | Chris Luscombe | David Matters |
2004
| William Veale | Michael Miller | Jamie Robinson | Robert Taylor |
| Greg Perry | Mark Grills |
2006
| Jonathon Theile | Anthony Taylor |
2010
| Gary Saunders | Aaron Convery | Clinton Thomas |
2015
| David Strangward | Tricia Muller |
2016
| Ronald Ratcliffe | Candice Freeman |
2017
| Ken Meredith | Matthew Cavedon |
2018
| Adam Bamford |
2023
| Rohan Jennings | Daniel Fry |
2025
| Wayne 'BP' McColl |
