Everyone at Adelaide Oval has been saddened to learn of the passing of Gordon Schwartz OAM, a giant of South Australian sports media and an inaugural inductee in the Adelaide Oval Media Hall of Fame.
Gordon may have had a relatively short career as a footballer – after RAAF War Service in England, he played three games for Norwood and 13 games for West Torrens in 1948 – but his media career spanned more than three decades where he established himself as an experienced commentator across print, radio and television.
He wrote his first piece for The Sunday Advertiser in 1954 when Norwood took on Glenelg at the Tigers’ formidable home ground. By 1986, a year before his retirement, he had covered a staggering 1000 SANFL matches.
But Gordon’s reach went far beyond the printed word. He spent 17 years appearing on Channel Seven’s popular World of Sport program and also forged a career with radio stations 5AD, 5DN and the ABC.
Gordon officially retired in 1987 but continued to contribute to South Australian sport with his work regularly appearing in The Advertiser, The Sunday Mail and the SANFL Football Budget and his voice gracing local airways. He was also an inaugural Life Member of the Australian Tennis Media.
In 2002, Gordon was inducted into the inaugural SA Football Hall of Fame. Three years later, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to journalism and sport in South Australia – testament to his longstanding commitment to the delivery of the highest standard of commentary.
His importance to South Australian sports media was further recognised when he was made an inaugural inductee of the Adelaide Oval Media Hall of Fame in 2016.
We pass on our deepest sympathies to the Schwartz family.