HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE Kenneth William Armstrong |
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Year Inducted | 2008 |
Date of Birth | 1st January 1970 |
Player: 170 games for Perth from 1955 to 1963.
Premiership: 1955 aged 19.
Honours: Perth captain 1961. Coached 265 games (for Perth and Subiaco); Premiership coach with Perth 1976, 1977; Represented Western Australia in interstate football as a player and also coached the Western Australian state team. Coached Subiaco for three seasons.
After making his debut in 1955 as a 19-year-old, Armstrong played in a premiership team under coach Ern Henfry in his first season and proved to be a classy centreman, captaining the side in 1961. He later returned to coach the club, taking them to a grand final in 1974 before successive flags in 1976-77, losing the 1978 grand final by two points to East Perth. His coaching also claimed premierships with the Perth reserves side in 1971 and 73 and also at North Mt Barker, in the Great Southern League, in 1964 and 66. He added coaching at Subiaco in 1980-82 and was enticed back to Perth again in 1991-93. His coaching record at Perth was 201 games for 106 wins and he also coach Western Australia in 1971 and 78, notching three wins over South Australia.
Armstrong set new standards for coaching in WA, being the first to introduce sports medicine techniques to improve fitness levels, while psychological tests were also introduced to gauge the mental capacity of the players.
Armstrong continued his long involvement with football as a commentator with the ABC and also as a State selector.