Richard Champion or 'Champs' as most Queenslanders know him now, enjoyed a remarkable 14 year career in professional football, beginning with Woodville in South Australian Football League before being drafted by the Brisbane Bears (later Lions) of the AFL, experiencing many highs and lows before his retirement at the end of the 2000 season. A stalwart through some of the Bears' darkest years, and a poster player in an era when the club had so few, the number 1 guernsey was a solidly built and tough backman, and was awarded Best Clubman on several occasions.
Previous experience
Manager: Inducted as Brisbane Lions Life Member on retirement for his 10 years of loyal service to the club and named a member of the Lions Team of the Decade, Richard now works as AFL Players Association Regional Manager and an ambassador for AFL Queensland, traveling around the Sunshine State helping to increase the profile of the game.
TV: A multi-talented personality always prominent in the clubs off-field activities, in 1998 Champs won a $30,000 AFL Talent Show on Channel Seven for his marvellous impersonation of Jimmy Barnes. He also enjoyed showing off his vocal talents, or lack thereof, on the hit series It Takes Two. He now performs in a different way on Seven, as a presenter on the very popular Great South East and Creek to Coast programs along with his expert views on Seven News. He also co-hosts the Sportsbet Breakfast Show each morning on Radio TAB and heads up Triple M's Dead Set Legends and the Triple M Call Team, commentating on all the Brisbane Lions games during the season.
Hobbies: Champs loves golf, loves life and intends to call Brisbane home for many years to come with his wife Anne-Marie and daughters Georgia and Grace.
