| Angelo Lekkas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Angelo Lekkas | ||
| Born | (1976-06-29)29 June 1976 (age 49) Williamstown, Melbourne Victoria | ||
| Original team | Northern Knights | ||
| Draft | 17th overall,1993 Hawthorn | ||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1994–2005 | Hawthorn | 180 (120) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1999 | Victoria | 1 (2) | |
| International team honours | |||
| 2002 | Australia | 1 (1) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2005. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Angelo Lekkas (born 29 June 1976) is a formerAustralian rules footballer who played his entire professional career with theHawthorn Football Club in theAustralian Football League (AFL). After a stellar year playing in the TAC competition with theNorthern knights in 1993 and winning the best and fairest, he was highly sought after by AFL clubs, being a first-round pick in the 1993 AFL draft and number 17 overall.
Lekkas was born in 1976 to Greek parents and grew up in the northern suburbs ofMelbourne. Raised by a single mother he has often attributed a lot of his success to his mother's strong personality.
Lekkas was taken by Hawthorn at pick number 17 overall (Hawthorn's first pick) in the1993 AFL draft which was a trade forTony Hall (when Hall left the Hawks forAdelaide).[1]
Arriving at the Hawthorn football club at a time of so many great premiership players meant that Lekkas would spend the first couple years in the reserves while the team would transition into a rebuild.
Lekkas blossomed under coach Ken Judge. starting his career in the seniors as a defender with some midfield glimpses. Lekkas then evolved his game to be one of the main midfielders in the Hawks team being a dynamic midfielder who would regularly kick goals.
In 1999, he was a Victorian state representativeIn 2002, he represented Australia in theInternational Rules series.
After a practice match in February 2005, Lekkas suffered an apparent minor stroke and was told he might never play again. Losing some coordination, Lekkas committed himself to a rehabilitation program and inside 3 months fully recovered.He made a successful return to AFL football in round 14, 2005, against Geelong where he kicked 3 goals in the first half.[1][2]
Lekkas shocked most at Hawthorn when he announced his early retirement from AFL football on 26 August 2005, his last game being played at theMCG againstSydney on 27 August 2005. In his retirement speech he told the media that the Hawthorn Football club was a blessing in his life and when asked if he felt like the unluckiest man in the world he responded, "for the good that has happened to me playing this game, I wouldn't touch it".
Lekkas finished his AFL career with 180 games and 120 goals to his credit and a career total of 14Brownlow votes.[1]
Lekkas was named the 2005 stroke foundation Ambassador and in 2007 awarded the Australian Football League multicultural ambassador.Lekkas was selected to attend the 2005 Anzac presentation inGallipoli, Turkey, to represent the AFL along withAustralian Football LegendRon Barassi. His AFL role would also take him to South Africa in 2007, where he would oversee a program to encourage the growth of Australian football.
After a period of disenchantment with the game, Angelo returned to work with the AFL in 2007 as part-time as a multicultural officer and AFL ambassador and also in a community liaison role at Hawthorn as part of the settlement with the club.[clarification needed]
Lekkas now currently runs his own private sports tuition company with a focus on helping fast track young footballers overall development. Saying that he is passionate about assisting in the development of the next generation of potential AFL players[3]Lekkas also runs a mortgage brokering company based in Collins street, Melbourne.
