THE Sport Australia Hall of Fame includes within its ranks the truly elite of this nation’s athletic pursuits - amongst them sporting legends Sir Donald Bradman, Herb Elliott, Dawn Fraser - and now Chris Judd.

Judd, the two-time Brownlow Medallist and 279-game player for Carlton and West Coast - both of which he captained - was today (Thursday) one of seven sporting greats inducted into the Hall through its Athlete Members category. He becomes only the third Carlton player so acknowledged after Ron Barassi and Alex Jesaulenko.

Inducted with Judd was Catherine Cox (netball), Brad Fittler (rugby league), Tanya Harding (softball), Cara Honeychurch (10 pin bowling), Karrie Webb (golf) and Mark Webber (motor racing). Also included were George Bedbrook and Adrian Hurley, who were inducted in the General Members category.

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was first conceived in the mid-1970s to recognise and acknowledge Australia’s greatest sporting heroes across all sports. The Hall was formally established in 1985.

On December of that year, 120 Athlete Members, selected from over 400 nominated and researched athletes, were officially inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame at the inaugural function in the Long Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Bradman was named the first male inductee and Fraser the first female.

From 1985 up to 1989 only new Athlete Members were selected and inducted. However in 1989, to recognise those that play a supportive role i.e. Coaches, Administrators, Sports Science and Sports Media a new category, Associate Members (now General Members) was introduced.

Membership of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame is limited exclusively to the top echelon of athletes and those who play a supportive role. The Hall values comprise courage, sportsmanship, integrity, mateship, persistence and excellence, underpinned by generosity, modesty, pride and ambition.

To quote Sir Donald at his induction in 1985:

“When considering the stature of an athlete or for that matter any person, I set great store in certain qualities which I believe to be essential in addition to skill. They are that the person conducts his or her life with dignity, with integrity, courage and perhaps most of all, with modesty. These virtues are totally compatible with pride, ambition and competitiveness.”

In terms of Australian Rules footballers inducted into the Hall, Judd is in elite company. He joins Kevin Bartlett, Haydn Bunton sen., Barry Cable, Roy Cazaly, John Coleman, Gordon Coventry, Jack Dyer, Graham ‘Polly’ Farmer, Peter Hudson, Tony Lockett, Leigh Matthews, Laurie Nash (multi-sport), Dick Reynolds, Bob Skilton, Ian Stewart, WJ ‘Nipper’ Truscott, Ivor Warne-Smith and Ted Whitten, together with Barassi and Jesaulenko.

Barassi, Matthews and Whitten have since been elevated to Legend status in the Hall.

Under the Hall’s criteria, a prospective inductee can be nominated by an organisation (in Judd’s case, News Limited) or individual.