John Gerovich is a former Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played with South Fremantle

South Fremantle Football Club

The South Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Bulldogs, is an Australian rules football club, based in Fremantle, Western Australia, playing in the West Australian Football League...

 in the WAFL

West Australian Football League

The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...

 during the 1950s and 1960s. Gerovich was a key position forward, best known for high flying marks and his prolific goalkicking. One famous mark, which he took in the 1956 WANFL Preliminary Final over East Fremantle's

East Fremantle Football Club

The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...

 Ray French is commemorated in a statue at Fremantle Oval

Fremantle Oval

Fremantle Oval is a stadium in the centre of Fremantle, Western Australia. It currently has a capacity of 17,500 with terracing and a members area holding 750. Fremantle Oval was originally used for cricket, but in 1895 hosted its first game of Australian rules football...

 by local sculptor Robert Hitchcock

Robert Hitchcock

Robert Charles Hitchcock is an Australian sculptor. He commenced his career in 1970 and works in a wide variety of subjects and materials. Hitchcock is one of the leading portrait sculptors currently working in Australia today...

. The statue was based on a photograph of the mark, taken The West Australian

The West Australian

The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...

photographer Maurie Hammond and published on Wednesday 10 October 1956. The mark was also depicted in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport

On three occasions he was the WAFL's top goalkicker

Bernie Naylor Medal

The Bernie Naylor Medal is an Australian rules football award which is given to the leading goalkicker at the end of each home and away season in the West Australian Football League. It is named after South Fremantle full-forward Bernie Naylor...

, in 1956 with 74 goals, in 1960 with 101 goals and 1961 with another bag of 74 goals. He also topped South Fremantle's goalkicking eight times. When he retired after the 1969 season he had kicked a total of 721 goals for South Fremantle.

Over the course of his career, he regularly represented Western Australia at interstate football and kicked 56 goals from his 18 representative games. Gerovich, of Croatian heritage, was an All-Australian at the 1956 Perth Carnival

1956 Perth Carnival

The 1956 Perth Carnival was the 13th edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition. It took place from 11 June to 23 June at Subiaco Oval, Perth....

 and played in the side which won the 1961 Brisbane Carnival

1961 Brisbane Carnival

The 1961 Brisbane Carnival was the 15th edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition. It was the last carnival to be held in Queensland....

.

In 2004 he was one of the inaugural inductees into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame

West Australian Football Hall of Fame

The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise and enshrine those who have made a significant contribution to Australian rules football in Western Australia...

. Gerovich is also a member of the Fremantle Football Hall of Legends

Fremantle Football Hall of Legends

The Fremantle Football Hall of Legends was inaugurated by the Fremantle Football Club in 1995, in recognition of the new Australian Football League team’s links with its home city’s football heritage. The inductees are nominated by the two clubs from the Fremantle area in the West Australian...

 and a centre half forward in the Fremantle Team of Legends

Fremantle Team of Legends

The Fremantle Team of Legends was selected to recognise legends of Australian rules football in Fremantle, Western Australia.- Selection criteria :...

which was established in 2007. The trophy for each season's leading goalkicker at South Fremantle is named after him.