Vale Ken Caporn

Ken Caporn, the greatest full-back in the history of the Claremont Football Club, died on Wednesday at the age of 86.

As a mark of respect Claremont players in all grades will wear black armbands in matches against West Perth at Joondalup on Saturday.

Caporn made his senior debut in the under-age competition in 1943 and went on to play for the Tigers for 16 seasons, amassing a club record tally of 273 league matches. When he retired in 1958 this was also a WA record. Caporn’s club record was surpassed by Darrell Panizza, who had made 274 league appearances for Claremont when he retired in 1995.

Last October Caporn was named at full-back in Claremont’s Greatest Ever Team.  He began his senior career as a ruckman before being switched to full-back in 1945. He was a member of the West Australian carnival team which played in Adelaide in 1953 when the only other Claremont player in the side was centre-half-forward John Munro, who died last year.

Caporn represented WA 12 times and he was Claremont’s fairest-and-best player in 1951 and 1954. In 1954 he was one of three West Australians named in the Sporting Life’s Australian Team of the Year.

He had the remarkable distinction of chalking up his 100^th league match a couple of weeks before his 21^st birthday. He was the first Claremont player to notch 200 league appearances and when he played his 256^th match it broke the State record for the number of league matches.

Known as Moose because of his powerful physique, Caporn was a tower of strength at full-back and was noted for his prodigious drop-kicking. A fitness fanatic, Caporn also had a distinguished career as a surf lifesaver with the North Cottesloe Club. He was a member of the North Cottesloe team which won the Australian R and R title in 1952  Other members of the eight-man team were also Claremont footballers, the others being Ron Hinchcliffe, Graham Russell and Bill Kidner.

Caporn’s son Garry played 30 league matches for the Tigers between 1973 and 1975.

Ken Caporn will be remembered at Claremont as a champion player, a true legend and a wonderful gentleman.

by Ken Casellas