Jesaulenko is a Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame, and as a player was known for his versatility, uncanny balance and spectacular marking.
He immortalised his reputation in the game by taking the most iconic mark in football history in the 1970 VFL Grand Final.
[1] Recruited from Canberra, Jesaulenko has played more games and kicked more goals than any other player from the Australian Capital Territory.
[2] Along with many other Eastern Europeans who were World War II refugees or displaced persons, the Jesaulenkos emigrated to Australia via the Norwegian passenger ship SS Skaugum.
[2] The young Jesaulenko was enrolled at St Edmund's College and then Telopea Park High, where he played soccer and rugby union.
[6] On joining Carlton, Jesaulenko reflected in an interview with The Canberra Times that: [Eastlake] certainly provided a winning culture.
I was lucky to play at a footy club that was on the way up that just had a new regime put in, with George Harris and his mob, appointed a new coach in Ronald Dale Barassi, they had experienced players and they recruited young guns ... and I just fitted into the mix.
[6]Jesaulenko moved to Melbourne with his wife Anne in November 1966, and during his first pre-season was soon left in no doubt the standard that Barassi required at Carlton: Here was this raging, serious man who demanded excellence and perfection.
[2]Jesaulenko made his senior VFL debut in the opening round of the 1967 season against Fitzroy at Princes Park, where he had 14 touches and kicked two goals in a 94-point victory.
[11][10][clarification needed] In December 1969, Jesaulenko put an end to newspaper rumours that he might leave Carlton and either play football in Western Australia or return to Canberra.
[12]A spectacular and popular player, Jesaulenko was renowned for his high marking, mercurial ground play, superb balance and goalkicking.
It was against Collingwood, a Grand Final, the biggest crowd ever, Graeme's a six-foot-four ruckman, I guess there's a mystique in standing on top of him with your arms outstretched.
"[15] The mark is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting The Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport.
With a superb support cast, the Blues took out the minor premiership with 19 wins and also set a new VFL record for the largest-scoring aggregate in a home-and-away season (2,772 points).
In the second quarter of the Round 10 match against Collingwood at Princes Park, Jesaulenko was running back with the flight of the ball when he was met heavily by Stan Magro, resulting in concussion and a shoulder injury.
[21][10] After the 43-point win against Essendon in Round 15 at Princes Park, in which he had 22 touches and kicked a goal, Jesaulenko missed the next six games with what was later revealed to be a back injury; he had suffered damage to his sciatic nerve which had caused him to lose feeling in his right leg.
[22] He underwent a daily 30-minute exercise routine to strengthen his stomach and back muscles,[22] returning to on-field action in time for the final round of the home-and-away season against South Melbourne at Princes Park.
[27] He was the last person to serve as captain-coach in the VFL; however, Malcolm Blight was a non-captaining player-coach at North Melbourne until Round 16 of the same season but was not captain during this time.
[28] After leaving St Kilda, Jesaulenko went north to serve as captain-coach of Sandgate in the then-Queensland Football League.
Holding his first press conference after training at Princes Park for the upcoming match against Sydney, he seemed confident in restoring Carlton's fortunes: I don't think it will take too long to get back into the scene...
[30]Jesaulenko's optimism appeared to rub off on the Carlton players; they beat Sydney by 28 points[32] and would win six more games to finish eighth.
This finish to the season was enough for Jesaulenko to be re-appointed as Blues senior coach for 1990, but he wasn't able to maintain the momentum and Carlton under Jesaulenko finished out of the finals yet again with a mid-table 11-11 record and another eighth placing when The Blues were expected to return to the top of the ladder in 1990 but won only fifty percent of their games.
[41] Upon being elevated to Legend status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, Jesaulenko was accorded tribute from the great contemporaries of his era.
[2] The great Ron Barassi, Jesaulenko's first coach at Carlton, said: Aussie rules was very lucky that Alex chose our game.
[2] Of his induction as a Legend in the Hall of Fame, Hawthorn opponent Leigh Matthews said: Jezza was the Buddy Franklin of his era.
[2]North Melbourne opponent and Brownlow Medallist Malcolm Blight was equally generous in his praise for Jesaulenko:Ahh, Jezza.
[2]After retiring from football, Jesaulenko worked for billionaire and noted Carlton patron Richard Pratt at his recycling firm Visy for 15 years in the sales and public relations department.
[42]When it was known that Pratt was in his last days in April 2009, Jesaulenko contemplated paying him a farewell visit at his mansion, but thought better of it lest he attracted too much attention.
In 2006, Jesaulenko was featured in a Toyota Memorable Moments commercial with Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson, which involved spray-painting Jesaulenko's navy suit and trying several methods to recreate the famous mark he took in the 1970 Grand Final, including a small trampoline, a stepladder and finally succeeded with a large crane.
In 2012, singer-songwriter Tex Perkins wrote and performed "Jesaulenko You Beauty" exclusively for The Marngrook Footy Show.