A Brownlow Medal winner and Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee, Wanganeen was appointed Port Adelaide's inaugural captain upon entry into the AFL in 1997 and is the first Indigenous Australian footballer to win the Brownlow Medal[1] and reach the 300-game milestone at senior VFL/AFL level.
We had spotted him very early and watched his progress through the Port Adelaide Reserves to the seniors and knew he would make the grade at AFL level.
He immediately finding a niche as an attacking defender, and his handsome appearance made him popular with female supporters.
Wanganeen enjoyed a special year individually, with his fearless attacking approach from defence typical of Essendon's play that season.
[7] At 20 years of age, Wanganeen was the youngest winner of the League's best and fairest award since Fitzroy's Denis Ryan in 1936.
[8] He was also a key player in South Australia's State of Origin Carnival Championship, and Essendon's Premiership win that year.
In 2013, Wanganeen was focused on business interests involving ownership of three Anytime Fitness centres at Modbury, Port Adelaide and Essendon.
[10] He served as a voluntary ambassador for the Australian branch of the White Ribbon Campaign, a men's campaign that tackles violence against women, and participated in the 2013 "Cycling for Culture" event to draw attention to the importance of language and culture to Aboriginal well-being, specifically to attract funds to contributing to the further development of the Kaurna language.
Wanganeen found a new passion following the closure of his football career and has become an accomplished visual artist, with two solo exhibitions by 2018[13] and much of his artwork decorating his home in suburban Adelaide.
[19] Gavin’s son Tex moved to Melbourne in 2020 to board at Xavier College and play for the Oakleigh Chargers in the NAB League.