[2] Nicknamed The Cranium (after his cleanly shaven head, due to alopecia)[3] or simply Mil for short, Hanna is distinguished as having been the first Lebanese-born player in the history of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League (VFL/AFL).
[citation needed] Hanna grew up in the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne, where he played his junior football in Brunswick East.
[2] He was educated at East Brunswick High and Strathmore Secondary College.
[5] He was known in the VFL/AFL for his athletic physique and fast pace playing as a tall running wingman.
[2] Hanna made his senior playing debut in 1986, but ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during his first game.