Richard Champion

Richard Champion (born 14 April 1968 in Kadina, South Australia) was a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.

Originally from the Woodville Football Club in South Australia, Champion was a high draft pick by the Brisbane Bears, considered an outstanding talent and high profile player in the SANFL over 4 years. While he was drafted to the Bears in 1988 he did not move to Brisbane until 1991 when he made his AFL debut.

"Champs", a solidly built and tough backman, wore the number 1 guernsey.

Champion was a Bears stalwart through some of the club's darkest years, and a poster player in an era when the club had so few.

When the club moved from Carrara on the Gold Coast, growing their fanbase, Champion became a cult figure. He was endeared by Bears fans, was Best Clubman several times and became a local celebrity with his Jimmy Barnes impressions. He was a media figure for the club. He even made an appearance with John Platten to represent the AFL on the television show "Gladiators".

When it became apparent that the Bears would make the finals for the first time in 1995, Champion openly wept, a sign of his endurance as a player through tough times.

Champion retired at the end of the 2000 season after a 14 year football career (10 of which were in the AFL).

Post football career

He is currently a television presenter and radio commentator in Brisbane and a local celebrity.

In 2006, he made an appearance in the television show It Takes Two