Mark Melville "Choco" Williams (born 21 August 1958) is a former Australian rules footballer and is currently the coach of the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League.

[edit] Playing career

[edit] SANFL (1969-1980)

Williams playing career began in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) at West Adelaide (where his father Fos Williams was coaching). He represented West Adelaide on 64 occasions for 37 goals.

Williams then moved to the Port Adelaide Magpies. He played 115 games and kicked 104 goals and flourished as a player, becoming one of the stars of the SANFL.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] VFL/AFL (1981-1990)

Williams was then recruited by Collingwood, making his Victorian Football League (VFL) debut in the 1981 season. He rose to the position of captain of the club during the mid-1980s.

After the 1986 season he joined the playing list of the newly-founded Brisbane Bears. At Brisbane he was appointed vice-captain to Mark Mickan. Williams played 4 seasons before retiring from the Bears during the 1990 season.

[edit] Final Playing days (1991-1992)

He returned to the SANFL to play for Port Adelaide for two seasons.

[edit] Coaching career (1993-)

After his playing days were completed he coached Glenelg in 1993 and 1994 before joining Essendon as an assistant coach, and in 1999 won the head coaching role at Port Adelaide, replacing John Cahill. Port Adelaide topped the ladder at the end of 2002 and 2003, but losses in finals ruined their chances of winning the premiership. However in 2004 they again topped the ladder and Williams became Port Adelaide's first AFL premiership-winning coach, with the team defeating the Brisbane Lions, who were at the time playing for their 4th straight premiership. Williams once again steered Port Adelaide to the Grand Final in 2007, where his side suffered the worst ever Grand Final defeat, losing to Geelong by 119 points. Throughout 2009, Port Adelaide's inconsistent on-field performances continued to focus on Williams' future at the club. Late in the season, following the appointment of Mark Haysman as CEO, and after much conjecture in the media, Williams was offered a new 2 year contract, which will take his time at the club as coach to 13 years. Despite this reappointment, many in the media still believe that all is not what it seems at Port Adelaide, with there on-field performance being a representation of off-field drama being played out behind closed doors.

[edit] Footballing dynasty

Williams comes from a large and intensely proud footballing dynasty, closely aligned with Port Adelaide. His father, the late Fos Williams, is often referred to as the father of the Port Adelaide Football Club. His brother Stephen also played in the SANFL and AFL. Mark is married to Pauline and they have three sons and two daughters.

[edit] See also

1990 SANFL Grand Final

[edit] External links

• Official Website of the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club
• Official Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club
• The Power From Port - Unofficial Port Adelaide Power and Magpies Football Clubs Website
• Full points footy: Mark Williams