Champion Footballer
Stan entered Cyril Jackson High School in 1963, the first Year 8 cohort to attend school on the current site. He grew up living in Margaret Street, across the road from the school. The kids in the neighbourhood used to play on the hill that became Cyril Jackson HS.
From Ashfield PS, Cyril Jackson HS was a big place with lots of competitive peers and a compulsory school uniform. To Stan this was a bit like a football jumper as it established the team that you were on. High school was, in his mind, part of the journey of life. On reflection, he would agree that he could have been more motivated in his studies but in those days most boys left school at Year 10 and gained employment.
He continued his football with the local Ashfield club, and with underage sides for Swan Districts but could not win a guernsey for Cyril Jackson HS. Luck was on Stan’s side, and in his final year at school, he grew 150mm and at just under 6 foot in the old language, he did represent the school.
Stan faced a dilemma in that he and his family supported East Perth, and if he was to become a league player, he had to, under the existing rules, play for Swan Districts as he lived in their zone. With the determination that marked him as a league footballer, he adopted an attitude of “so be it” and displayed a strong desire to play football at the highest level.
In 1969, he debuted at league level for Swans. This was in a losing side, ironically against East Perth. This was a tough period for Swan Districts. In 1977, John Todd commenced as coach and in Stan he recognised steely resolve and the leadership qualities that the team needed for success, appointing him captain.
Success was slow in coming and it was not until 1980, when they were minor premiers, that Swans played in the finals, losing the Grand Final to South Fremantle. In 1981 after finishing second, Swans lost the Preliminary Final. At the end of that season, Stan relinquished the captaincy, however, he enjoyed premiership success in both 1982 and 1983. His last game of league football was in the 1983 winning Grand Final side.
Stan played 278 games with Swan Districts and kicked 100 goals. He was selected seven times to play for his state, including in the state of origin era. In 1974 and 1975 he was the runner-up in the Sandover Medal, awarded to the fairest and best player of the year. In 1974, he was Fairest and Best at Swans. He was named in the Swan Districts Team of the Century. He later served as a selector for the Teal Cup and after settling in the Peel area, he coached several premiership teams and enjoyed boating and windsurfing.
Stan’s three younger sisters also attended the school, with one serving as Head Girl. Stan’s family has a proud connection to the Cyril Jackson school. For his sterling success as a footballer at the highest level in Western Australia, today Stan Nowotny is named as a Champion of CJ.