Born July 21, 1933 - Died May 21, 2019
Hawthorn U15 - 1948
Hawthorn U17 - 1949-1951 (known as the Colts also payed some games with U19s)
Captain (Colts) 1950-1951
Premiers (Colts) 1950, 1951
Hawthorn City* / 2nd 18 1952-1953 (* Hawthorn City 2nd 18 to 2nd 18 team, Metropolitan League)
Recruited Hawthorn Colts
Played 1954-1959
Debut Order 452
First Game Round 13, 1954
Last Game Round 12, 1959
Games 57
Goals Nil
Guernsey 22
Most Unselfish Player 1955
Special Trophy Brown Brothers Award 1956
2nd 18 Best Player Grand Final 1958
Best Player in Finals 1957 (note HFC’s first appearance in a senior VFL final)
Reserves Captain 1958, 1959
Reserves Premierships 1958, 1959
HFC Board 1976-1993
AFL Director 1988-1993
HFC Social Club Committee 1984-1993, 1996-2006
HFC Social Club President 1997-2001
HFC Life Member 1981
HFC Hall of Fame Inductee 2017
Brian Kann has a very unique playing record at Hawthorn. He is the only player to have started with the Under 15 in 1948 then move through the ranks of the Under 17, Under 19, Hawthorn City, 2nd 18 then the senior 18.
Kann was a strongly built defender who graduated from the Hawthorn Colts. He was not afraid to use his vigour, playing on the half-back line in the Hawk’s first senior finals series in 1957. He was captain of the Reserves consecutive flags, 1958 and 1959.
He was invited to join the Committee, later known as the Board of Management of the Club in 1976. He had the role of Chairman of the recruiting Committee, 1976-1977, Chairman of the Hawks Family Day, introducing the Hawk Talk to the members in 1978. He played a major role with the ongoing development of the Social Club serving of many Sub-Committees and acting as Club host on numerous Thursday and Saturday nights.
Kann’s great love of Hawthorn saw him take a leading role in Operation Payback enabling the Club to continue on in its own right. Together with Ron Cook he introduced Ian Dicker to the Club inviting Dicker to present a five-year plan which led him to become the new President at the end of 1996. Kann resumed his active role with the Social Club. He served as President till 2001 when the Club took over the responsibility of the Social Club until it closed in 2006.
Kann has now been a paid up member of the Club for 72 years and a member of the PP&OA for 59 years, a very valued servant of the Brown ‘n Gold.
Footnote: When Hawks Forever began the task of building the Club Collection to be displayed in a future museum in 1992, Brian was the first former player to pass on a Guernsey at a time when the Club held no guernseys of its former players. Brian actions gave Hawks Forever the confidence needed to build the Club Collection that can be seen in the Hawks Museum in 2019.
