Celebrating a Champion I Terry Walsh

Hockey Australia are profiling a list of Hall of Fame inductees from recent years – from across the country – on their website. Click here to view the full list of tributes.

Here's the latest as they profile Terry Walsh

Australian hockey has been blessed with a host of exceptional attacking players and coaches throughout its history, and Terry Walsh can be included in that list.

Terry is widely acknowledged as one of Australia's finest ever strike forwards. He burst onto the WA state hockey scene from Kalgoorlie and it wasn’t long before he was a permanent member of the state team before making his debut for Australia. Such was the quality of Terry’s debut for Western Australia, he was immediately chosen in the national team for the World Cup in Malaysia in 1975 where he would receive his first cap against Pakistan.

Terry scored 70 goals for Australia from 175 appearances, the last of those goals fittingly coming in the Gold Medal game of the 1986 World Cup against Germany in London. Terry competed at four World Cups in all, winning a gold and two bronze medals.

Terry was selected in three Olympic Teams, Montreal in 1976 where Australian claimed the silver medal, the boycotted Moscow Games in 1980, and 1984 where he was the tournament’s leading scorer.

For most of his career, Terry was used exclusively as a striker where his great attributes were explosive speed and strength. As he matured as a player, he developed wonderful ball skills and highly perceptive tactical knowledge. Walsh was the ultimate team player, his superb goal-scoring feats matched by boundless energy and enthusiasm for his sport.

Terry retired from playing after the successful 1986 World Cup campaign and then went into coaching. He took charge of the Malaysian for three years in the early nineties before taking on the head coaching role of the Kookaburras. Under his guidance, the Kookaburras won gold medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 1999 Champions Trophy, and bronze at the 2000 Olympic Games. He also coached the Netherlands to a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics and was appointed Head Coach of India’s men’s team in 2013. Walsh is recognized as a Master Coach by the International Hockey Federation.

Terry’s induction into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame was ratified in 2018.

What he said…
“Being inducted into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame is extremely humbling. Hockey has provided me with a lifetime of involvement and experiences within our sport encompassing many parts of our world’s hockey family. Playing through an era where Australia strived to overcome the world’s powerhouses of Asian and European hockey was truly exhilarating. The guys in our team, along with the many significant challenges we faced, have made indelible memories. In acknowledging all our players, coaches, support staff, administrators and supporters over many years, I would say thank you.” Terry Walsh

From those in the know…
“Terry possessed great speed, enormous strength and had a sheer desire to score goals. Moving to centre forward in the early 1980’s he continued as a goal scoring threat in every game he played. Knee problems threatened to shorten his illustrious career, but a sustained remedial programme allowed him to continue playing until the World Cup Gold Medal game in 1986.

After retiring Terry continued his coaching at the AIS Hockey unit in Perth before coaching overseas and then the Kookaburras to a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Terry Walsh is champion of our sport.” Richard Aggiss (former Australian Coach)

Hockey Timeline

Player
Western Australia
1974 Western Australia Team

Australia
1975-1986 Men’s National Team
1976 Montreal Olympic Games Silver Medal
1978 World Cup Bronze Medal
1980 Champions Trophy Bronze Medal
1981 Champions Trophy Silver Medal
1981 World Cup Bronze Medal
1982 Champions Trophy Silver medal
1983 Champions Trophy Gold Medal
1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games
1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games leading goal scorer
1984 Champions Trophy Gold Medal
1985 Champions Trophy Gold medal
1986 World Cup Gold Medal

Coach
Australia
1997-2000 Men’s National Team Head Coach
1998 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal
1999 Champions Trophy Gold Medal
2000 Sydney Olympic Games Bronze Medal