In June 2026 King’s Birthday Honours List, OSFC Life Member Geoff ‘Crackers’ McCracken was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), For Services to Australian Rules Football.

A wonderful nod to a much loved personality and contributor to the club for over 60 years. Even today Geoff still tirelessly curates the club’s history and is currently organising a ‘Past Players Reunion’ for the 1970s premiership sides.

Perhaps ‘Crackers’ enduring legacy to OSFC will be the Centenary History (1921-2020) he wrote with Bruce Brown in 2021 ‘Fighting for the Cardinal, Gold and Blue’.

Co-Author Brown noted in the book’s ‘Acknowledgments’: “This project derives primarily from Geoff McCracken’s unconditional commitment to the club.” 

Surely, no simpler or truer word has been articulated regarding someone’s association with community sport.

In recognition of Geoff’s tremendous achievement and over six decades of service to OSFC. The club team he mainly played for was known as the ‘Warriors’, the modern incarnation is the Thirds, and the Best and Fairest award for this team has been renamed the ‘Geoff ‘Crackers’ McCracken Trophy’. The 2026 winner of this award will be the inaugural recipient under its new moniker.

Upon learning of this dual honour ‘Crackers’ remarked “I don’t know which one means more,” spoken like a true Old Scotch Football Club Collegian and revered servant of this greatest of games.

Cracker’s bio from ‘Fighting for the Cardinal, Gold and Blue’.

In 1966, Geoff McCracken was recruited from Scotch College as a Juniors player.  He played 133 games with the Old Scotch Collegians Football Club from 1966 – 1980, mainly in the Reserves and Warriors (later renamed “Club 18” and now “Thirds”). In his first season in 1966, he played just three games in David Kidd’s Juniors, playing the rest of the season in Allen Morris’s Warriors.  In 1967 & 1968, he continued to play in Ian Findlay’s Warriors playing in the number “62” jumper, winning the 1967 Coach’s trophy.  In 1969, he broke into Leigh McGregor’s Reserves playing 11 games and 14 games in 1970 before returning to the Warriors.  In 1971, he played in Peter Wood’s Club 18 team to win the inaugural Club 18 FA premiership and was named Warriors Best & Fairest.  Upon his return from overseas in 1972 & 1973, he continued to play in the Warriors playing in the number “47” jumper until he finally retired after the 1980 season.

Geoff, a chartered accountant, was Treasurer of the club for eight years in 1971 and from 1976 – 1982.  It was during that period that Laurie Aghan nick-named him “Crackers”.  Whilst on the committee, he acted as the OSCFC Delegate to the VAFA from 1976 – 1982.
Geoff was awarded Life Membership of the club in 1981 for his services to the club.

Later, he went on to be Vice President of the club for three years from 1984 – 1986, and OSCFC Delegate to OSCA from 1984 – 1986.  This led him to becoming President of the Old Scotch Collegians’ Association in 1997.

Later, after he retired, he became the thirtieth Secretary of the Old Scotch Football Club for four years from 2008 – 2011, and then Football Administration Manager in 2012 & 2013.

In 2012, he was awarded both a VAFA Certificate of Merit and an OSCA Certificate of Merit.  In 2017, to help celebrate its 125th Anniversary, the VAFA awarded Geoff a medal for his significant contribution to the ongoing success of the club between 1992 – 2017.

Since 1972, Geoff continues to act as the club’s historian maintaining the honour boards, recording club history and writing the eDrumsheet column “Crackers Chronicles”.