- John Longmire resigned from his role with the Sydney Swans last year
- He has now opened up on the funny story of why he was given the name ‘Horse’
Former Sydney Swans coach John Longmire has opened up on how he was branded with the nickname ‘Horse’.
The former footy coach, who resigned from his role as Swans boss last year bizarrely also revealed that he wasn’t very good at horse riding during an appearance on Channel 7’s show, The Front Bar.
Longmire, 54, has enjoyed a glittering career in football, notably winning a premiership title with the Kangaroos in 1999.
The 1990 Coleman Medallist opened up on how he had gone on a pre-season training camp with the Kangaroos during the fledgling years of his career, which is where he earned the nickname.
During the episode, Lawrence Mooney began to probe around the origins of the legendary Sydney coach’s moniker.
‘Now John, you’ve got one of the greatest nicknames in sport, Horse, of course,’ Mooney said.
Ex-Sydney coach John Longmire has opened up on why he has been given the nickname ‘Horse’
During an interview on Channel 7’s The Front Bar, Lawrence Mooney quizzed him on whether he was a good horse rider
‘And I need to clarify something… that is because you’ve got a massive…’
Mooney paused before Longmire interjected: ‘Appetite,’ sending laughter through the audience.
‘A massive appetite,’ the former Sydney Swans coach confirmed.
Mick Molloy then added: ‘You eat like a horse!’
Longmire smiled before laughing: ‘I eat like a horse is one theory…’
Mooney probed further: ‘Was that nickname given to you by Peter German?’
To which Longmire confirmed: ‘Peter German gave me that nickname many years ago with Brett Allison, who is here somewhere tonight.
‘We went up to a pre-season camp and we did a lot of work during the day and there was plenty to be eaten at night. I was a young 17-year-old, eating like a horse.’
Longmire (pictured) revealed the nickname was given to him by Peter German during a pre-season tour when he was only around 17 years old
Longmire, who made 200 appearances for the Roos while returning 511 goals, would retire from professional football in 1999, before jumping into coaching.
He’d go on to take charge of the Swans in 2011, having previously taken up an assistant coaching role in 2002. A year after being appointed Sydney’s senior coach, he’d lead the side to premiership glory in 2012.
Mooney then showed a picture of the footy star riding a horse when he was younger.
‘Ah I just… feel sorry for that horse,’ Longmire said.
‘That looks like a movie poster for the dork from Snowy River,’ Molloy quipped.
‘Have a look at my legs they’re just about touching the ground,’ Longmire said.
When pressed on whether that was his style, Longmire stated: ‘Not really because I’ve only ever really ridden a horse three or four times in my life Mick and I fell off every time.’
Molloy then brutally joked: ‘That horse actually asked to be put down after that.’
Longmire was succeeded by Dean Cox as the Swan’s senior coach but has remained at the club as an executive director of club performance.
