Chris McDermott

Christopher Stephen McDermott OAM (born 4 November 1963) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the Glenelg Football Club and North Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). After retirement from football, in 1996 he co-founded the Little Heroes Foundation, which raises funds to provide oncology treatment for South Australian children. Among other honours, McDermott was an inaugural inductee into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2025 was the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal. He stood as the lead candidate of Fair Go for Australia in the Legislative Council in the 2026 South Australian state election.

Early life and education Christopher Stephen McDermott

He was also chased by Carlton, but still did not make his VFL debut. He ultimately played 227 premiership games and 50 pre-season/night series matches for Glenelg.

In 1990, with talks of Port Adelaide becoming the South Australian team in the national competition, that McDermott looked to Victoria for another club. However, when it became clear that the Adelaide Crows were going to be South Australia's entry into the AFL, he remained in his home state and became the inaugural captain of the Crows.

McDermott is commonly referred to as "Bone",

In January 2026 it was announced that McDermott would be standing as Sarah Game's Fair Go for Australia lead candidate for the Legislative Council in the 2026 South Australian state election. 10 days before the election, McDermott announced that he had quit the party and would become an independent if he is elected.

Recognition and honours In 2002 McDermott was an inaugural inductee into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame.

McDermott was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours for service to Australian rules football, and to the community.

Other awards and recognition include: Fos Williams Medal, South Australian National Football League, 1987 Malcolm Blight Medal, Adelaide Football Club, 1992 Australian Sports Medal, 2000 Inductee, Adelaide Football Club Hall of Fame, 2021 Inductee, Glenelg Football Club Hall of Fame, 2023 Inductee, Australian Football Hall of Fame, 2024

Personal life Australian stand-up comedian and host of the Channel 10 program Good News Week, Paul McDermott, is his first cousin. His grandfather was Les Dayman, an inductee into the SANFL Hall of Fame.