John "Jack" McGargill (c. 1859–4 July 1937) was a coach for the Port Adelaide Football Club for 23 seasons between 1886–1908. During his coaching career he guided Port Adelaide to four SAFA premierships and the 1890 Championship of Australia.
Port Adelaide head trainer
McGargill was involved at the Port Adelaide Football Club for 45 years.[2] He was head trainer of the club, effectively the head coach, from 1886 until 1908.
In 1926 Frank Coffey writing for the Sport (Adelaide) said of Jack McGargill "What a wonderful man is Mr. J. McGargill, head trainer of the Port Adelaide football team, a position he first occupied over 40 years ago. When I first met Jack he was massaging such men as Aleck and Ken McKenzie, Percy Gardiner. Otto LeStage, "Tick" Phillips, George
Earle and other famous magenta jersey wearers in 1895. He had nothing like the present day facilities such as trestles, lockers, laundry or punching and pinching the muscles into dough, but he turned out just as good sound athletes or even better than they do to-day. One would invariably see the same twenty finish the last match of the season as they saw in the first game, which goes to show that although the game is faster to day it is also much rougher. Jack is always popular with the players, who have always been ever ready to take advantage of his good advice. Good luck to Jack and may he see many more years' service for the club he loves so well."[3]
^"West Press Port". The News. Adelaide. 10 July 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 16 February 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
^"FOOTBALL CLUB DANCE". The News. Vol. X, no. 1, 534 (HOME ed.). Adelaide. 14 June 1928. p. 19. Retrieved 28 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
^"A RECORD". The Sport. Vol. XVII, no. 826. South Australia. 18 June 1926. p. 14. Retrieved 28 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
