Editing St Kilda Football Club (section)

=== 1974–1990: decline ===

In [[1974 VFL season|1974]], St Kilda declined to the lower half of the ladder for the first time since the 1950s, finishing tenth. Allan Jeans retired from coaching two years later after 16 seasons coaching St Kilda, citing burnout as his reason for retirement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Allan 'Yabby' Jeans: A legend's life in footy |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/allan-yabby-jeans-a-legends-life-in-footy/news-story/d3471e000983f9424147f4ca49343d55 |access-date=23 October 2021 |work=Herald Sun |date=12 July 2011}}</ref>

After [[Lindsay Fox]] was appointed club president in 1979, the club's outstanding debt of $1.45 million was addressed. Many senior players and Allan Jeans accepted a deal to be paid 22.5 cents for each dollar they were owed. Additionally, non-football creditors received 7.5 cents for each dollar owed. The club was ultimately able to settle with its creditors for $195,000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=Caroline |title=Finally Saints look to recognise the men who saved the club |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/finally-saints-look-to-recognise-the-men-who-saved-the-club-20170310-guvfl8.html |website=The Age |access-date=2 June 2021 |language=en |date=2017-03-10}}</ref> Despite these efforts, continuing financial pressures and defeats saw the club remain in the bottom three for every season between 1979 and 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=1980-1989: The Shining Lights in the Dark |url=https://www.saints.com.au/club/history/history-by-decade/1980-1989 |website=saints.com.au |date=4 March 2020 |access-date=23 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

In [[1987 VFL season|1987]], Tony Lockett won the league's [[Coleman Medal]] for leading goalkicker in the home-and-away season, the fourth St Kilda player to achieve this. Lockett also became the seventh St Kilda player to win the [[Brownlow Medal]]. He remains the only person in league history to win both the league's best and fairest{{clarify|date=March 2024}} Brownlow Medal and the Coleman Medal in the same season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gabelich |first1=Josh |title=Former Hawthorn forward Ben Dixon predicts Richmond superstar Dustin Martin to complete the Brownlow-Coleman Medal double in 2020 |url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/former-hawthorn-forward-ben-dixon-predicts-richmond-superstar-dustin-martin-to-complete-the-brownlowcoleman-medal-double-in-2020/news-story/d139fefe2fe22a55d93a31d961ea0d41 |website=Fox Sports |access-date=23 October 2021 |language=en |date=2 March 2020}}</ref>