Late West Australian football great Ian Miller has been described as a father figure, connector of people and selfless servant of the game.

Miller, affectionally known through WA football circles as ‘Serge’, passed away on Sandover Medal night, aged 76, 54 years after he won the award with Perth.

Miller played in a WANFL premiership with the Demons in 1968 and a flag with East Perth a decade later, claiming the Simpson Medal in the Royals’ two-point victory, fittingly over the Demons.

He represented Western Australia in 1972 and earned All-Australian honours, the same year he won the Sandover.

A 185cm half-forward or ruck-rover, Miller was named in Perth’s Team of the Century and coached the club between 1982 and 1984.

He also played 80 games with Fitzroy in the VFL from 1974 to 1977 for a total of 276 across three clubs (132 for Perth, 64 for East Perth) as well as 15 State games.

Miller served on inaugural West Coast premiership coach Mick Malthouse’s match committee before becoming player services coordinator at the Eagles from 2002 until his recent retirement.

Former West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett described Miller as a “great football man” and an “outstanding person”.

“I met him in 1978 at East Perth and apart from being a wonderful player, he had a great understanding of the game,” Nisbett said.

“He was a wonderful connecter of people, from host families, to parents of players, through to the players themselves, helping them with anything.

“He’d help staff, he’d help anyone Ian. His empathy was unbelievable and his relationship building was outstanding.

“He had enormous values and that was a great reflection on his upbringing.

“He would help players who would come from the east, because they didn’t have their parents here. They’d come across as 18-year-olds and the host families were extremely important, but they could always lean on Ian as a father figure.

“As they got older, he became a very close friend to lean on when things weren’t going well either at home or with footy.

“It didn’t matter. Serge was always available to lean on and that’s the reason he was at the club because he could cover all aspects of life.

“Being a great family man himself with his four kids and the way he bought them up and the way he was brought up he could relate that to any of the circumstances that our young players had.

“Wonderful player, Sandover medallist who played above his size, a really strong player. We forget that aspect of his life at times because of all the other things he’s done for people and and in footy.”

West Coast 2018 premiership defender Will Schofield said Miller was “like a dad to me”.

“Every single player who was drafted to the club Serge was your first port of call. Serge picked me up from the airport. He was the first guy from the club I ever met and he was the contact between parents in the club,” he said.

“There’s not many people who exist that don’t want anything from something and he genuinely didn’t want anything from the footy club.

“He didn’t do it to get something. He just was involved because he cared and he was a great person.

“It is like losing a father today to be honest.

“You could speak to any player on the list that’s come through the club in the last 20 years and they would have similar reflections of his generosity, his compassion, his humour. He was a funny bloke. If he ever gave a speech, it’d just be littered dad jokes. He could make a room laugh and he was highly self-deprecating.

“He was the one that had the most impact out of anyone that ever worked for West Coast because he was across everything.”

West Coast Chief Executive Don Pyke said the club was deeply saddened.

“He was just a good bloke. I haven’t met anyone who’s got a bad word to say about Ian Miller,” Pyke said.

“He had great compassion and was just there in support of players. It didn’t mean he didn’t challenge people but it came from the right place. It came from a place of caring.

“He was an all-round wonderful football person on and off the field.

“On behalf of everyone at the West Coast Eagles, I extend my sincere condolences to Ian’s wife Robin, his family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time.”

Miller is survived by four children - Simon, Fiona, Jen and LIz - and seven grandchildren.

He became a Life Member at the Eagles in 2012, which followed his induction into the WA Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He was awarded AFL Life Membership in 2020.

In 2021, he was recognised for his remarkable contribution to the game with the Neale Daniher Lifetime Achievement Award.

WA Football CEO Brad Wira said they were “deeply saddened to hear of Ian ‘Serge’ Miller’s passing”.

“Ian made such a significant contribution to football in our State as a player, coach and administrator over more than half a century,” Wira said.

“He was inducted in the WA Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and earned WAFC Life Member only last year.

“Ian was so highly regarded as a person whose selfless, caring nature really stood out.”