Stan Alves is an Australian Rules Football player and coach. He played 226 games for the Melbourne Football Club in the 1970s, captaining them from 1973-1976 and being named runner-up for the Brownlow Medal in 1975, before joining North Melbourne in 1977. Legend has it that he chose to play for North Melbourne rather than Collingwood based on a coin toss. [1] It proved to be a wise decision - North Melbourne met Collingwood in the 1977 Grand Final, and after initially playing a 76-all draw, won the rematch 151-124. [2] Alves played 40 games for North Melbourne before retiring.

He became coach of St. Kilda in 1997 and steered them to their first Grand Final in 26 years, earning the Coach of the Year award, before being controversially sacked the next season.