Don Furner Sr will be remembered as a brilliant rugby league mind and the man who orchestrated Canberra's glory years featuring three premierships in six seasons.
The inaugural Raiders coach passed away aged 87 on Monday night following a long illness and leaves behind an immense legacy.
Furner coached Canberra from 1982 and just five years later, after his "masterstroke" recruitment of Mal Meninga, led the Green Machine to their first grand final.
He passed the coaching baton to Tim Sheens the following season as the Raiders contested five grand finals between 1987 and 1994, winning three.
As a player, Furner earned one Test for Australia on their 1956-57 tour of Great Britain and eight games for Queensland before injury ended his career.
A decorated coach in Queensland, NSW and the ACT preceded his appointment as Kangaroos mentor in 1986.
Over the next two years Furner's record with the national side was 13-2 which included an undefeated tour of Great Britain and France and victory at the 1988 World Cup.
He became Australia's chairman of selectors for a decade after standing down as coach and then guided Fiji at the 2000 World Cup.
Furner even boxed for the Queensland heavyweight title as a teenager after compiling an 8-0 record but was knocked out by Cec Meredith and never fought again.
Furner's oldest boy Don Jr is the Raiders current chief executive and his younger son David played for Canberra and coached the club between 2009 and 2013.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who has known the Furner family since childhood, summed up the club legend succinctly.
"He achieved a lot in his time," Stuart said.
"Don Furner will be remembered for many years to come. The history of the club, for what he's done for the club itself and also what Don and David have done.
"It's been a lifetime here for the Furner family and what they've built and Don was the pinnacle of that."
Raiders chairman Dr Allan Hawke paid tribute to Furner's versatility and said he mastered every rugby league role he held.
"Don Furner Senior was a fundamental piece of the architecture in putting our club together," Dr Hawke said.
"He distinguished himself as a player, an exemplary coach and then as an administrator.
"Very few people would have the gift to excel in all the facets of rugby league but Don Furner Sr did."
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg echoed the sentiment.
"Don was one of those rare gifts to the game which allowed him to excel as a player, as a coach and a fine administrator," Greenberg said.
"Very few have been able to do that in rugby league.
"Don will be missed but he will always have a place in the game as one of the founding figures of the Raiders, along with other significant achievements."
A club statement praised Furner's skill set.
"Furner's wealth of experience as a coach in country football, together with his unmatched ability to spot raw talent, were invaluable in the Raiders' testing early years," the club said.
"He remained unperturbed, steadily putting together a squad that surprised the league world when it almost made the semi-finals in only its third year.
"His recruitment of Mal Meninga in late 1985, which then attracted so much talent to the club, was a masterstroke."
Australian Associated Press
