When Collingwood legend Kevin Rose enjoyed a party pie at the Collingwood-Melbourne Queen’s Birthday match, he did it for the first time as Kevin Rose OAM.

At 76-years-old, the 1958 premiership player has former President has this year been recognised for his services to football and the community in the Queen’s Birthday honours.

“It’s a great honour. It came as a great surprise,” Rose told Collingwood Media.

“I received a letter a couple of months ago saying I had been nominated… and to receive the OAM is a privilege.”

Boasting one of the most famous surnames in Collingwood history, Rose played 159 games for the Magpies between 1958 and 1967.

He went on to coach Fitzroy for three years, before returning to Collingwood to be President from 1996 to 1999.

While still involved in the club as a member of the hall of fame selection committee, Rose this week reflected on the various roles he’s undertaken at Collingwood.

“I played three years in the under-19s. So if you factor in that, I spent 13 years at the club (as a player).”

PLAYER PROFILE: Kevin Rose.

“I won a premiership in 1958 as a 19-year-old and then played in four losing Grand Finals… I came back as President in 1996 and then was on the board for eight years.”

The accolades continued to flow long after Rose’s playing career finished. He was named a Collingwood life member in 1968 and an AFL life member in 2013.

“Kevin Rose has given much of his life to Collingwood, first as a distinguished player and later as a long serving member of the board and President,” Eddie McGuire said in a tribute to Rose in 2013.

“Kevin has served Collingwood, and football, with great honor and acumen. On the field and off. He won a premiership with the Magpies in 1958 and a Victorian jumper three years later for his robust talent as a ruck-rover.”

Football aside, Rose has dedicated a vast periods of his life to assisting those in need.

Along with brother and Collingwood legend Bob, he established and continues to play a key role in the formation of the Robert Rose Foundation.

Named after nephew Robert, who became a quadriplegic after a car accident in 1999, the foundation seeks to provide funding and support to people with spinal cord injuries.

Now in its 16th year of operation, the foundation means that Rose’s legacy will forever live beyond football.

Community interests and an Order of Australia Medal won’t keep Rose away from the team he loves however.

He is honoured with a spot in the legends section at the MCG every match-day and keeps a close interest in the men in the black and white.

“It’s great to see the team playing for Bucks. He’s a great leader and to have the players playing for him is fantastic.

“We’ll learn a lot about the side in the next month, I think.”