Post-playing
After his playing career he became a league umpire and he umpired the entire 1947 WANFL finals series (in those days there was only one field umpire during a game). It was also 1947 that saw him venture to Hobart to umpire in the first post-war Australian interstate championship series.
Well known for his didactic style, he taught football to juniors in Perth colleges and the South Perth district.
Cronin again coached East Perth from 1951 to 1955 - with his best successes coming in 1952 and 1953 when East Perth made it to the 1st semi final but lost. He also coached the state in 1951.
His coaching may not have reaped much for the Royals, in fact his final stint came at the end of a prolonged era of frustration for the club. However under Cronin the calibre of such players as Ted Kilmurray, Paul Seal, Kevin McGill, John Watts, Ray Webster and most notable of all Graham 'Polly' Farmer joined the club. From this one would suggest that he helped lay the foundations for the East Perth golden era that would begin when Jack Sheedy took over in 1956.
Benefiting from a football boom in Perth, Cronin became a dominant figure on TVW-7's weekly 'World of Football' television programme from 1965 until his death; he earned respect for his sincerity and knowledge, but aroused controversy by his frankness and dogmatism. Meanwhile, he also broadcast football matches over radio 6IX and contributed through a ghost writer to a weekly column, 'On the Back Page', in Sports Review.
Read more about this topic: Mick Cronin (footballer)