Born in Kingsford, New South Wales in 1944, Ron Coote was a South Sydney junior and the son a famous footballer. He was a tall, rangy lock with an upright running style. He was famous for his outstanding cover defence and low, "round-the-legs" tackling technique. He was bestowed the name "Prince of Locks" acknowledging him as second greatest Australian lock ever (behind "King of Locks" Johnny Raper).

An Eastern Suburbs local and the son of Premiership-winner Jack Coote - who was a member of the famous sides of the mid-1930s - Ron Coote won four Premierships and captained Australia to a World Cup victory at South Sydney before making his debut for the Tricolours in 1972.

A tall and gifted athlete, Coote possessed many of Raper's qualities — he was a superb cover-defender and fast and powerful with the ball in hand. Most pundits considered it only a matter of time before he stepped into Raper's boots. However, it was a long time coming. Raper continued to hold his place in the Australian side until 1968, but Coote's form was too good to ignore and selectors made room for him in the second row.

He played 151 games for South Sydney from 1964 to 1971 and 108 games for Eastern Suburbs from 1972 to 1978. With both clubs enjoying success during his tenure, Coote's Grand Final record is phenomenal. He played in nine Grand Finals in 11 seasons from 1965 to 1975. He won four premierships at South Sydney and consecutive premierships at Easts in season 1974 and season 1975.

The damaging lock forward not only revived his Test career with three appearances for Australia - and a second Harry Sunderland Medal to boot - but also played a major role with twelve tries and 21 appearances for the year, culminating in a Grand Final victory, joining his father as a Premiership-winner at the Club. An arm injury forced him into retirement in 1978. He represented Australia in 23 Tests and World Cup games between 1967 and 1975 and was captain for three games in the 1970 World Cup.

After football, Coote became a successful businessman owning a number of McDonald's franchises. He was at one time a member of the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) judiciary. In 2000, he founded the Men of League program (now Family of League) which supports former players, officials and referees who have fallen on hard times. The program offers practical assistance and grants for medical operations; it mentors players about to retire from the game and promotes the game in regional areas.

In 2004, he was named by Souths in the South Sydney Dream Team, consisting of 17 players and a coach representing the club from 1908 through to 2004. Coote has also been named in a team comprising Eastern Suburbs greatest ever players. In 2005 he was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame. In February 2008, Coote was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. He was inducted as the game's 14th Immortal on 21 August, 2024.

The Ron Coote Cup is an annual competition between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters, commemorating his legacy and contributions to both teams.