Dinny McKay
South Melbourne · “Dinny”
AFL career
14 games14 goals
- Debut
- R1 1897 v MEL8 May 1897
- Most recent
- R14 1897 v FIT7 Aug 1897
Stats
Bio
Recruited from South Ballarat, Dinny McKay established himself as a star of the pre-VFL era, anchoring South Melbourne’s forward line during their hat-trick of VFA premierships from 1888 to 1890. A lanky operator with strong hands and deceptive agility, he briefly crossed to Richmond before returning to Lake Oval to spearhead the attack in the inaugural VFL season. McKay wrote his name into the record books by snapping the club’s first-ever VFL goal and finished 1897 as South’s leading goalkicker, playing every match of the campaign. His career was cut short in tragic circumstances when he died of a ruptured appendix just days after the final round, marking the first death of an active player in league history.
Profile
- Born
- 23 Nov 1867
- Died
- 17 Aug 1897 (aged 29y 267d)
- Birthplace
- Ballarat, VIC
- Deathplace
- Melbourne, VIC
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from South Ballarat, Dinny McKay established himself as a star of the pre-VFL era, anchoring South Melbourne’s forward line during their hat-trick of VFA premierships from 1888 to 1890. A lanky operator with strong hands and deceptive agility, he briefly crossed to Richmond before returning to Lake Oval to spearhead the attack in the inaugural VFL season. McKay wrote his name into the record books by snapping the club’s first-ever VFL goal and finished 1897 as South’s leading goalkicker, playing every match of the campaign. His career was cut short in tragic circumstances when he died of a ruptured appendix just days after the final round, marking the first death of an active player in league history.