Gary Lazarus

Gary Lazarus was a shining light for Fitzroy during a bleak on-field era, debuting as a 17-year-old who bypassed the reserves entirely to jump straight from the Thirds to the senior side. Despite battling childhood health issues that required him to wear leg irons, he developed into a versatile key position player capable of holding down full-forward or pinch-hitting in the ruck. While his style was sometimes described as ungainly, he was highly effective in front of the big sticks, topping the Lions' goalkicking list on four occasions (1963, 1965, 1966, and 1967). His debut season was particularly notable, as the teenager booted 35 goals to lead the club’s scoring fresh out of the juniors.

A loyal servant to the Royboys throughout the 1960s, Lazarus played a key role in the famous 1963 "Miracle Match" upset over Geelong, though team success was otherwise scarce. He shocked the VFL world by retiring at just 25 years of age to accept a coaching role with East Gambier in South Australia, where he cemented a legacy as a premiership-winning captain-coach. Although Fitzroy later approached him to return as senior coach in the mid-1970s, Lazarus opted to remain in the country, leaving fans to wonder what might have been had he extended his tenure at Brunswick Street.