Fred McGinis[1] (11 November 1874 – 30 March 1953) was an Australian rules footballer. He played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), and the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Fred McGinis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Alfred Ernest McGinis | ||
| Date of birth | 11 November 1874 | ||
| Place of birth | Hobart | ||
| Date of death | 30 March 1953 (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | Hobart | ||
| Original team(s) | City (Hobart) | ||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 74 kg (163 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1894–1896 | Melbourne (VFA) | 45 (41) | |
| 1897–1901 | Melbourne | 84 (36) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1901. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Family
editThe son of Louis McGuiness (1841-1908),[2] and Mary Ann McGuiness (1840-1911), née Toogood,[3][4] Alfred Ernest McGuiness was born at Hobart, on 11 November 1874.[5]
Football
editMcGinis began his career with Melbourne at the age of nineteen, in 1894 in the VFA,[6][7][8] and was its leading goalkicker in 1895. In September 1895, 'Half Back' (the Age's football correspondent) declared that McGinis was "the champion of the season.[9]
A rover, he starred for Melbourne in its debut season in the VFL in 1897, and he was a premiership player with Melbourne in 1900.[10]
Vision difficulties
editVision difficulties forced him out of the game by 1902 and he returned to Tasmania.
Benefit matches
editAs he neared total blindness, a match was played for his benefit between combined teams from the VFA and VFL on 4 September 1902; the match, won by the VFL, raised £200. The match was the first time that the two bitter rival football competitions had ever played against each other.[11]
Death
editHe died in Hobart on 30 March 1953, and was cremated at the Cornelian Bay Cemetery the next day.[12]
Hall of Fame
editMcGinis was regarded as one of the best players of his era,[13] with some contemporaries, including Mick Grace, Jack Leith, George Cathie, and the Argus sportswriter 'Observer' naming him as the best overall.[14][15][16]
Although primarily a rover, he could play and succeed at any position on the ground, and was proficient at all skills: accurate kicking, high marking, speed and endurance.[17]
- In all my experience I have never seen a more accomplished player – one qualified to rank on the highest rung of the ladder of fame among the football champions of Australia. His scintillating brilliancy on the field was unfortunately cut short at the height of his fame by failing eye-sight. (George Cathie, 1943).[18]
McGinis is the first listed inductee in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame, his citation describing him as "Tasmania's first true football superstar".[19]
See also
editFootnotes
edit- ^ His family name was variously rendered as "McGinis", "McGinnis", "M‘Guiness", and "McGuiness".
- ^ Deaths: McGuiness, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Monday, 7 September 1908), p.1.
- ^ Marriages: M‘Guiness—Toogood, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Wednesday, 22 July 1863), p.4: note that, at the time, "M‘Guiness" and "McGuiness" were alternate ways of writing the same family name.
- ^ Deaths: McGuiness, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Friday, 25 August 1911), p.1.
- ^ His registration on the Electoral Rolls over many years consistently has his name as "Alfred Ernest McGinniss".
- ^ Pennings (2016), passim.
- ^ The Melbourne Football Team, The Australasian, (Saturday, 22 June 1895), p.1178.
- ^ 'Old-Timer', "Chat with Fred McGinis", The Referee, (Wednesday, 12 August 1914), p.12.
- ^ 'Half Back', "The Football Season", The Age, (Monday, 23 September 1895), p. 6.
- ^ The Melbourne Team (Premiers 1900), (Melbourne) Punch, (Thursday, 27 September 1900), p.369.
- ^ "Football. M'Ginis Benefit Match". The Argus. No. 17, 519. Melbourne. 5 September 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 6 September 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Family Notices". The Mercury. Vol. CLXXIII, no. 25, 673. Tasmania, Australia. 31 March 1953. p. 17.
- ^ Tribute to a Tasmanian, The (Hobart) Mercury, (Thursday, 6 August 1908), p.8.
- ^ 'Old-Timer', "The Best Footballer", The Referee, (Wednesday, 23 August 1911), p.1.
- ^ Cathie, G.J., "Fred McGinis: Most Brilliant Player of All", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 27 July 1935), p.7.
- ^ Observer (2 May 1908). "Old football days". The Argus. Melbourne, VIC. p. 18.
- ^ 'Old-Timer', "Old-Time Champion Footballers", The Referee, (Wednesday, 24 June 1914), p.16.
- ^ Cathie, G.J., "Champion Footballers", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 20 February 1943), p. 4
- ^ "1. Fred McGinis". AFL Tasmania. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
References
edit- 'Follower', "The Footballers' Alphabet", The Leader, (Saturday, 23 July 1898), p. 17.
- Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
- Pennings, Mark (2016), Origins of Australian Football: Victoria's early History: Volume 4: Tough Times: Victorian Football loses its Way, 1891 to 1896, Brunswick, Victoria: Grumpy Monks Publishing. ISBN 978-0-646-93604-8
External links
edit
- Fred McGinis's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Fred McGinis at AustralianFootball.com
- Demonwiki: Fred McGinis.
- Boyles Football Photos: Fred McGinis.