Brian Griffin (16 April 1941 – 17 June 2020) was an Australian

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

player and one of only two lacrosse players to be inducted into the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

. Griffin commenced playing in 1953 for the Nedlands-Subiaco Lacrosse Club in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, making his A Grade debut in 1957. An attacker of the highest quality, Griffin first represented Australia in their 1962 overseas tour. He took out Australia's highest individual honour in winning the OC Isaachsen Trophy as Australia's best and fairest men's lacrosse player in 1966. Griffin captained the Australian side at the inaugural

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, in 1967, and was selected as Australia's most valuable player for the tournament. Being able to throw and catch with both hands was unheard of until then, and he also developed a back-hand shot which made for greater depth in play. In 1970 he was a member of the Australian team to play against the touring US team and in 1972, toured the US again. American experts described Griffin as the best player in the world, and he was recognised by the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, following that 1972 tour. In 1974, he competed in the

in Melbourne and in 1984, was assistant Australian coach for the tournament that was played alongside the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

. In 1986 Brian was inducted into the

Western Australian Hall of Champions In 1983, the Sportswriters' Association of Western Australia proposed a Western Australian Hall of Champions to honour past athletes from the state who had made a significant impact in their sport. The Government of Western Australia asked the th ...

and in 1999 was inducted into the

References

External links

* * 1941 births 2020 deaths Australian lacrosse players Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Sportsmen from Western Australia {{Lacrosse-bio-stub