David Darcy (11 August 19431 August 2020) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for Footscray in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL) during the 1960s. Darcy also played for and coached

South Adelaide The South Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club that competes in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Known as the ''Panthers'', their home ground is Flinders University Stadium South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

(SANFL).

Career

Darcy was recruited from Sunshine YCW, a junior club that played in the CYMS competition. David initially spent four seasons at from 1963 to 1966, before a work transfer sent him to

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

in 1967. He started his career at half forward but in his second season moved to defence where he excelled. As a key position defender he went on to represent

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

on four occasions. Darcy chose the South Adelaide Panthers but Footscray initially refused to clear him to play. Once the approval came through, he had an outstanding year with the Panthers where he would finish third in the

Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...

from only 11 games. Darcy transferred back to Melbourne in 1968 and returned to play with Footscray until 1971. On his return to the Panthers he was selected as captain-coach for the 1972 and 1973 seasons, and became outright coach in 1974. Darcy was the father of former player and current football commentator

Luke Darcy Luke Darcy (born 12 July 1975) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL) and now works for the Seven Network and Triple M covering the AFL and the Olympics. Early life L ...

and the grandfather of current Western Bulldogs player

Sam Darcy Samuel Adams Darcy (born Samuel Dardeck , as known as "Sam Darcy," 1905 – November 8, 2005) was an American political activist who was a prominent Communist leader in both New York and California. While active in the organization of New York Ci ...

References

External links

* * 1943 births 2020 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Western Bulldogs players South Adelaide Football Club players South Adelaide Football Club coaches Sunshine Football Club (WRFL) players {{AFL-bio-1940s-stub