Fred McGinis (11 November 1874 – 30 March 1953) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the

Victorian Football Association 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 ...

(VFA) and 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).

Family

The son of Louis McGuiness (1841-1908), and Mary Ann McGuiness (1840-1911), née Toogood, Alfred Ernest McGuiness was born at Hobart on 11 November 1874.

Football

McGinis began his career with Melbourne at the age of nineteen in

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

in the VFA, and was its leading goalkicker in 1895. A rover, he starred for Melbourne in its debut season in the VFL in

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puni ...

. He was a premiership player with Melbourne in 1900.

Vision difficulties

Vision difficulties forced him out of the game by 1902 and he returned to Tasmania.

Benefit matches

As 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.

Death

He died in Hobart on 30 March 1953, and was cremated at the

Cornelian Bay Cemetery Cornelian Bay Cemetery is a cemetery in Cornelian Bay, Tasmania, Australia. It is the oldest cemetery in Tasmania that remains in use. History The cemetery location, a section of the former Government Farm site, was selected in the late 1860s ...

the next day.

Hall of Fame

McGinis was regarded as one of the best players of his era, with some contemporaries, including

Mick Grace Michael John Grace (24 July 187421 May 1912) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club, Carlton Football Club and St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Thomas Grace, ...

Jack Leith John Goodwin 'Jack' Leith (12 August 1872 – 24 April 1935) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the early years of the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Aus ...

, George Cathie, and ''the Argus'' sportswriter '

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in co ...

' naming him as the best overall. 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. ::In all my experience I have never seen a more accomplished player – one qualified to rank on the hlghest 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). McGinis is the first listed inductee in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame, his citation describing him as "Tasmania's first true football superstar".

Footnotes

References

'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.

External links

* *
''Demonwiki'': Fred McGinis.

''Boyles Football Photos'': Fred McGinis.
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGinis, Fred 1874 births 1953 deaths Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Melbourne Football Club players Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian rules footballers from Hobart Melbourne Football Club (VFA) players Melbourne Football Club Premiership players One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players