John James "Jack" Quinn (28 September 1874 – 11 December 1918) 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 with

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Football career

Quinn was a member of the Geelong squad which played in the VFL's inaugural season in 1897 and was one of the 20 Geelong players that debuted in the opening round fixture against Essendon. A forward, Quinn kicked three goals in Geelong's 81-point win over St Kilda at Junction Oval in round seven. Geelong's winning score 16.18 (114) set a league record which lasted until the

1899 VFL season The 1899 VFL season was the third season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 13 May until 16 September, and comprised a 14- ...

. He missed just one game in the home and away season, which Geelong finished on top of the ladder. By the end of

1897 VFL finals series The Victorian Football League's 1897 finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season. It began on the weekend of August 21, 1897, and ended on the weekend of September 3, 1897. Essendon was crowned the 1897 VFL premi ...

which was to be decided through the round robin format, Geelong were second, with the club's six-point loss to eventual premiers Essendon in week one of the finals proving the difference. Quinn played in all three finals, for a total of 16 games for the year. He kicked 14 goals, a tally bettered by only two teammate, Eddy James and Charlie Coles. The following season he appeared in the opening five rounds and didn't play any further senior football for Geelong.

Personal life

Quinn, who worked as a

tanner Tanner may refer to: * Tanner (occupation), the tanning of leather and hides People * Tanner (given name), * Tanner (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *The Tanner Sisters, also referred to as "The Harbingers of Weir ...

, got married in 1910 to Elizabeth "Lizzie" Evans, a resident of Abbotsford. They had one child, named Bernie.

Death in sewer accident

On 11 December 1918, Quinn was one of three men killed when gas penetrated a sewer shaft on River Street in Richmond. Two of the men were employees of the Metropolitan Board of Works, one of whom was engaged in tarring the ladder which led down the shaft and fell down the hole when he was overcome by the gas. His colleague William Aldridge went to assist, as did Quinn who was working nearby. All three died of asphyxiation. Both Aldridge and Quinn was honoured by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for their rescue attempt, the society announcing in 1919 that the men's names would be recorded in the archives. The Metropolitan Board of Works donated to a fund to support the family of Jack Quinn.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Jack 1874 births 1918 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Geelong Football Club players Industrial accident deaths Accidental deaths in Victoria (state)