James Francis "Jock" McHale, (12 December 1882 – 4 October 1953) 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 ...

player and coach for the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

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 ...

in a marathon career that extended from 1903 to 1949.

Early life

The son of an Irish-born policeman, John Francis, and his wife Mary (née Gibbons), the young McHale was born in

Sydney, New South Wales Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...

, but moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

with his family at age 5. He attended St Brigid's primary school in

North Fitzroy Fitzroy North is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cites of City of Merri-bek, Merri-bek ...

and St Paul's in

Coburg Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...

, then moved on to Christian Brothers' College (Parade) in East Melbourne and completed three years of secondary school. Having just turned 15, he left school to take a position with the McCracken Brewery.

Playing career

McHale joined Coburg, at the time a junior club, and came to prominence with his consistency, which led to an invitation to play at Collingwood. McHale made his league debut in 1903 for Collingwood, playing as a half-back before moving into the centre. Durability was the cornerstone of his reputation as a player—he set a VFL record by playing 191 games consecutively between 1906 and 1917. This record was not beaten until

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

by Richmond's

Jack Titus Jack "Skinny" Titus (9 March 1908 – 19 April 1978) was an Australian rules football player who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1926 and 1943 for the Richmond Football Club. In the golden era of the 1930s, Titus was one ...

. He served as captain-coach from 1912–1913 and as a playing coach from 1914 up to the 1917 premiership, his second premiership after being part of the 1910 premiership side. McHale played a handful of matches in 1918 and 1920, but from 1918 to 1949 he made his name as the most successful coach in VFL/AFL history, deeds for which he is best remembered. As a player, McHale played 261 games and kicked 18 goals, as well as representing

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 ...

Coaching career

In total, McHale coached 714 VFL games with 467 wins and 10 draws (a 66.1% winning rate). This included a record 59 finals matches and 16 Grand Finals for eight premierships. His tally of 714 games was the record for most VFL/AFL games coached until 2015, when it was passed by Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood and Carlton coach

Mick Malthouse Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Malthou ...

. Stylistically, he was regarded more for his analytical and ability to inspire, rather than as a teacher of skills. His football brain earned him the respect of his players and the football public. His stint as coach encompassed three enormously successful eras: 1917–1922 (five Grand Finals in six years for two flags), then 1925–1930 (six successive Grand Finals for four flags) and finally 1935–1939 (five successive Grand Finals for two flags). The strength of Collingwood under McHale lay in its evenness and adherence to team discipline. McHale fashioned the team as a machine, with no part bigger than the whole – he and his players accepted the same amount of pay every week. He placed great store in his own ability to pick players' strengths and fitness levels and he would assess his players each week during a traditional Thursday night match-day type training. Although in the years before and after the war Collingwood earned a reputation for failing in tough finals matches, McHale's reputation is assured for guiding the club in achieving VFL football's greatest single feat: the unequalled record of four premierships in a row, set between 1927 and 1930. During the war, Collingwood fell on its first barren period since the formation of the club in 1892. McHale rode out the privations of the period and the Magpies re-emerged as a contender in 1945. However, the club suffered a series of disappointing finals losses, and McHale conceded to age early in 1950 and retired. He stayed intimately involved with the club and helped plan the Magpies' successful campaign in the 1953 Grand Final. When Collingwood won the match to end a premiership drought of 17 years, McHale was overwhelmed with emotion. The next day he suffered a heart attack, and he died on 4 October at his home in Coburg (noted Collingwood benefactor

John Wren John Wren (3 April 1871 – 26 October 1953) was an Australian bookmaker, boxing and wrestling promoter, Irish nationalist, land speculator, newspaper owner, racecourse and racehorse owner, soldier, pro-conscriptionist and theatre owner. He b ...

suffered a heart attack while watching the same final match, and he died on 26 October 1953).

Coaching statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

, , 18 , , 9 , , 9 , , 0 , , 50.0% , , 7 , , 10 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

, , 19 , , 13 , , 6 , , 0 , , 68.4% , , 3 , , 10 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

, , 18 , , 10 , , 7 , , 1 , , 58.3% , , 5 , , 10 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

, , 18 , , 14 , , 4 , , 0 , , 77.8% , , 1 , , 9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1916 , , 13 , , 6 , , 6 , , 1 , , 50.0% , , 2 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1917 , , 16 , , 12 , , 5 , , 1 , , 69.4% , , 1 , , 6 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1918 , , 16 , , 11 , , 5 , , 0 , , 68.8% , , 2 , , 8 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

, , 19 , , 15 , , 4 , , 0 , , 80.0% , , 1 , , 9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1920 , , 19 , , 12 , , 7 , , 0 , , 63.2% , , 4 , , 9 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

, , 17 , , 9 , , 8 , , 0 , , 52.9% , , 3 , , 9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

, , 18 , , 12 , , 6 , , 0 , , 66.7% , , 1 , , 9 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1923 , , 16 , , 8 , , 7 , , 1 , , 53.1% , , 5 , , 9 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1924 , , 16 , , 8 , , 8 , , 0 , , 50.0% , , 6 , , 9 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

, , 20 , , 14 , , 6 , , 0 , , 70.0% , , 4 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1926 , , 20 , , 15 , , 5 , , 0 , , 75.0% , , 1 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1927 , , 20 , , 17 , , 3 , , 0 , , 85.0% , , 1 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

, , 21 , , 17 , , 3 , , 1 , , 83.3% , , 1 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

, , 20 , , 19 , , 1 , , 0 , , 95.0% , , 1 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

, , 20 , , 16 , , 4 , , 0 , , 80.0% , , 1 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, , 19 , , 12 , , 7 , , 0 , , 63.2% , , 4 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1932 , , 20 , , 15 , , 5 , , 0 , , 75.0% , , 3 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1933 , , 18 , , 11 , , 7 , , 0 , , 61.1% , , 6 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, , 19 , , 13 , , 5 , , 1 , , 71.1% , , 4 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1935 , , 21 , , 16 , , 3 , , 2 , , 81.0% , , 2 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

, , 20 , , 17 , , 3 , , 0 , , 85.0% , , 2 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1937 , , 21 , , 15 , , 6 , , 0 , , 71.4% , , 3 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

, , 21 , , 14 , , 7 , , 0 , , 66.7% , , 4 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

, , 21 , , 16 , , 5 , , 0 , , 76.2% , , 2 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1940 , , 18 , , 8 , , 10 , , 0 , , 44.4% , , 8 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

, , 18 , , 12 , , 6 , , 0 , , 66.7% , , 5 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

, , 14 , , 2 , , 12 , , 0 , , 14.3% , , 10 , , 11 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

, , 15 , , 5 , , 10 , , 0 , , 33.3% , , 10 , , 11 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

, , 18 , , 7 , , 11 , , 0 , , 38.9% , , 10 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

, , 22 , , 15 , , 7 , , 0 , , 68.2% , , 2 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

, , 22 , , 13 , , 8 , , 1 , , 61.4% , , 2 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal",

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

, , 19 , , 11 , , 7 , , 1 , , 60.5% , , 5 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1948 , , 21 , , 14 , , 7 , , 0 , , 66.7% , , 3 , , 12 , - ! scope="row" style="font-weight:normal", 1949 , , 20 , , 13 , , 7 , , 0 , , 65.0% , , 3 , , 12 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 713 ! 466 ! 237 ! 10 ! 66.1% ! colspan=2,

Recognition

In 1996, Jock McHale was inducted into the

Australian Football Hall of Fame The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...

and then was elevated to legend status in 2005. Since 2001, the premiership coach is awarded the Jock McHale Medal, in honour of McHale's brilliant coaching record. The AFL has retrospectively made this award to each premiership coach since 1950, the year after McHale retired as a coach. Crime novelist

Kerry Greenwood Kerry Isabelle Greenwood (born 1954) is an Australian author and lawyer. She has written many plays and books, most notably a string of historical detective novels centred on the character of Phryne Fisher, which was adapted as the popular tele ...

wrote the 1991 short story ''The Vanishing of Jock McHale's Hat''. It was adapted into a

season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...

episode of ''

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' is an Australian drama television series. It was first broadcast on ABC on 24 February 2012. It is based on author Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels, and it was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger. ...

'', titled "Marked for Murder", which aired in 2013.

1930 Grand Final

The AFL officially recognises McHale as having coached 714 games and eight premierships, but it is a matter of some historical controversy that the 1930 Grand Final and premiership are credited to McHale's statistics. McHale had coached the team throughout that year and into the week of the Grand Final, but he was absent on the day of the Grand Final, having fallen ill with influenza days before the game. Club treasurer Bob Rush performed the match-day coaching duties in his place. For many years, Rush was credited with having coached the game; but, after a decision in 2014 by the AFL's historians, McHale is now credited as Collingwood's sole coach in the game.

Death

Jock McHale died of a heart attack on 4 October 1953, aged 70, at his home in Coburg, only a week after Collingwood had won its first premiership in seventeen years. He is buried with his wife Violet, son James, and daughter Mary. McHale is buried at Coburg Cemetery, Preston, Victoria. His grave is included in a self-guided heritage walk at the cemetery, and information about his life is available on a sign posted at his graveside.Friends of Coburg Cemetery website http://friendsofcoburgcemetery.com

References

External links

James Francis McHale
at the

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

* *
Collingwood Football Club Hall of Fame

from AFL Tables

from AFL Tables {{DEFAULTSORT:McHale, Jock 1882 births 1953 deaths Australian rules footballers from Sydney Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents Collingwood Football Club players Collingwood Football Club Premiership players Collingwood Football Club coaches Collingwood Football Club Premiership coaches Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian people of Irish descent Two-time VFL/AFL Premiership players Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Eight-time VFL/AFL Premiership coaches