Lyle Ernest Downs (26 July 1896 – 7 July 1921) 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

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

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). Downs, who also played for the

Carlton Cricket Club Carlton Cricket Club is an Australian cricket team that competes in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition. The club was formed in 1864 and plays its home matches at Princes Park in North Carlton. Known as the Blues, Carlton has won ten First ...

, was a rover and played finals in his first three seasons. He played a game for Carlton with his brother

Johnny Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

in 1920. The brothers were cousins of another Carlton footballer

Tommy Downs Tommy Downs (22 May 1901 – 11 August 1981) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Downs was a Woodham Cup winner at Northcote in 1925, having previously played with Preston. One of ...

. After a training session on 7 July 1921, Downs collapsed and died in the training room of a heart attack.''The Argus'', "Footballer Dies Suddenly", 8 July 1921, p. 6

References

1896 births Carlton Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Sport deaths in Australia 1921 deaths People from Carlton, Victoria Sports competitors who died in competition {{AFL-bio-1896-stub