James Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish-born footballer who converted from

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...

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 ...

. Playing for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, and plays its home g ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling ...

(AFL), he went on to become one of the game's most prominent figures, breaking the record for most consecutive games of VFL/AFL football (244) and winning the sport's highest individual honour, the

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...

, in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

. Off the field, he was a notable AFL administrator,

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, charity worker and writer.

Career

During his 264-game career playing for the

in the

(AFL) between 1987 and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, Stynes became the first and only non-Australian-born VFL/AFL player to win the Brownlow Medal, which he achieved in 1991. After his retirement, he 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, coac ...

. Stynes was quite famous in both Australia and Ireland as a result of his involvement in the Melbourne Football Club's international recruitment program (now known as the "

Irish experiment The Irish Experiment is the popular name for the interest, primarily from VFL/AFL clubs, in bringing Irish sportspeople, particularly Gaelic footballers, to Australia to play Australian rules football professionally. The AFL's focus on Gaeli ...

"). Born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, Ireland, where he was a promising

er at the Ballyboden St Enda's club, Stynes made a move to Australia at the age of 18 following his county team's victory in the

1984 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The 1984 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship was the 53rd staging of the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament for boys under the age of 18. Derry entered ...

. Debuting in the Australian Football League in 1987, he played an unbeaten league record of 244 consecutive games between 1987 and 1998 as a mobile ruckman. Along with his Brownlow Medal, his Australian Rules achievements included the Leigh Matthews Trophy, two-time

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

selection, a

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...

appearance in 1988, and a four-time winner of the

Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal The Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player(s) adjudged the best and fairest at the Melbourne Football Club throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League (VFL/A ...

for being judged Melbourne's best player throughout the course of a season. He also represented Victoria in interstate football matches, and he played for both

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

in international rules football, a hybrid of Gaelic football and Australian rules football. Following his football career, Stynes focused on youth work, using his profile to launch

The Reach Foundation The Reach Foundation (Reach) is a youth not-for-profit organisation established by Jim Stynes OAM and film director Paul Currie in 1994. Reach was created from a desire to inspire every young person to believe in themselves and get the most out ...

, which he co-founded in 1994. As a result of his work with young people in Victoria, he was named Victorian of the Year twice, in 2001 and 2003, and with the expanded profile of Reach nationally, awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2007. Stynes also served as president of the Melbourne Football Club from 2008 and was involved in fundraising efforts which brought the club out of debt. In 2009, Stynes was diagnosed with metastatic

melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...

and continued to work during his treatment for

brain metastasis A brain metastasis is a cancer that has metastasized (spread) to the brain from another location in the body and is therefore considered a secondary brain tumor. The metastasis typically shares a cancer cell type with the original site of th ...

. He died in March 2012 and was honoured by a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of ...

held at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

in Melbourne on 27 March 2012.

Early life

Stynes was born in Dublin, Ireland, to a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

family, the eldest son of Brian and Teresa Stynes, one of six siblings. He grew up in Rathfarnham.Langmaid, Aaron (2012)
Favourite son Jim Stynes's last wish for homecoming
''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald ...

'' online; published 22 March 2012 He attended Ballyroan Boys National School. He began playing

at the age of eight. From age nine, he played at Ballyboden St Enda's at under-11s level. He attended high school at De La Salle College, Churchtown, where he played

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

while continuing to play Gaelic football for his club alongside his younger brother, Brian. His first exposure to Australian rules football was watching the 1980 film '' The Club'' on television. Stynes represented Dublin in 1984, at the age of eighteen, and was on Dublin's winning side in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship. Stynes aspired to a college education; however, he lacked the means and was earning just $10 a week delivering newspapers. Later in his life, he graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science degree and a Diploma in Youth Work from

RMIT University RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scien ...

; additionally, he earned a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order f ...

degree from

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

. He was later awarded with the honorary degree of

Doctor of the University An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad ho ...

from the

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

Switch to Australian rules football

In 1984, Stynes responded to an advertisement in his local paper placed by the

that offered two scholarships with all expenses paid to play Australian rules football and attend

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

. Applicants were required to be under 18, over 183 cm and at county standard. Tall and slim, Stynes was selected, along with James Fahey, and brought to Victoria to undergo a crash course in Australian rules. He signed a two-year contract, hoping to use the money to fund his way through college. Stynes was promised accommodation with an additional $60 weekly

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work p ...

, clothing, and $50 a game. He arrived in Australia on 7 November 1984. Stynes debuted for the Melbourne under-19s team in 1985 and finished the season runner-up in the best and fairest. Ray Jordon, a coach who was experienced with talented juniors, worked intensively with Stynes, and he was sent to

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 ...

Prahran Football Club Prahran Assumption Football Club (), nicknamed The Two Blues, is an Australian rules football club based at Toorak Park in Orrong Road between High Street and Malvern Road, Armadale, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club is currently in ...

to compete at senior level.

VFL/AFL career

Stynes made his senior debut for the Melbourne Demons in 1987 against

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern 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 ...

Kardinia Park Kardinia Park is a major public park located in South Geelong, Victoria. A number of public and sporting facilities are located in the park: a major AFL stadium, a secondary football oval, a cricket field, an open air swimming pool, a numbe ...

. Two weeks later, he played in the Night Series Final against the

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

Bombers. The Demons' thrilling 4-point victory over the Bombers gave the club its first silverware in 23 years. Later in 1987, Stynes was part of the senior side which won their last six matches of the home-and-away season to finish in 5th place and qualify for Melbourne's first finals series since 1964. The Demons were cast as a Cinderella team, winning their first two finals by huge margins in front of huge, frenzied crowds. They were just seconds away from an unlikely Grand Final appearance, leading

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

in the Preliminary Final by 4 points when a free kick was awarded to

Gary Buckenara Gary William Buckenara (born 3 July 1958) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the Subiaco Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). R ...

fifty metres from goal. Stynes ran through the mark as the final siren sounded; it was an error which resulted in a 15-metre penalty and brought the Hawk forward within range. Buckenara scored the goal, giving his team a two-point win and ending Melbourne's fairytale charge to the premiership. (n.b. the 15-metre penalty rule was increased to 50 metres in 1988.) Stynes managed to put this costly mistake behind him. He cemented his position in Melbourne's senior team in 1988 and drew praise for his consistent play and for his innate skills and ability. He played in all 26 games, including the

versus

. Despite his team losing to the Hawks by 96 points, Stynes performed admirably and he was judged to be Melbourne's best player that day. In 1991, Stynes enjoyed the finest individual season of his career. With his fitness level at an all-time high and four years of experience under his belt, he took his game to another level, dominating the season with a league-best 214 marks. Many of these were taken thanks to his canny reading of the play. He repeatedly intercepted the opposition's long kicks forward with towering marks across the half-back line. He was installed as a hot favourite to win the

after averaging an astounding 30.6 disposals and 11 marks per game over the final 8 rounds. Stynes polled 25 votes to win the

1991 Brownlow Medal The 1991 Brownlow Medal was the 64th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. Jim Stynes of the Melbourne Football Club was declared the out ...

, five votes clear of his nearest rivals. He remains the only non-Australian-born player to receive game's most prestigious individual honour. He was also awarded the AFL Players Association MVP trophy, was named the All-Australian ruckman, and won his first club best-and-fairest award for Melbourne. Media commentators noted that Stynes had used his extraordinary endurance to redefine the role of the professional ruckman. While many of his opponents were over 2 metres tall, Stynes played in the style of a tall ruck rover. Instead of focusing on hitouts and playing in bursts, he ran the whole game and gained possession across the entire ground. This was a model of play which many other mid-sized ruckmen such as

and

's John Barnes were able to successfully follow. An exceptional run of consecutive games which had begun in Round 18 of 1987 almost ended with a severe rib injury in 1993 that Stynes sustained from a collision with teammate

David Neitz David Neitz (born 22 January 1975), is a retired Australian rules footballer. The strongly built centre half back who became a full forward was the longest-serving captain in the history of the Melbourne Football Club and the first Melbourne p ...

in a match against the

North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Kangaroos also ...

. He was treated at

Epworth Hospital Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Australia. The group has four divisions: Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Epworth Cliveden, Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Geelong Epwo ...

for a compound rib fracture. Despite being ruled out by medical officers for six weeks, he convinced his coach

Neil Balme Neil Allen Balme (born 15 January 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), as well as for the Subiaco Football Club in the Western Australian National Foot ...

to pass him in the club fitness test and wore a chest guard in order to play the following Friday night. Stynes finished the season with his consecutive games record unblemished and achieved All-Australian selection for the second time. In

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

, he suffered a medial ligament tear but continued to play through it, going on to string together three fine seasons between

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

and

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

in which he won consecutive club champion awards. In Round 9, 1996, Stynes played his 205th consecutive game, breaking the 53-year record held by Jack Titus since 1943. Stynes broke his hand early in the 1998 season, effectively ending his streak of consecutive games finally at 244. He retired from professional football at the conclusion of the season, having played a total of 264 AFL games, all at Melbourne, placing him second on the club's all-time games tally at the time.

Statistics

: , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1987 , , 37 , , 13 , , 15 , , 10 , , 116 , , 45 , , 161 , , 48 , , 8 , , 114 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 8.9 , , 3.5 , , 12.4 , , 3.7 , , 0.6 , , 8.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1988 , , 11 , , 26 , , 26 , , 13 , , 316 , , 107 , , 423 , , 135 , , 21 , , 196 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 12.2 , , 4.1 , , 16.3 , , 5.2 , , 0.8 , , 7.5 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, , 11 , , 24 , , 17 , , 14 , , 327 , , 112 , , 439 , , 119 , , 26 , , 254 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 13.6 , , 4.7 , , 18.3 , , 5.0 , , 1.1 , , 10.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

, , 11 , , 24 , , 11 , , 8 , , 306 , , 129 , , 435 , , 125 , , 25 , , 258 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 12.8 , , 5.4 , , 18.1 , , 5.2 , , 1.0 , , 10.8 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 11 , , 24 , , 15 , , 10 , , 382 , , 232 , , 614 , , style="background:#dd6e81;", 214 , , 11 , , 256 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 15.9 , , 9.7 , , 25.6 , , style="background:#dd6e81;", 8.9 , , 0.5 , , 10.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, , 11 , , 22 , , 9 , , 3 , , 334 , , 180 , , 514 , , 166 , , 13 , , 335 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 15.2 , , 8.2 , , 23.4 , , 7.5 , , 0.6 , , 15.2 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1993 , , 11 , , 20 , , 6 , , 8 , , 265 , , 179 , , 444 , , 123 , , 6 , , 264 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 13.3 , , 9.0 , , 22.2 , , 6.2 , , 0.3 , , 13.2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 11 , , 25 , , 10 , , 8 , , 241 , , 179 , , 420 , , 126 , , 16 , , 269 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 9.6 , , 7.2 , , 16.8 , , 5.0 , , 0.6 , , 10.8 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 11 , , 22 , , 9 , , 3 , , 264 , , 137 , , 401 , , 134 , , 15 , , 242 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 12.0 , , 6.2 , , 18.2 , , 6.1 , , 0.7 , , 11.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

, , 11 , , 22 , , 7 , , 10 , , 267 , , 182 , , 449 , , 144 , , 26 , , 349 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 12.1 , , 8.3 , , 20.4 , , 6.5 , , 1.2 , , 15.9 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 11 , , 22 , , 3 , , 4 , , 279 , , 172 , , 451 , , 126 , , 16 , , 320 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 12.7 , , 7.8 , , 20.5 , , 5.7 , , 0.7 , , 14.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 11 , , 20 , , 2 , , 6 , , 145 , , 89 , , 234 , , 56 , , 6 , , 253 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 7.3 , , 4.5 , , 11.7 , , 2.8 , , 0.3 , , 12.7 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 264 ! 130 ! 97 ! 3242 ! 1743 ! 4985 ! 1516 ! 189 ! 3110 ! 0.5 ! 0.4 ! 12.3 ! 6.6 ! 18.9 ! 5.7 ! 0.7 ! 11.8

Honours and achievements

*Team ** Night Series Premiership (

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 metro ...

): 1987 *Individual **

: 1991 **

: 1991, 1995–1997 ** Leigh Matthews Trophy (AFLPA MVP Award): 1991 **

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

: 1991, 1993 ** Herald Sun Player of the Year Award: 1991 ** Melbourne F.C. Team of the Century ** Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee: 2003

Youth work and founding of Reach

In 1994, Stynes co-founded (with film director Paul Currie)

and became a prominent youth worker in Victoria. In addition to Reach, Stynes worked on government advisory boards, including the 1997

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and t ...

Suicide Task Force and the Federal Minister For Youth's Youth Advisory Consultative Forum Committee.

Writer

Stynes authored several books. His written works include two autobiographies: ''Whatever It Takes'' (1996) with Jim Main and ''My Journey'' (2012) with Warwick Green, along with children's self-help books co-written by Dr Jon Carnegie, including ''Heroes'' (2003) and ''Finding Heroes'' (2006).

Melbourne Football Club chairman

In 2008, Stynes began expressing an interest in becoming chairman. In June 2008, Melbourne's chairman, Paul Gardner, stepped down as president to make way for Stynes. His early-stated main goal at this stage was to increase the Melbourne membership number—especially the junior membership base as stated on '' The Footy Show'' on 12 June 2008. Shortly following his election, he declared his staunch stance against any proposed relocation of the club to the Gold Coast or elsewhere. In March 2011, Stynes met

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educ ...

in Kerang, teaching him basic Australian rules football skills. In July 2011, Stynes in his role as chairman announced the sacking of

Dean Bailey Dean Bailey (18 January 1967 – 11 March 2014) was an Australian rules football player and coach. He played for the Essendon Football Club and was the senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club, as well as an assistant coach at Essendon and P ...

as Melbourne Football Club senior coach after a club board meeting due to an embarrassing 186 point lost to

in Round 19, 2011, when Stynes said he found it extremely hard to tell Bailey of the club's decision in stating "It wasn't something I was looking forward to," and "It makes it hard, because Dean Bailey is such a great man and a man of integrity". In December 2011, Stynes handed his #11 guernsey to new recruit Mitch Clark. In February 2012, Stynes stepped down from the presidency of Melbourne, citing a desire to devote his energies towards his family and wellbeing. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Don McLardy.

Honours and awards

The

Jim Stynes Medal The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (se ...

was named in Stynes's honour and first awarded in 1998 to the best Australian player in the International Rules series. The Jim Stynes Cup (also known as the Jim Stynes trophy) was named in Stynes' honour and awarded to the winner of the inaugural International Australian Football Youth Tournament. In 2000, Stynes received an

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

and was named in Melbourne Football Club's Team of the Century. In 2001, he received the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

"for establishing and leading a Reach organisation for youth development" and was named Victorian of the Year. In 2003, Stynes was inducted into the

and was named Victorian of the Year. In 2006, during the redevelopment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a new corporate dining and function room in level 2 of the Olympic Stand was named the "Jim Stynes Room" in honour of Stynes. In 2007, he was awarded the

for his work with youth and contribution to Australian rules football. Stynes was named Melburnian of the Year for 2010 for his Reach Foundation work. He was named a

by the

in recognition of his social work.

Illness

On 2 July 2009, Stynes held a media conference to inform the public that he had developed cancer. A lump in his back was shown to be

, and tests revealed that his cancer had

metastasised Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, the ...

, i.e. spread to other regions in his body. Stynes intended to make clear that he was not stepping down from his role as President of the Melbourne Football Club but instead just taking a break to seek treatment. On 4 April 2010, it was revealed that his condition had worsened, and three days later he had surgery for

. He continued to work during his treatment and participated in the filming of a television documentary about his life and his battle with cancer, ''Every Heart Beats True: The Jim Stynes Story'', produced by friends Jules Lund and Reach co-founder Paul Currie which aired on 19 September 2010 on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

Death

Stynes died at his home in St Kilda on 20 March 2012, aged 45. He was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...

, and his ashes were scattered at a "treasured spot" he chose before he died.

Reactions to death and legacy

Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of ...

, the

Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government in the Australian state of Victoria. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, and is the leader of the political party able to secure a majority in the Victorian Legislative Assemb ...

, described Stynes as "an exceptional Victorian", and he later offered a

to Stynes' family, which was accepted. The memorial was held at

(an Anglican cathedral, although Stynes was Roman Catholic) in central Melbourne on 27 March 2012, with the service shown on screen at

Federation Square Federation Square (colloquially Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets built above busy ra ...

. Former teammate and captain Garry Lyon gave an emotional tribute to Stynes on '' The Footy Show'', saying: "Jimmy refused to let the game define who he was. It was just a part of him and it allowed us to marvel at his determination, unwavering self-belief, resilience, strength, skill, endurance and courage" and that his good friend "was secure enough to know that displaying vulnerability can be a strength and not a weakness". A

moment of silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of ...

was observed at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern ...

on the day of Stynes' death, and both the Melbourne Football Club and the

Casey Scorpions The Casey Football Club, nicknamed the "Demons" and formerly the "Scorpions", is an Australian rules football club based in Cranbourne East, Victoria. The club, which was known until 2005 as the Springvale Football Club and the Casey Scorpions ( ...

unveiled its plan to commemorate Stynes at their first home games in 2012. At the launch of the

2012 Australian Football League season The 2012 AFL season was the 116th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eig ...

, both Stynes' replacement as president of the Melbourne Football Club, Don McLardy, and the AFL's

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

, Andrew Demetriou, acknowledged his contribution to football in Australia. A minute's silence was observed before the season-opening Sydney Derby between the

Greater Western Sydney Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park, which represents the ...

and

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a rese ...

. A commemoration was held prior to

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

match against

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

, both of which were held on the Saturday after Stynes' death. Melbourne ruck and captain Max Gawn paid tribute to Stynes, among other deceased club identities, in a post-match interview upon the club winning the 2021 AFL Grand Final. Stynes presented Gawn with his number 37 before Gawn's debut in 2011, and Gawn later switched to the number 11 jumper just as Stynes had done. The Jim Stynes Achievement Scholarships—an A$3 million 5-year partnership with the Australian government, Reach Foundation and Australian Football League for children of indigenous or multicultural backgrounds, or from disadvantaged backgrounds—was announced following Stynes' death.

Personal life

Stynes' family has a strong history in

. His uncle

Joe Stynes Joseph Andrew Stynes (15 January 1903 – 29 January 1991)Jim Stynes 1995, p.18 was an Irish Republican and a sportsman, excelling in particular at Gaelic football and soccer. In Dublin Stynes was born in Newbridge, County Kildare, and attend ...

was an All-Ireland Gaelic footballer with Dublin (1923). His younger brother Brian won an

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...

with Dublin (

). Jim played against Brian in the International Rules Series against Ireland many times. Brian followed Jim to play professional Australian Rules at Melbourne; however, he returned to Ireland having played just 2 senior games in 1992. Another younger brother,

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, also played both Gaelic football and Australian rules, albeit at an amateur level, having played in the

Ireland national Australian rules football team The Irish national Australian rules football team ( ga, Foireann peile rialacha na hAstrálie náisiúnta na hÉireann) represent Ireland in Australian rules football and is selected from the best Irish born and raised players primarily from ...

. He was the first player to win the cup twice, being a member of the winning team in the 2002 International Cup and 2011 International Cup. His cousin

Chris Stynes Christopher Desmond Stynes (born January 19, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball utility player.Pete Palmer; Gary Gillette; Stuart Shea. The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia'. Sterling Publishing Company; 1 February 2006. . p. 680. Early life Chri ...

is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

Family

Jim Stynes and his wife, Samantha, had a daughter, Matisse, and a son, Tiernan.

References

External links

Melbourne Football Club profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stynes, Jim 1966 births 2012 deaths All-Australians (AFL) Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees VFL/AFL players born outside Australia Australia international rules football team players Ballyboden St Enda's Gaelic footballers Brownlow Medal winners Deaths from cancer in Victoria (Australia) Deaths from melanoma Dublin Gaelic footballers Gaelic footballers who switched code Irish emigrants to Australia Irish players of Australian rules football Irish rugby union players Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy winners Leigh Matthews Trophy winners Melbourne Football Club players Melbourne Football Club presidents People from Rathfarnham Prahran Football Club players Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Recipients of the Centenary Medal Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia RMIT University alumni Jim Victorian State of Origin players