Kevin O'Donnell (12 July 1924 – 15 January 2002) 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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played with St Kilda in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL).

Early years

Born in Melbourne, O'Donnell was a student at St Kilda's Christian Brothers College. He later did a building

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...

at Swinburne College. His early football was played with South Caulfield CYMS.

Military service

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served overseas with the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

after enlisting in 1943. Following service in Britain, O'Donnell was a member of the occupation forces in Germany.

Football

St Kilda career

O'Donnell, a half forward, debuted in the opening round of the

1946 VFL season The 1946 VFL season was the 50th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 20 April until 5 October, and comprised a 19 ...

, against

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...

Arden Street Oval Arden Street Oval (also known as North Melbourne Cricket Ground, North Melbourne Recreation Reserve, or Hotham Recreation Reserve) is an inner-suburban sporting facility and sports oval in North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is currently t ...

. He kicked two goals and was named amongst St Kilda's best. From 1946 to 1949, O'Donnell amassed 49 league games for St Kilda.

Deniliquin coach

In 1950, O'Donnell left St Kilda to coach in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, for

Deniliquin Deniliquin () is a town in the western Riverina region of south-western New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area. Deniliquin is located at the inte ...

in the

Murray Football League The Murray Football Netball League is an Australian rules football and netball league affiliated with the Victorian Country Football League. The league covers a large area of northern Victoria and southern New South Wales from Shepparton in ...

. He remained senior coach in 1951, then played the 1952 season as a player only, as former South Melbourne player Ted Whitfield took charge. O'Donnell was in the Deniliquin team which drew the 1952 grand final with Finley and lost by replay by six points. In 1953 he returned as coach for one final season and was runner up in the 1953

best and fairest award, the O'Dwyer Medal. He was president of the Deniliquin Football Club from 1973 to 1978.

Later life and family

A builder by trade, O'Donnell remained in

, where he raised four children with wife Bernadette. The youngest,

Simon O'Donnell Simon Patrick O'Donnell (born 26 January 1963) is an Australian former cricketer, VFL footballer, and horse racing and cricket commentator. He is currently a horse breeder and enabler. He is a former record holder for the fastest One Day Inter ...

, played 24 games for St Kilda in the 1980s, but is best known as a cricketer. He won a

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

with Australia in 1987. Heavily involved in the racing industry, he bred his own racehorses and was a trustee of the Deniliquin racecourse.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Kevin 1924 births Australian rules footballers from Melbourne St Kilda Football Club players Deniliquin Football Club players Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II 2002 deaths People from St Kilda, Victoria Military personnel from Melbourne Australian rules football coaches