VFL/AFL players who died young

[Randall Stevens]

Another who died tragically young was Michael Kekovich, youngest brother of Sam and Brian.

Michael had played reserves games and a senior night premiership game for North Melbourne when he was hit and killed by a car while on a training run (on his own, not club training) aged 17 in June 1971.

 

[_Cerberus_]

Very sombre list, especially given some of their ages. But also way too many suicides for my liking. Shows why mental health is a topic that should never be dismissed.

 

[emuboy]

The earliest I remember is the very sad passing of Peter Crimmins.

Two other players from the list - Both O’Connell (Carlton) in 1972 and Millane in 1990 had the last possession of the ball at the final siren in those grand final wins. O’Connell was the first 1972 premiership player to pass away. Same with Millane from the 1990 pies flag side.

Eerily with hindsight in the 1991 VFA Grand Final, the siren sounded with younger brother Sean Millane holding the ball for the winning Dandenong team against Werribee.

 

[Clive Kepler]

Gary Dhurrkay.

 

[bartlettsbaldpatch]

Troy Broadbridge.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

List seems to be missing Troy Clarke, who died aged 44 very suddenly and unexpectedly from coronary atherosclerosis in 2013.

Just felt a bit strange while driving, pulled over at a service station and died within minutes. Dreadful

 

[Grrr]

Geoff Rosenow ex-Geelong back died at 59. He was my playing captain coach at Mordialloc VFA back in the early 80's when I was a youngster. Frightening when he got angry, eyes rolled back like a shark. Built like Tarzan, good bloke.

 

[Jane Doe]

Merv Neagle would have only been in his early 50's when he passed away in a truck accident

 

[GoldbergsGold]

John McCarthy was only 22 when he passed, he played his final AFL match only 7 days before his death, that maybe the record for a player's shortest length of time passed between their final VFL/AFL game played and the day they died.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Have there ever been any cases of football players at high level (AFL, VFA/VFL, Talent League, SANFL, WAFL, TFL or the ACT, NSW, Qld and NT leagues) who disappeared and were never found and later declared legally dead? This could include a mystery vanishing, a disappearance through misadventure (like swimming at an unpatrolled beach or bushwalking alone), being the victim of foul play, suspected suicide, reported missing in action during a war or being involved in a maritime or aviation tragedy and his body never found.

There are a number in the war deaths who essentially disappeared and were MIA (for a short or long time) before being declared dead.

You have to dig in to each record but particularly when the airmen are described as “shot down over the xxxx” etc, that generally means the plane and bodies were not recovered.

In conflict, some planes being downed are witnessed by others and reported; others report going down via radio and aren’t heard from again - survival and rescue is possible, but sometimes radio contact is the last that is ever heard from them.

Other planes simply never return from a mission.

Similar with ground troops - bodies are sometimes not recovered… or burials not recorded.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Geoff Rosenow ex-Geelong back died at 59. He was my playing captain coach at Mordialloc VFA back in the early 80's when I was a youngster. Frightening when he got angry, eyes rolled back like a shark. Built like Tarzan, good bloke.

You'd be angry too if you kept getting smashed by Richmond in finals.

 

[South of the Yarra]

You'd be angry too if you kept getting smashed by Richmond in finals.

Trolling in a thread about players who died young. That is really really sad.

 

[Blues177]

Vin Waite played 153 games including 2 flags for the blues. Passed away aged 54.

 

[Blues177]

Another great player not on the list is John Coleman who also coached Ess to the ‘62 & ‘65 flags. Passed away aged 44.

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Trolling in a thread about players who died young. That is really really sad.

I was trying to explain why Rosenow might be such an angry coach in light hearted terms.

Some of you blokes have gotten so bad you can't see the light hearted side of anything other than someone deriding one of your rival posters.

When was the last time you smiled?

 

[Todman]

IIRC in Jan 1985 a kid names Symes, an u/19 for Essendon hanged himself in a warehouse on Southbank. Warehouse now demolished for the Casino. Symes had injuries issues in 1984 and was cut from Essendon's list. He was employed as a clerk with Telecom Aust at the time. His replacement at work became a friend of mine.

 

[craffles]

Semantics but I think OP needs to draw an arbitrary line and define what “young is”

Whilst passing away at any age is tragic, it seems to hit much, much harder when the individual is below the age of 40. Given our life expectancy for males is around 80 I would draw the line there but there’s arguments for including 40s as the shock factor of passing away are there.

 

[Grrr]

You'd be angry too if you kept getting smashed by Richmond in finals.

He was in Geelong's '67 Premiership side loss to Richmond and was famous for sparking the brawl in the race when he ko'ed the North coach after the game.