Denis Ryan (footballer)

Denis 'Dinny' Ryan
Personal information
Full name Denis James Ryan
Date of birth 10 July 1916
Place of birth Albury, New South Wales
Date of death 22 April 1980(1980-04-22) (aged 63)
Place of death Albury, New South Wales
Original team(s) Albury Rovers
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)
Position(s) centre half forward / back
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1935–1939 Fitzroy 70 (65)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1939.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Denis James Ryan (10 July 1916 – 22 April 1980[1]) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy in Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1930s.

Ryan originally played with the Albury Rovers Football Club and kicked three goals in their 1933 premiership win over Henty Football Club in the Albury & District Football League. [2]

Ryan won the 1934 - Albury & District Football League's best and fairest award, the Stavley Medal, playing for the Albury Rovers Football Club, before heading down to Melbourne to play with Fitzroy.[3][4]

Ryan debuted in the VFL in 1935, in round one, aged just 18 and started his career at centre half forward, topping Fitzroy's goalkicking in his debut season with 46 goals. He was moved to centre half back the following season and won the 1936 Brownlow Medal, with 26 votes, making it the fifth Brownlow in the previous six years to have gone to a Fitzroy player.

In 1939 after injuring his knee, Ryan joined the army and fought in World War II, serving for four years.[5] He was wounded as one of the "Rats of Tobruk" and later served 18 months on the front line in New Guinea.[6]

Ryan did appear in a practice match for Fitzroy in March, 1946,[7] but he never played VFL football after the end of World War Two.

In 1947, Ryan was appointed playing coach of the Howlong Football Club in the Chiltern & District Football Association. [8]

In 1948, Ryan coached the Catholic Young Men's Football Club team in the Albury & Border Junior Football Association.[9]

  1. ^ Donald, Chris (2002). Fitzroy: For The Love Of The Jumper. Pan Macmillan Australia. ISBN 978-1-877029-18-9.
  2. ^ "1933 - Albury DFA - Grand Final review". Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. Albury Banner and Wodonga Express Newspaper. September 1933.
  3. ^ "1934 - Albury & DFA - Stavley Medal". Albury Banner and Wodonga Express. / Albury Banner and Wodonga Express Newspaper. 21 September 1934.
  4. ^ "1934 - Albury's young star". Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic). 21 July 1934. p. 62. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. ^ "1944 - Fitzroy players on service are much travelled". Australasian. The Australasian Newspaper. 27 May 1944.
  6. ^ "R". Archived from the original on 2 April 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
  7. ^ "1946 - MORE SERIOUS NOTE IN LEAGUE GAMES TODAY: Fitzroy". The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954). 30 March 1946. p. 15. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  8. ^ "1947 - Howlong Football Club coach". Herald. The Herald newspaper. 6 May 1947.
  9. ^ "1948 - C.Y.M. JUNIOR TEAM'S FINAL PRACTICE". Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW). 29 July 1948. p. 12. Retrieved 3 February 2022.