This week marks the 70th anniversary of Club Legend Kevin Murray’s first ever senior game for Fitzroy on May 7th, 1955, writes Club President David Leydon.
The whole course of Fitzroy Football Club history was changed in this very week 70 years ago, when the greatest Roys player of all, Kevin Murray, aged just 16 years and 323 days, played his first-ever senior game.
It was Round 4, 1955 at the Brunswick Street Oval against Geelong.
Join us to celebrate Murray's career, and many other past player's achievements at the annual VFL/AFL Past Players Lunch at Brunswick St Oval this Saturday. Tickets still available here. Bookings close Wednesday.
Kevin was the son of Fitzroy 1944 Premiership player, Dan Murray and had been attracting considerable praise for his form throughout the pre-season and in the early rounds of the season in the Reserves.
It was a time of rebuilding at Fitzroy following the retirement the season before of legends including 1950 Brownlow Medal winner Allan Ruthven, 1952 Best and Fairest Neville Broderick and the great George Coates.
Over the course of 1954 and 1955 Fitzroy debuted a series of players who would become the backbone of teams that made finals in 1958 and 1960.
Names such as Owen Abrahams, Ron Harvey, Brian Pert and Rod Vernon were the youthful arm playing alongside the experience and toughness of the great Norm Johnstone, Alan Gale, Jack Gervasoni, Eddie Goodger, Don Furness and Jack Streader.
To round things out the team was captain coached by the much loved Bill Stephen and with the addition of young Murray the nucleus was there for an exciting future.
Kevin was selected as 20th man for this his first senior game. These were the days when there was no interchange. Clubs could name two reserves, a 19th and 20th man, who could replace (not interchange) another player during the course of the game.
With Fitzroy 9 points down at three quarter time coach Billy Stephen threw Kevin Murray into the action for the first time when he replaced the injured Leo Smyth.
The last quarter of this game became renowned for another unique occurrence when Roys full forward Tony Ongarello, who had been struggling for accuracy all day, suddenly decided to use a place kick when lining up for goal. He kicked two goals with this method in the final quarter to finish with 5 for the match.
A terrible umpiring decision in the dying minutes, when a clear mark wasn’t paid to Norm Johnstone in the goal square, stopped the rampaging Roys momentum and cost them the game by 10 points.
Kevin Murray clearly excited everyone in his 30 odd minutes on the ground. The Argus reported that ‘he impressed when he came on as a reserve on Saturday” and The Herald said, “16 year old Kevin Murray came on in the final term and promptly had a couple of kicks…”
This of course was just the beginning.
He played the remainder of 1955 in the Senior team, going from strength to strength, eventually winning the Best First Year Player Award by season's end with the Annual Report suggesting that he had a brilliant future ahead of him.
Well, they were right.
Fast forward to Round 22, 1974 and Kevin Murray played his 333rd and last game for Fitzroy against Geelong at the Roys home ground of the 1970s, the Junction Oval.
What happened in between?
This is an amazing set of accolades for a man playing at a club that had little money or resources in the 1950s and 60s and, except for a couple of stand-out seasons, struggled badly on field.
Throughout all the adversity and everyday club difficulties, Kevin Murray stood out like a beacon of hope for supporters.
Everyone who has seen him play remembers his fierce determination and desire to win every contest for the ball. He was rarely (if ever) beaten by an opponent.
Kevin Murray's 1969 Brownlow Medal is widely regarded as the most popular win of all time such was the respect he always commanded throughout his career.
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That respect has only grown in the many years since. Up until a few health issues over the last couple of years which have curtailed his public appearances, whenever the great man showed up at a Fitzroy or Brisbane Lions event he was always swamped by fans of every age.
Everyone loves Kevin Murray - from people in their 80s and 90s who saw him play his first game to 5 year-old fans who have only heard about him from Grandparents (or Great Grandparents!).
In 2022 the Fitzroy Football Club very proudly named the old Grandstand at Brunswick Street Oval “The Kevin Murray Stand” for all Roys home games.
For many of us Kevin Murray is forever the greatest Royboy of all.
