Full name Alfred Ernest McGinnis | Place of birth Hobart Date of birth 11 November 1874 Name Fred McGinis | |
Date of death 30 March 1953(1953-03-30) (aged 78) Role Australian Rules Footballer Died March 30, 1953, Hobart, Australia | ||
Fred McGinis (11 November 1874 in Hobart – 30 March 1953) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and the Victorian Football League (VFL).
McGinis began his career with Melbourne at the age of nineteen in 1894 in the VFA, and was its leading goalkicker in 1895. A rover, he starred for Melbourne in its debut season in the VFL in 1897. He was a premiership player with Melbourne in 1900.
Vision difficulties forced him out of the game by 1902 and he returned to Tasmania. As he neared total blindness, a match was played for his benefit between combined teams from the VFA and VFL on 4 September 1902; the match, won by the VFL, raised £200. The match was the first time that the two bitter rival football competitions had ever played against each other.
McGinis was regarded as one of the best players of his era, with some contemporaries, including Mick Grace, Jack Leith and George Cathie, naming him as the best overall. Although primarily a rover, he could play and succeed at any position on the ground, and was proficient at all skills: accurate kicking, high marking, speed and endurance. McGinis is the first listed inductee in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame, his citation describing him as "Tasmania's first true football superstar".