Ken Irvine
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1941 | |
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | |
| Nickname | Mungo | |
| Position | Wing | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (points) |
| 1958 - 1970 1971 - 1973 |
North Sydney Bears Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
184 (633) 58 (145) |
| Representative teams** | ||
| 1959 - 1967 1959 - 1968 |
New South Wales Australia |
24 (98) 31 (121) |
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* Professional club appearances and points |
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Ken Irvine (born 1941 in Sydney, New South Wales, died 1991) was an Australian rugby league player for the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia, primarily as a winger. Irvine currently holds the record for the most number of tries in a first-grade career, with 212. No other player has yet managed 200 tries in their career.
Irvine passed away at the age of 50 in 1991 after battling leukemia. He was later inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2004.
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[edit] Childhood and early career
Attending Marist College North Shore, Irvine originally excelled in both baseball and sprinting, playing in the New South Wales junior baseball side alongside future Australian team mate Reg Gasnier while also competitively running for the Randwick-Botany Club. After deciding to attend a trial at Wentworth Park for the North Sydney rugby league club as a 17-year-old, their first grade coach Ross McKinnon stated "sign that kid for life", and Ken was signed and playing for the club the following year.
[edit] Playing career
[edit] North Sydney Bears
Making his debut for the club during the 1958 season on the wing, he was an instant success for the club, proving to be a frequent try scorer. In 1959 he was the seasons leading try-scorer with 19 and was rewarded with selection in the New South Wales side and the Australian side to tour Europe.
In 1961 Irvine showcased his speed at a specially-arranged event specifically in an attempt to break professional world record over 100 yards. Irvine won the event and equalled the record of 9.3 seconds. During the same event he would also win the 120 yard Dubbo Gift after starting a yard behind scratch, displaying his much-publicised speed.
Irvine would go on to make 184 appearances for the Bears, scoring 171 tries. He also has the honour of captaining the side on occasions, although he infamously threatened to lead his team off in protest of referee Keith Page, in a 1969 match against Canterbury.
His stint with the Bears ended at the end of 1970 after disagreements with head coach Roy Francis.
[edit] Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Irvine joined Manly in 1971, making 58 appearances for the club, scoring 41 tries. He helped Manly to claim successive premierships in 1972 and 1973, before retiring in 1973.
[edit] Representative career
[edit] New South Wales
After only one full club season with Norths, Irvine was selected for New South Wales in 1959. He would play for NSW on 24 occasions over the next nine years, scoring 30 tries and kicking four goals.
[edit] Australia
Irvine made his Australian debut in 1959 on the Australian tour to Europe, against France, scoring a try on debut. In all Irvine played 31 Test matches, scoring 33 tries. Irvine's Test career ended in 1968 when he suffered a broken leg against France, ruling him out of much of the following season.
[edit] Career playing statistics
[edit] Point scoring summary
| Games | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 242 | 212 | 70 | 1 | 989 |
[edit] Matches played
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| North Sydney Bears | 184 | 1958 - 1970 |
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 58 | 1971 - 1973 |
| New South Wales | 24 | 1959 - 1967 |
| Australia | 31 | 1959 - 1968 |
