Dempsey made his debut for Footscray in 1967. In 1969, he spent six weeks in hospital after being badly burnt by a bushfire near his home in Truganina and was told he would never play football again. Despite this, he defied the odds to return to the playing field and then win his first club best-and-fairest award in 1970. Dempsey would win the club best-and-fairest award five more times, underlining his importance to the underachieving Bulldogs.
Although he had won a number of individual awards, Dempsey yearned for team success and signed with North Melbourne in 1979, winning the club best-and-fairest in his first year there. He played out his career at the Kangaroos, playing 122 games for them, and retired in 1984. Dempsey was named an emergency in the Kangaroos Team of the Century.[1]
Dempsey finished in the top 10 in the Brownlow Medal 13 times. He was named an All-Australian Team member at the 1972 Perth carnival.
Dempsey went into the 1984 VFL season affected by injuries and advancing age. He was now 35—a "dinosaur" as he would describe himself in his retirement announcement—and had suffered a hurt knee in the practice games and later a fractured cheekbone. His final VFL match was in Round 8 against Sydney at Arden Street, which the Swans won by seven points. He revealed that he had begun thinking about retirement midway through the last quarter: "I was playing at fullback and I realised I was not helping North. There's no point in me going on if I can't help North." He formally announced his retirement on the Monday following the game.[2]
Gary Dempsey then moved north in 1986 and played two seasons for Southport, winning his first ever senior premiership with the Sharks in 1987.
Dempsey held the all-time record for most marks in VFL/AFL history until his record was surpassed in 2017 by Nick Riewoldt.
In 2002, Dempsey was named as first ruckman in the Footscray's Team of the Century.
Post playing career
Dempsey was appointed specialist ruck coach of the Carlton Football Club at the end of the 2005 season.
References
^"AFL Tables - Career Stats - Totals and Averages". afltables.com. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
^"Age catches up with Dempsey as he retires from VFL". The Canberra Times. Vol. 58, no. 17, 768. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 22 May 1984. p. 22. Retrieved 29 May 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
Bibliography
Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 59. ISBN0-7322-6426-X.
External links
Gary Dempsey at AustralianFootball.com
Gary Dempsey's playing statistics from AFL Tables
Australian Football Hall of Fame - Players
February 03, 2023
gary, dempsey, australian, footballer, confused, with, gary, dempsey, irish, footballer, gary, dempsey, born, november, 1948, former, australian, rules, footballer, played, footscray, football, club, north, melbourne, football, club, victorian, football, leagu. Not to be confused with Gary Dempsey Irish footballer Gary Dempsey born 22 November 1948 is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Footscray Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League VFL A fine ruckman known for his strong marking Dempsey won the Brownlow Medal in 1975 and had a total of thirteen top 10 finishes in the vote count He is also one of a handful of players to have played at least 100 games and won a best and fairest award at two different clubs 1 Gary DempseyPersonal informationDate of birth 1948 11 22 22 November 1948 age 74 Original team s Footscray Technical School Old BoysDebutRound 1 1967 Footscrayvs Geelong at Kardinia ParkHeight197 cm 6 ft 6 in Weight100 kg 220 lb Position s Ruckman Tall defenderPlaying career1YearsClubGames Goals 1967 1978Footscray207 105 1979 1984North Melbourne122 0 39 Total329 144 Representative team honoursYearsTeamGames Goals Victoria22 8 1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1984 Career highlightsBrownlow Medal 1975 6 Charles Sutton Medal 1970 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 Syd Barker Medal 1979 Footscray captain 1971 1972 1977 1978 Footscray Team of the Century Ruck North Melbourne Team of the Century Emergency All Australian team 1972 AFL Hall of Fame inducted 1996 Represented Australia in The Galahs Australian Football World Tour 1968 Sources AFL Tables AustralianFootball com Contents 1 Playing career 2 Post playing career 3 References 4 Bibliography 5 External linksPlaying career EditDempsey made his debut for Footscray in 1967 In 1969 he spent six weeks in hospital after being badly burnt by a bushfire near his home in Truganina and was told he would never play football again Despite this he defied the odds to return to the playing field and then win his first club best and fairest award in 1970 Dempsey would win the club best and fairest award five more times underlining his importance to the underachieving Bulldogs Although he had won a number of individual awards Dempsey yearned for team success and signed with North Melbourne in 1979 winning the club best and fairest in his first year there He played out his career at the Kangaroos playing 122 games for them and retired in 1984 Dempsey was named an emergency in the Kangaroos Team of the Century 1 Dempsey finished in the top 10 in the Brownlow Medal 13 times He was named an All Australian Team member at the 1972 Perth carnival Dempsey went into the 1984 VFL season affected by injuries and advancing age He was now 35 a dinosaur as he would describe himself in his retirement announcement and had suffered a hurt knee in the practice games and later a fractured cheekbone His final VFL match was in Round 8 against Sydney at Arden Street which the Swans won by seven points He revealed that he had begun thinking about retirement midway through the last quarter I was playing at fullback and I realised I was not helping North There s no point in me going on if I can t help North He formally announced his retirement on the Monday following the game 2 Gary Dempsey then moved north in 1986 and played two seasons for Southport winning his first ever senior premiership with the Sharks in 1987 Dempsey held the all time record for most marks in VFL AFL history until his record was surpassed in 2017 by Nick Riewoldt In 1996 Dempsey was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame In 2002 Dempsey was named as first ruckman in the Footscray s Team of the Century Post playing career EditDempsey was appointed specialist ruck coach of the Carlton Football Club at the end of the 2005 season References Edit AFL Tables Career Stats Totals and Averages afltables com Retrieved 30 September 2021 Age catches up with Dempsey as he retires from VFL The Canberra Times Vol 58 no 17 768 Australian Capital Territory Australia 22 May 1984 p 22 Retrieved 29 May 2021 via National Library of Australia Bibliography EditRoss John 1999 The Australian Football Hall of Fame Australia HarperCollinsPublishers p 59 ISBN 0 7322 6426 X External links EditGary Dempsey at AustralianFootball com Gary Dempsey s playing statistics from AFL Tables Australian Football Hall of Fame Players Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gary Dempsey Australian footballer amp oldid 1122860167, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
