Mick McLaren (footballer)

John William "Mick" McLaren (3 April 1936 – 18 February 2014) was an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), who later became the manager of a highly successful printing business.^[1]

Mick McLaren
Personal information
Full name	John William McLaren
Date of birth	3 April 1936
Place of birth	Melbourne
Date of death	18 February 2014(2014-02-18) (aged 77)
Original team(s)	Caulfield Grammar School
Height	182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	81 kg (179 lb)
Position(s)	half-back flank
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1955	St Kilda (VFL)	4 (0)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1960.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life and education

The son of John and Jean McLaren (née Rayner), John William McLaren was born in the City of Melbourne on 3 April 1936.^[2]

He attended Caulfield Grammar School from 1943 to 1953,^[3] where he distinguished himself as both a cricketer and as a footballer,^[4] playing in both the school's First XI, aged 14,^[5] where he played alongside Bill O'Halloran,^[6] and its First XVIII, aged 16.^[7]

Football

He was recruited by St Kilda from Caulfield Grammar School in 1954. He played well in a number of St Kilda's senior pre-season practice matches,^[8][9][10] and went on to play the entire 1954 season in the St Kilda (under-19) Third XVIII.

Having trained well in the preseason, McLaren made his senior debut in the first match of the 1955 season, against Melbourne, at the Junction Oval, on 16 April 1955 on the half-back flank;^[11] St Kilda lost the match 8.11 (59) to 17.16 (118).

He played in the next match in Round Two (23 April) against Essendon;^[12] but was unable to play again, due to his Army National Service obligations,^[13] until the Round 17 (13 August 1955) match against Geelong,^[14][15] and in Round 18 (20 August 1955), the last match of the season, against Richmond.^[16]

He injured his ankle in the early part of the 1956 season and did not play again.

See also

• List of Caulfield Grammar School people

Footnotes

1. Holmesby (2014).
2. Births: McLaren, The Argus, (Saturday 11 April 1936), p. 13.
3. Webber (1981), p. 304.
4. Wilkinson (1997), pp. 134–136.
5. Grammar School Matches, The Argus, (Monday, 5 March 1951), p13.
6. Grammar Schools Cricket, The Argus, (Monday 23 March 1953), p. 10.
7. Grammar Schools, The Argus, (Saturday, 5 July 1952), p. 10.
8. Nott, Cyril, "Form in Football Tests Today: St Kilda, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 20 March 1954), p. 9.
9. Gossip from V.F.L. Grounds: St. Kilda, The Argus, (Wednesday, 24 March 1954), p. 24.
10. Gossip from V.F.L. Grounds: St. Kilda, The Argus, (Wednesday, 31 March 1954), p. 23.
11. League teams, The Age, (Friday, 15 April 1955), p. 11
12. League teams, The Age, (Friday, 22 April 1955), p. 11
13. Ruck Changes, The Age, (Friday, 29 April 1955), p. 12.
14. John O'Connell in Geelong Attack, The Age, (Friday, 12 August 1955), p. 12.
15. League Teams: G'long v. St. Kilda, The Age, (Friday, 12 August 1955), p. 11.
16. League Teams: St. Kilda v. R'mond, The Age, (Friday, 19 August 1955), p. 11.

References

• AFL Statistics: Mick McLaren
• Herald-Sun Tributes (20 February 2014) : McLaren, John.
• Holmesby, Luke, "Farewell to former Saints", saints.com.au: 12 March 2014
• Webber, Horace, Years May Pass On... Caulfield Grammar School, 1881–1981, Centenary Committee, Caulfield Grammar School, (East St Kilda),1981. ISBN 0-9594242-0-2
• Wilkinson, Ian R., The Fields at Play – 115 years of sport at Caulfield Grammar School 1881–1996, Playwright Publishing, (Melbourne), 1997. ISBN 0-949853-60-7