1. James Peter Stynes OAM was an Irish footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football and the first international player to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
57 Facts About Jim Stynes
1. 2.
Jim Stynes was quite famous in both Australia and Ireland as a result of his involvement in the Melbourne Football Club's international recruitment program.
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Jim Stynes represented Victoria in interstate football matches, and he played for both Australia and Ireland in international rules football, a hybrid of Gaelic football and Australian rules football.
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Jim Stynes served as president of the Melbourne Football Club from 2008 and was involved in fundraising efforts which brought the club out of debt.
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In 2009, Jim Stynes was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and continued to work during his treatment for brain metastasis.
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Jim Stynes died in March 2012 and was honoured by a state funeral held at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne on 27 March 2012.
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Jim Stynes was born in Dublin, Ireland, to a Roman Catholic family, the eldest son of Brian and Teresa Jim Stynes, one of six siblings.
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Jim Stynes began playing Gaelic football at the age of eight.
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Jim Stynes attended high school at De La Salle College, Churchtown, where he played rugby union while continuing to play Gaelic football for his club alongside his younger brother, Brian.
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Jim Stynes represented Dublin in 1984, at the age of eighteen, and was on Dublin's winning side in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship.
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Jim Stynes aspired to a college education; however, he lacked the means and was earning just $10 a week delivering newspapers.
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Jim Stynes was later awarded with the honorary degree of Doctor of the University from the Australian Catholic University.
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In 1984, Jim Stynes responded to an advertisement in his local paper placed by the Melbourne Football Club that offered two scholarships with all expenses paid to play Australian rules football and attend university in Victoria, Australia.
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Tall and slim, Jim Stynes was selected, along with James Fahey, and brought to Victoria to undergo a crash course in Australian rules.
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Jim Stynes signed a two-year contract, hoping to use the money to fund his way through college.
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Jim Stynes was promised accommodation with an additional $60 weekly stipend, clothing, and $50 a game.
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Jim Stynes debuted for the Melbourne under-19s team in 1985 and finished the season runner-up in the best and fairest.
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Jim Stynes made his senior debut for the Melbourne Demons in 1987 against Geelong at Kardinia Park.
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Later in 1987, Jim Stynes was part of the senior side which won their last six matches of the home-and-away season to finish in 5th place and qualify for Melbourne's first finals series since 1964.
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Jim Stynes ran through the mark as the final siren sounded; it was an error which resulted in a 15-metre penalty and brought the Hawk forward within range.
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Jim Stynes cemented his position in Melbourne's senior team in 1988 and drew praise for his consistent play and for his innate skills and ability.
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Jim Stynes played in all 26 games, including the Grand Final versus Hawthorn.
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In 1991, Jim Stynes enjoyed the finest individual season of his career.
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Jim Stynes repeatedly intercepted the opposition's long kicks forward with towering marks across the half-back line.
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Jim Stynes was installed as a hot favourite to win the Brownlow Medal after averaging an astounding 30.6 disposals and 11 marks per game over the final 8 rounds.
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Jim Stynes polled 25 votes to win the 1991 Brownlow Medal, five votes clear of his nearest rivals.
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Jim Stynes remains the only non-Australian-born player to receive game's most prestigious individual honour.
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Jim Stynes was awarded the AFL Players Association MVP trophy, was named the All-Australian ruckman, and won his first club best-and-fairest award for Melbourne.
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Media commentators noted that Jim Stynes had used his extraordinary endurance to redefine the role of the professional ruckman.
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An exceptional run of consecutive games which had begun in Round 18 of 1987 almost ended with a severe rib injury in 1993 that Jim Stynes sustained from a collision with teammate David Neitz in a match against the North Melbourne Football Club.
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Jim Stynes was treated at Epworth Hospital for a compound rib fracture.
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Jim Stynes finished the season with his consecutive games record unblemished and achieved All-Australian selection for the second time.
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In Round 9,1996, Jim Stynes played his 205th consecutive game, breaking the 53-year record held by Jack Titus since 1943.
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Jim Stynes broke his hand early in the 1998 season, effectively ending his streak of consecutive games finally at 244.
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Jim Stynes retired from professional football at the conclusion of the season, having played a total of 264 AFL games, all at Melbourne, placing him second on the club's all-time games tally at the time.
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In 1994, Jim Stynes co-founded The Reach Foundation and became a prominent youth worker in Victoria.
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Jim Stynes's written works include two autobiographies: Whatever It Takes with Jim Main and My Journey with Warwick Green, along with children's self-help books co-written by Dr Jon Carnegie, including Heroes and Finding Heroes.
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In 2008, Jim Stynes began expressing an interest in becoming chairman.
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In March 2011, Jim Stynes met Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in Kerang, teaching him basic Australian rules football skills.
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In February 2012, Jim Stynes stepped down from the presidency of Melbourne, citing a desire to devote his energies towards his family and wellbeing.
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The Jim Stynes Medal was named in Stynes's honour and first awarded in 1998 to the best Australian player in the International Rules series.
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The Jim Stynes Cup was named in Stynes' honour and awarded to the winner of the inaugural International Australian Football Youth Tournament.
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In 2000, Jim Stynes received an Australian Sports Medal and was named in Melbourne Football Club's Team of the Century.
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In 2003, Jim Stynes was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame and was named Victorian of the Year.
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Jim Stynes was named Melburnian of the Year for 2010 for his Reach Foundation work.
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Jim Stynes was named a Doctor of the University by the Australian Catholic University in recognition of his social work.
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On 2 July 2009, Jim Stynes held a media conference to inform the public that he had developed cancer.
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Jim Stynes intended to make clear that he was not stepping down from his role as President of the Melbourne Football Club but instead just taking a break to seek treatment.
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Jim Stynes continued to work during his treatment and participated in the filming of a television documentary about his life and his battle with cancer, Every Heart Beats True: The Jim Stynes Story, produced by friends Jules Lund and Reach co-founder Paul Currie which aired on 19 September 2010 on the Nine Network.
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Jim Stynes died at his home in St Kilda on 20 March 2012, aged 45.
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Jim Stynes was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at a "treasured spot" he chose before he died.
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Jim Stynes presented Gawn with his number 37 before Gawn's debut in 2011, and Gawn later switched to the number 11 jumper just as Jim Stynes had done.
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The Jim Stynes Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 2015 to "continue developing programs and initiatives that embody resilience, prioritizes mental health and shapes our future".
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Jim Stynes's uncle Joe Stynes was an All-Ireland Gaelic footballer with Dublin.
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Jim Stynes played against Brian in the International Rules Series against Ireland many times.
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Jim Stynes was the first player to win the cup twice, being a member of the winning team in the 2002 International Cup and 2011 International Cup.
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Jim Stynes's cousin Chris Stynes is a former Major League Baseball utility player.