David Darcy facts for kids

David Darcy (born August 11, 1943 – died August 1, 2020) was a talented Australian rules football player. He played for the Footscray team in the Victorian Football League (VFL). This league is now known as the Australian Football League (AFL). David also played for and coached the South Adelaide team in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He was known as a strong key defender.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting in Football

David Darcy began his football journey at Sunshine YCW. This was a junior club that played in the CYMS competition. He first joined the Footscray team in 1963. He played there for four seasons until 1966.

Move to Adelaide

In 1967, David moved to Adelaide for work. He decided to join the South Adelaide Panthers. At first, his old team, Footscray, did not want to let him play for South Adelaide. But once he got approval, he had a great year. He finished third in the important Magarey Medal award. He achieved this even though he only played 11 games that season.

Returning to Footscray

David moved back to Melbourne in 1968. He rejoined the Footscray team and played with them until 1971. He started his career playing as a half-forward. But in his second season, he moved to defence. This is where he truly shined.

Representing Victoria

As a key position defender, David was very good. He was chosen to represent the Victoria state team four times. This shows how skilled he was in his position.

Coaching and Family

Coaching South Adelaide

After his time at Footscray, David returned to the South Adelaide Panthers. He became their captain-coach for the 1972 and 1973 seasons. In 1974, he continued as the team's coach.

A Football Family

David Darcy came from a family of talented footballers. He was the father of Luke Darcy, who also played for the Western Bulldogs team. Luke is now a well-known football commentator. David was also the grandfather of Sam Darcy. Sam is currently playing for the Western Bulldogs.