Ken Kearney facts for kids

Kenneth Howard "Killer" Kearney (born 3 May 1924, died 18 August 2006) was a famous Australian rugby player and coach. He was special because he played for Australia in both rugby union and rugby league. This is known as being a "dual-code international".

Ken Kearney played seven Test matches for the Wallabies (Australia's rugby union team). He also played thirty-one Test matches and World Cup games for the Kangaroos (Australia's rugby league team). He was even the captain of the Kangaroos nine times in 1956 and 1957.

He was a key player and coach for the St. George Dragons rugby league team. He helped them win many championships in a row from 1956 to 1966. Many people think he was one of Australia's best rugby players of the 20th century.

Ken Kearney's Early Life and Rugby Beginnings

Ken Kearney was born in Penrith, New South Wales. He started playing top-level rugby union for the Parramatta club right after school. During World War II, he served in the Royal Australian Air Force. He even played rugby union for a team made up of players from different military services.

Playing Rugby Union for Australia

After the war, Ken Kearney continued playing rugby union in Australia. He first played for the the Wallabies (Australia's national rugby union team) in June 1947 against the All Blacks from New Zealand.

Later, he went on a big tour with the Wallabies to Europe and North America in 1947–48. On this tour, he played against the national rugby union teams from five different European countries.

Ken Kearney's Rugby League Career

Kearney circa 1952

After his rugby union tour, Ken Kearney decided to switch to professional rugby league in England. He played for the Leeds club for three seasons.

In 1952, he came back to Australia and joined the St. George Dragons team. He became their captain and coach for several years, from 1954 to 1955, and then again from 1957 to 1961.

Playing for the Kangaroos

After his first season back in Australia with St. George, Ken Kearney was chosen for the 1952 Kangaroo tour. This was a big tour where the Australian team played matches overseas. On 13 December 1952, he played his first international rugby league game in Bradford, England. This made him the 24th player to represent Australia in both rugby union and rugby league.

During that tour, he played in a Test match against Great Britain and all three Test matches against France. He also played in sixteen other games. He is known as Kangaroo No. 302 in the official records.

He continued to play for Australia, going on a tour of New Zealand in 1953. He played in all three Test matches there. The next year, he played in the first-ever 1954 Rugby League World Cup in France.

Leading the St. George Dragons

In 1956, the St. George Dragons began their amazing winning streak, where they won the championship for eleven years in a row. Ken Kearney was a huge part of this success. He was the team's captain and coach.

Even though the team had a great season, the St. George committee decided to make Ken Kearney their captain-coach. They believed in his smart ideas for attack, defence, and player fitness. This decision helped the club build the foundation for their long winning run.

Coaching the Australian Team

After his success with St. George, Ken Kearney was chosen to be the captain-coach for the Australian team in 1956. This was for a series of games against New Zealand. Australia won all three games, taking back a special trophy they hadn't held since 1935.

Kearney also stayed on as captain-coach for the 1956 Kangaroo tour. The team won all three Test matches in France but lost two out of three against Great Britain. Ken Kearney played in all these important games.

He was part of a very talented Australian team that won the 1957 Rugby League World Cup. He even played one game with a broken jaw, showing how tough he was! He played his last international games in 1958 before retiring from playing for Australia.

Kearney's Impact on St. George

Ken Kearney brought new tactics and strategies from English rugby league to Australia. Many people say he was the mastermind behind the St. George Dragons' incredible success.

He was able to inspire his players and make them very loyal to him. He led by example and helped his team become very fit and play with few mistakes. This strong discipline led to the famous "brick-wall defence" that kept the St. George team at the top for so many years.

He played 156 games for the club from 1952 to 1961. He captained the team in five winning Grand Finals, and was captain-coach for four of those wins. He also coached them to another victory in 1961.

Life After Playing Rugby

After he stopped playing, Ken Kearney continued to coach. He coached the Parramatta Eels team from 1962 to 1964, helping them reach the semi-finals. He also coached the Western Suburbs Magpies in 1965.

Later, he became the very first coach for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks when they started in 1967. He coached them for their first three seasons until 1969.

For 25 years, Ken Kearney worked selling insurance in Sydney. He later retired to the Gold Coast, where he passed away in 2006 at the age of 82.

Awards and Recognition

Ken Kearney received many honours for his amazing career:

• In 1991, he was given Life Membership of the St. George Dragons club.
• In 2006, he was added to the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame. This is a very special honour for rugby league legends.
• In February 2008, he was named one of Australia's 100 Greatest Players from 1908 to 2007. This list was made to celebrate 100 years of rugby league in Australia.
• On 20 July 2022, he was named as the hooker in the St. George Dragons District Rugby League Club's Team of the Century.