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Research Recent Deaths

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Though I'd compile a list of 2025 deaths (we'll see how it compares with Season Guide when it comes out on Friday) - wikidata query here (I've added umpire deaths I know about at the end of the table and separated out non VFL/AFL players who generally aren't included in Season Guide)

Identity Born DiedClubs
Charles Abbott10 June 19395 January 2025Hawthorn Football Club
Bill McMaster30 January 19307 January 2025Geelong Football Club
Tista De Lorenzo23 August 19347 January 2025Richmond Football Club
Bill Clements8 October 19339 January 2025Richmond Football Club
Ian Miles15 October 19529 January 2025Richmond Football Club
Tom Miller3 July 192810 January 2025Western Bulldogs
Colin MacNeil5 August 193616 January 2025Fitzroy Football Club
John Dineen21 December 193522 January 2025Hawthorn Football Club
Ken Newland4 May 194924 January 2025Geelong Football Club, Western Bulldogs
Robert Hay21 September 195426 January 2025Sydney Swans
Bob Turner21 June 19361 February 2025Melbourne Football Club
Josh Mail18 December 19743 February 2025 Adelaide Football Club, North Adelaide Football Club
Troy Selwood1 May 19844 February 2025Brisbane Lions
Byron Guthrie28 December 19354 February 2025Western Bulldogs
Adam Hunter18 June 19815 February 2025West Coast Eagles, Swan Districts Football Club
Kevin Webb2 October 1928 26 February 2025Melbourne Football Club, Richmond Football Club
Barry Beitzel20 December 193426 February 2025Carlton Football Club
Alan Self12 July 19441 March 2025Sydney Swans
Peter Bevilacqua29 June 19333 March 2025Carlton Football Club
Edo Benetti2 December 19413 March 2025Richmond Football Club
Ray Landorf24 January 193817 March 2025Sydney Swans
Peter Webster6 August 193227 March 2025Carlton Football Club
Andrew Krakouer4 February 198330 March 2025Collingwood Football Club, Richmond Football Club, South Fremantle Football Club, Swan Districts Football Club
Don Mattson30 October 19552 April 2025Essendon Football Club, Richmond Football Club
Ken Beck4 August 19406 April 2025Hawthorn Football Club
Sean King28 June 19649 April 2025West Coast Eagles, West Perth Football Club
Fred Macquire21 November 19369 April 2025North Melbourne Football Club
Stuart Barclay4 October 194910 April 2025Essendon Football Club
Doug Ringholt8 September 194210 April 2025Carlton Football Club, Claremont Football Club
David Norman1 April 194220 April 2025Collingwood Football Club, Beaufort Football Club, North Ballarat Football Club
Peter Bosustow27 October 195727 April 2025Carlton Football Club
Frank Dunin29 June 193514 May 2025Richmond Football Club
Robert Walls21 July 195015 May 2025Carlton Football Club, Fitzroy Football Club, Coburg Football Club
Adam Selwood1 May 198417 May 2025West Coast Eagles
Len Gardner16 February 193117 May 2025Richmond Football Club, Box Hill Hawks Football Club
Ron Moylan26 September 194725 May 2025Collingwood Football Club
Ron Critchley16 December 19403 June 2025Hawthorn Football Club, Wangaratta Football Club
Peter Rice28 February 19385 June 2025Sydney Swans
Terry Callan30 August 193810 June 2025Geelong Football Club
Vic Aanensen16 January 195313 June 2025Sydney Swans, Port Melbourne Football Club
Fred Payne4 February 192724 June 2025Essendon Football Club
Ian Day9 February 193530 June 2025South Adelaide Football Club, West Adelaide Football Club
Trevor Lloyd14 February 19523 July 2025Fitzroy Football Club
Brian Dixon20 May 19369 July 2025Melbourne Football Club
Ray Millington15 May 193219 July 2025Fitzroy Football Club
Warren Ralph25 February 195923 July 2025Carlton Football Club, Claremont Football Club, Glenelg Football Club
Charlie Flannagan24 October 19332 August 2025Richmond Football Club, Warragul Football Club
John Parkinson7 November 194425 August 2025Collingwood Football Club, Claremont Football Club
Paul Sproule16 December 194426 August 2025Essendon Football Club, Richmond Football Club, Hobart Football Club
Ian Jones20 July 19324 September 2025North Melbourne Football Club
John Henderson31 August 193810 September 2025Collingwood Football Club
Max Nowlan9 March 193913 September 2025St Kilda Football Club
John Kilpatrick20 November 193814 September 2025St Kilda Football Club
Ivan Marsh24 May 194320 September 2025Western Bulldogs, Coburg Football Club
Angus Abbey15 November 192522 September 2025Western Bulldogs
Gerald Crough27 December 193727 September 2025Sydney Swans
Barry Schmidt15 February 194430 September 2025Carlton Football Club
Kevin Ablett26 March 195811 October 2025Geelong Football Club, Hawthorn Football Club, Richmond Football Club
Jon Lilley21 April 194721 October 2025St Kilda Football Club
Brian Kekovich7 January 194628 October 2025Carlton Football Club
Frank Hanrahan20 January 193820 November 2025St Kilda Football Club
Greg Lourey1 August 192730 November 2025Melbourne Football Club, Fitzroy Football Club, Prahran Football Club
Garry Baumgarten11 March 2025Umpire
Brian Bulluss4 September 195410 February 2025Umpire
Bob Croxford11 December 194623 June 2025Umpire
Ronald Macdonald21 October 19438 May 2025Umpire

Other notable non VFL/AFL players


Identity
Born
Died
Clubs
Dale Tapping26 February 19654 February 2025Melbourne reserves, Old Xaverians Football Club, Prahran Football Club; coach Essendon VFL
Derek Chadwick21 March 194122 October 2025Western Australia cricket team, East Perth Football Club
Ted Kilmurray18 August 193410 January 2025East Perth Football Club
Jeff Potter10 July 194126 March 2025Port Adelaide Football Club
Basil Rigg12 August 1925 15 March 2025Western Australia cricket team, Perth Football Club, West Perth Football Club
Barrie Robran25 September 194716 July 2025South Australia cricket team, North Adelaide Football Club
Keith Slater12 March 193524 February 2025Australia national cricket team, Western Australia cricket team, Subiaco Football Club
 
WhiteHartLane23 said:
Though I'd compile a list of 2025 deaths (we'll see how it compares with Season Guide when it comes out on Friday) - wikidata query here (I've added umpire deaths I know about at the end of the table and separated out non VFL/AFL players who generally aren't included in Season Guide)

Identity Born DiedClubs
Tom Miller3 July 192810 January 2025Western Bulldogs
Click to expand...
Hi WHL, thanks for the table.

Do you have a source for Tom's demise? I picked that up when you only updated Wikidata, but not the article.

Haven't checked them all yet, but Aust Footy is missing this one Oliver G
 

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RedmanWasHere said:
Another non VFL/AFL death but it's not listed is ex SANFL president Max Basheer.
Click to expand...
Another non player who recently died, someone who would've fitted perfectly into this forum, was 95 year old WAFL historian Dave Clement.
Nice obituary by John Townsend in the Subi Post, that included, as well as the usual tributes, a claim that Dave discovered that Val Sparrow had kicked Ron Doig in the head whilst he was on the ground, that may have contributed to his death! See page 50 of this week's Subi Post.
 
The stats book’s 2025 deaths.


1768809996694-jpeg.2512370
 

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RedmanWasHere said:
The stats book’s 2025 deaths.
Click to expand...

After reconciliation, the following deaths are missing from AFL season guide - Ray Lucev only known missing record in table above (plus no umpire deaths were included this year) - will email list to AFL guys

IdentityBornDiedClubs
Stuart Barclay4 October 194910 April 2025Essendon Football Club
Ron Critchley16 December 19403 June 2025Hawthorn Football Club
Ray Landorf24 January 193817 March 2025South Melbourne Football Club
Greg Lourey1 August 192730 November 2025Fitzroy Football Club, Melbourne Football Club
Ray Lucev11 January 19429 January 2025South Melbourne Football Club, West Perth
Ivan Marsh24 May 194320 September 2025Western Bulldogs
Tom Miller3 July 192810 January 2025Western Bulldogs
 
WhiteHartLane23 said:
After reconciliation, the following deaths are missing from AFL season guide - Ray Lucev only known missing record in table above (plus no umpire deaths were included this year) - will email list to AFL guys

IdentityBornDiedClubs
Stuart Barclay4 October 194910 April 2025Essendon Football Club
Ron Critchley16 December 19403 June 2025Hawthorn Football Club
Ray Landorf24 January 193817 March 2025South Melbourne Football Club
Greg Lourey1 August 192730 November 2025Fitzroy Football Club, Melbourne Football Club
Ray Lucev11 January 19429 January 2025South Melbourne Football Club, West Perth
Ivan Marsh24 May 194320 September 2025Western Bulldogs
Tom Miller3 July 192810 January 2025Western Bulldogs
Click to expand...
Ray Lucev should be 2 October 2025, BTW.

For Colin McNeil/MacNeil the DOD (in the book) should be 15/1/2025. The Season Guide has made unfortunate 'typos' with the DOB for he and the next chap on the list (the year should be 1936)!:
1768878246170.png

They have made the change (from last year's book) to say Max Glass played for South Melbourne (not North).
 
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35Daicos said:
Ray Lucev should be 2 October 2025, BTW.

For Colin McNeil/MacNeil the DOD (in the book) should be 15/1/2025. The Season Guide has made unfortunate 'typos' with the DOB for he and the next chap on the list (the year should be 1936)!:
View attachment 2512816
Click to expand...


DAMN!

How did I miss those typos?

And how were those typos overlooked by whoever reviews these things?
 
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Catsace said:
That changed rapidly over the next decade, when from memory the Test side had Laird, Yardley, Lillee, Marsh, Mick Malone and Kim Hughes at various times from the late 70's to early 80's.
Click to expand...
WA didn't play everybody twice between 1947-48 and 1955-56 seasons, they only played the other 4 states once and their points were adjusted accordingly. That's why they won the shield in 1947-48. Then tyranny of distance was issue for another decade after they started playing everybody home and away and they won the shield next in 1967-68.

Tassie entered in 1977-78 and they too had several seasons of not playing everybody twice.

Australia had Laird, Wood, Hughes, Marsh, Lillee, Yardley, and Alderman playing for Australia at the same time.

I did a Cricinfo Statsguru query and selected matches that had all of Laird, Wood, Hughes, Marsh, Lillee, and Yardley in the team and it came up with 9 tests they all played in and in those 9 tests, Alderman participated in 8 of them.


1768920720488.png


These were the 9 tests the 6 of them all played in, and Alderman missed the January 1982 game against West Indies at Adelaide Oval and played in the other 8 tests.


1768921009126.png
 
35Daicos said:
Essendon announced last September that Fred Gallagher had died: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/recent-deaths.1186497/page-42#post-89718518

And in October they announced the passing of David Starbuck: https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/recent-deaths.1186497/page-42#post-89904813

They do seem to belong on the list of VFL/AFL players who died in 2025, but they're not there, and I can't find a DOD for either of them.

The latter should be David Warren Starbuck.
Click to expand...
Got another one from Essendon, a curious one.
Bob Taylor apparently recently died, according to EFC PPOA, 2 January 2026 from he death notice.
But, AustralianFootball and Wikipedia had him dying in 2015. On the exact same date as the Bulldog's Rob Taylor!
Oops.

Please fix AF Oliver G, I'll fix Wikipedia.
 
A couple of other players weren't listed. According to the Sydney Swans website Brian Bennett passed away on 20 October 2025:

https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1923798/vale-brian-bennett

However, I can't find any other source.

Hawthorn and South's Peter Charleston passed away on 8 August 2025. His full name was Peter Desmond Charleston:

https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1868701/vale-peter-charleston

https://deathsandfunerals.com.au/notice/peter-desmond-charleston/658229

Peter Schofield the former Richmond, Melbourne and North Melbourne player passed away on 13 January 2026 according to this notice:

https://tributes.theage.com.au/au/obituaries/theage-au/name/peter-schofield-obituary?id=60570379
 
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Bandit55 said:
A couple of other players weren't listed. According to the Sydney Swans website Brian Bennett passed away on 20 October 2025:

https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1923798/vale-brian-bennett

However, I can't find any other source.

Hawthorn and South's Peter Charleston passed away on 8 August 2025. His full name was Peter Desmond Charleston:

https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1868701/vale-peter-charleston

https://deathsandfunerals.com.au/notice/peter-desmond-charleston/658229

Peter Schofield the former Richmond, Melbourne and North Melbourne player passed away on 13 January 2026 according to this notice:

https://tributes.theage.com.au/au/obituaries/theage-au/name/peter-schofield-obituary?id=60570379
Click to expand...
Ancestry has this for Brian Bennett:
1769003837851.png
On his Wikipedia page the DOB shown here appears to be wrong, and it doesn't match the one shown elsewhere on the page:
1769003888746.png
 

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35Daicos said:
Ancestry has this for Brian Bennett:
View attachment 2513836
On his Wikipedia page the DOB shown here appears to be wrong, and it doesn't match the one shown elsewhere on the page:
View attachment 2513837
Click to expand...
His footy birthday was 1938. The family birthday appears to be 1937. The change from 1938 to 1937 in the Wikipedia infobox only (not the lead sentence or category) was made in 2017 by a user's only ever Wikipedia edit. Updating grandad's birthday?
The Swans obit with "at age 88" matches a 1937 birthday. Think this one needs to be updated with the AFL & all the sites.
 
ThePope said:
His footy birthday was 1938. The family birthday appears to be 1937. The change from 1938 to 1937 in the Wikipedia infobox only (not the lead sentence or category) was made in 2017 by a user's only ever Wikipedia edit. Updating grandad's birthday?
The Swans obit with "at age 88" matches a 1937 birthday. Think this one needs to be updated with the AFL & all the sites.
Click to expand...
Agree - was just about to post the same thing.
Updated 2025 query here (sorted by family name so it matches AFL season guide)
Have added recent additional deaths to wikipedia/data with refs
 
Bandit55 said:
A couple of other players weren't listed. According to the Sydney Swans website Brian Bennett passed away on 20 October 2025:

https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1923798/vale-brian-bennett

However, I can't find any other source.

Hawthorn and South's Peter Charleston passed away on 8 August 2025. His full name was Peter Desmond Charleston:

https://www.sydneyswans.com.au/news/1868701/vale-peter-charleston

https://deathsandfunerals.com.au/notice/peter-desmond-charleston/658229

Peter Schofield the former Richmond, Melbourne and North Melbourne player passed away on 13 January 2026 according to this notice:

https://tributes.theage.com.au/au/obituaries/theage-au/name/peter-schofield-obituary?id=60570379
Click to expand...

Schofield died?!
Man, I was certain he would live to 100.
He was at Arden St two years ago and he looked super fit https://www.nmfc.com.au/video/12692...dal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1676152800001
And was profile by his aged care home only a few months ago. I've reached out to them to double confirm, but the date of birth in the death notice certainly matches our player :(
(I remember I interviewed him about 5 years ago and we spoke for an hour before his wife interrupted us as she was waiting to go shopping !)
 
ThePope said:
His footy birthday was 1938. The family birthday appears to be 1937. The change from 1938 to 1937 in the Wikipedia infobox only (not the lead sentence or category) was made in 2017 by a user's only ever Wikipedia edit. Updating grandad's birthday?
The Swans obit with "at age 88" matches a 1937 birthday. Think this one needs to be updated with the AFL & all the sites.
Click to expand...
WhiteHartLane23 said:
Agree - was just about to post the same thing.
Updated 2025 query here (sorted by family name so it matches AFL season guide)
Have added recent additional deaths to wikipedia/data with refs
Click to expand...
1769045160956.png
This would be him on the Electoral Roll in 1958 (living at Lascelles, which is near Woomelang, where he was recruited from), and I presume he needed to be 21 to be there. So that would rule out a 1938 year of birth.

Also from Ancestry:
1769131691347.png
He would have been born a King, but his parents separated, and he took the name of his stepfather (Bennett) at some stage.
 
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rbartlett said:
Schofield died?!
Man, I was certain he would live to 100.
He was at Arden St two years ago and he looked super fit https://www.nmfc.com.au/video/12692...dal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1676152800001
And was profile by his aged care home only a few months ago. I've reached out to them to double confirm, but the date of birth in the death notice certainly matches our player :(
(I remember I interviewed him about 5 years ago and we spoke for an hour before his wife interrupted us as she was waiting to go shopping !)
Click to expand...
Family has confirmed to me it is the player Peter Schofield.
 

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