Remembering Pants!

[magicpants]

Remembering Pants! Share your memories of Darren 'pants' Millane

Ashamed to say (especially with my nickname) I was so caught up in trade week, the anniversary of the great mans tragic passing went by as quickly as it seems the past 18 years has!

RIP to a true champion cut down in his prime, my all time fav player whose number still sits on the back of my jumper...will always remember the raging bull....

 

[magpie mad]

Re: Remembering Pants! Did I miss something? Did people already pay respects in another thread?

Ashamed to say (especially with my nickname) I was so caught up in trade week, the anniversary of the great mans tragic passing went by as quickly as it seems the past 18 years has!

RIP to a true champion cut down in his prime, my all time fav player whose number still sits on the back of my jumper...will always remember the raging bull....

Have a picture of the the Raging Bull in my Bar Room,sadly missed!!!!!!

 

[Texy]

18 years I can't believe it. You're right magicpants he was a true champion, the best Magpie i've ever seen.

 

[Axl the great]

My favourite player of all time too, i dont think some people realise how good this guy actually was, well heres a reminder.

[youtube]pWY6QydHkjQ[/youtube]

 

[mattys123]

I think his 1990 Grand Final performance speaks volumes for the man and player that he was.

Despite having a broken thumb, and a cracked bone in his hand, he managed to be a good player in the finals, and actually played his best game on Grand Final day, with 23 possessions on that famous day.

Also the only Collingwood player to have his number retired.

A truly great Collingwood player, and one that is sorely missed.

R.I.P. Darren "Pants" Millane.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Such a sad day from what I've heard. My father said it is the saddest day he's ever had as a Collingwood supporter when he found out what happened.

 

[magpiewarrior]

Such a sad day from what I've heard. My father said it is the saddest day he's ever had as a Collingwood supporter when he found out what happened.

It was even worse than the 77 drawn GF and it left a massive hole in the team that took years to overcome.
Vale The Late Great

 

[otfc42]

Quite simply one of the greatest team players of the last 30 years....in any club.

He typified the heart and soul of our club and would have literally died on the field of battle to protect and support his team mates.

We'll never see his ilk again, and I for one am priviledged to have worn his number on my back when playing.

And may I say...never doubt Eddie's passion for our great club off the field...he would do anything to help us succeed....very much in the tradition of the great 42.

RIP Pants......you were quite simply the best and you will never be forgotten.

 

[Mars II]

why did they call him pants?

 

[Optimax]

why did they call him pants?

according to tony shaw's book after the 1990 premiership, because he walked into the club on his first day in ghastly bright coloured pants on

 

[Mars II]

Lmao

 

[magicpants]

according to tony shaw's book after the 1990 premiership, because he walked into the club on his first day in ghastly bright coloured pants on

^^^^^^^ This! Bright Green IIRC...what a classic!

I have a favourite memory which summed up his professionalism - something that was underated from outside as they saw darren as a larrikin/hothead etc was so far from the real millane as a player!

1991 coll v bears at carrara - famous game for daics' magical 13.1

By the way Pants had a lazy 35 touches and 15 marks or something ridiculous like that and was clearly 2nd bog.

Anyway, in a game we later won by 100 points, during the 3rd qtr Daics, who by this stage had about 9 or 10 STRAIGHT to his name and we led by 10 goals+ decided to kick one of his famous torps from 50 straight in front
.
Now if ever anyone had licence to go the torp it was Daics, not to mention the situation of the game which was all but over and he had 10 straight already....but uncharacteristically this torp by daics was a mongrel...then as the bears prepare to kick the ball back in it became fairly quiet - and in those days the crowds at carrara were very small so you could hear everything the players yelled out through the microphone.....all of a sudden a loud, gravelly voice yells out.....

DAICS!!! DROP PUNTS!!! Imagine Daics looking over at his team mate and what he must have thought....

However I love that millane, a still young 25 yr old, yells at Daics, a legend by this stage, who had kicked so many amazing goals in his career, and that night especially and shown that he could kick torps better than anyone but still 'pants' felt the need to admonish him and enforce the team rules!

If you have the game on tape listen out for it..its a small thing but says so much about his onfield dedication to the team and level of determination that was unsurpassed until a guy came along wearing no 5...ironically from the bears!!

Anyone else have any great memories....please share them!

 

[robertg22]

Great post magicpants.

I'm old enough to remember him playing but not in great detail. I do remember though the esteem he was and always will be held in at the football club. One wonders what we could have achieved if he was not taken from the world before his time like he was. RIP Pants.

 

[magicpants]

Great post magicpants.

I'm old enough to remember him playing but not in great detail. I do remember though the esteem he was and always will be held in at the football club. One wonders what we could have achieved if he was not taken from the world before his time like he was. RIP Pants.

Thanks mate....we will never know what would have happened in the 92-94 seasons/finals had he been there!!

Dare say the one flag in 50 years crap might be more like 3 flags in 50 years

 

[lihei]

Nice post for a true Black & White champion.

 

[Axl the great]

Great post magicpants.

I'm old enough to remember him playing but not in great detail. I do remember though the esteem he was and always will be held in at the football club. One wonders what we could have achieved if he was not taken from the world before his time like he was. RIP Pants.

I would liken him to Mark Riccuito in style, very quick for a big bodied bloke, lovely skills and a great contested grab, i remember a few games we were stuffed and getting flogged yet Pants was always still going 100% commited, never once saw him shirk a contest or drop his level of desperation.
He was the perfect example for every footballer on how to go about playing the game.

 

[magpiewarrior]

For all those who weren't around or weren't old enough to remember him, read "PANTS The Darren Millane Story" by Eddie Mcguire and Jim Main and/or watch the video " A Tribute to DARREN MILLANE" Produced and distributed by Australian Football Video P/L PO Box 1414 Collingwood. It's not the same as living thro his time but the pair (book and video) are pretty good all the same. Bucks is the best Pie that I have seen but Pants died about 2 months after his 26th birthday so we never really saw him at his peak and I still rate him as a close 2nd.

 

[scarfce74]

This guy was and still is a legend, When new kids come into the AFL system they should sit them down and let them watch Darren Millane highlights to show how the game should be played,........... tough and fearless!

 

[Angelus512]

Quick question for the faithful. I've only been die-hard into footy over the last 4 years or so but prior to that never watched a game. As such I'm not exactly up to date on collingwood "lore".

I know the rough story of Darren but for the life of me i'm totally unaware as to why he has the nickname "pants"? Can somebody fill that in for me.

 

[mattys123]

Quick question for the faithful. I've only been die-hard into footy over the last 4 years or so but prior to that never watched a game. As such I'm not exactly up to date on collingwood "lore".

I know the rough story of Darren but for the life of me i'm totally unaware as to why he has the nickname "pants"? Can somebody fill that in for me.

Apparently very early in his career he rocked up to Collingwood training with a pair of technicolor pants on, and from there the "Pants" legend was born.

Other nicknames including "The Raging Bull", which was a favourite of mine, because it explained his approach to football.

I have never met a nicer, more decent bloke then Darren Millane (met him in the rooms at training in '86), it was a pity he had a problem with alcohol.

A great player, a great man, whose lesson of drinking and the consequences of it are still not being learnt (but it seems not followed) by modern day players.

Darren was one of those players who off the field was a fairly shy, humble bloke, but once he crossed the white line he really caught a case of the "White Line Fever".

To call him a Collingwood great is an understatement.

 

[DJ Black @ White Blood]

Apparently very early in his career he rocked up to Collingwood training with a pair of technicolor pants on, and from there the "Pants" legend was born.

Other nicknames including "The Raging Bull", which was a favourite of mine, because it explained his approach to football.

I have never met a nicer, more decent bloke then Darren Millane (met him in the rooms at training in '86), it was a pity he had a problem with alcohol.

A great player, a great man, whose lesson of drinking and the consequences of it are still not being learnt (but it seems not followed) by modern day players.

Darren was one of those players who off the field was a fairly shy, humble bloke, but once he crossed the white line he really caught a case of the "White Line Fever".

To call him a Collingwood great is an understatement.

Hey Matty, not having a go at you but just want to have my say so everyone is clear. I was friends with Darren and also happen to share the same name. He didnt have a problem with alcohol, we all drank. Sometimes we drank a little and sometimes we got wasted and sometimes didnt drink. The 80s just seemed to be so different to now days. Pants loved his footy and my god he just loved the kids, had a very determine passion when it came to footy, helping kids and being with mates. He really kept a look out for all his mates were ever he found himself, unfortunatly there just wasnt anyone around when he needed help to get home. He tried to call, but unfortunately only got an ansewering machine. I have some photos of him and the guys from 90gf. We were over in a pub in London just before playing at the oval against the bombers. He still had his broken thumb but was still able to pull his pants down and show everyone his new tat of the mighty magpie 90 premiers. If i can find the photos i will put them on here but will need someone to tell me how. Unlike today there seemed to be a lot less control with footy players and unfortunately drink driving. Top bloke. Hope im not to biased here but i really cant think of any player for us today that comes close to him in so many ways.

 

[mattys123]

Hey Matty, not having a go at you but just want to have my say so everyone is clear. I was friends with Darren and also happen to share the same name. He didnt have a problem with alcohol, we all drank. Sometimes we drank a little and sometimes we got wasted and sometimes didnt drink. The 80s just seemed to be so different to now days. Pants loved his footy and my god he just loved the kids, had a very determine passion when it came to footy, helping kids and being with mates. He really kept a look out for all his mates were ever he found himself, unfortunatly there just wasnt anyone around when he needed help to get home. He tried to call, but unfortunately only got an ansewering machine. I have some photos of him and the guys from 90gf. We were over in a pub in London just before playing at the oval against the bombers. He still had his broken thumb but was still able to pull his pants down and show everyone his new tat of the mighty magpie 90 premiers. If i can find the photos i will put them on here but will need someone to tell me how. Unlike today there seemed to be a lot less control with footy players and unfortunately drink driving. Top bloke. Hope im not to biased here but i really cant think of any player for us today that comes close to him in so many ways.

No offense taken, the "alcohol problem" statement probably was wrong, as I should have called it an "unfortunate incident", which could of happened to a number of league players in that era.

He was a great bloke, I got to know his brother (Sean) a little bit, as I was close to the Dandenong Football Club when they won the flag in 1991, and while Sean was a little different to his brother, the stories he told about Darren and his "mates" were the stuff of legend.

I heard Sean was coaching a country team recently, which was good to hear.

 

[freddy mercury]

I am an Essendon man by heart always will be.

I am only 20 never seen him play, just a few youtube videos and read his book 101 times.

Just loved his approach to life and to his football. A great bloke off the field and one of the most feared on the field.

I wish I saw him play. My favorite ever player on top of all Bombers players.

I also have a tattoo of the number 42 in his honour.

R.I.P

 

[alfiiee]

you go for port?

 

[Pie eyed]

I am an Essendon man by heart always will be.

I am only 20 never seen him play, just a few youtube videos and read his book 101 times.

Just loved his approach to life and to his football. A great bloke off the field and one of the most feared on the field.

I wish I saw him play. My favorite ever player on top of all Bombers players.

I also have a tattoo of the number 42 in his honour.

R.I.P

How many of you are in there?
Must be tough on Mondays deciding how you feel.