Jim Stynes
| Jim Stynes OAM |
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Stynes in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | James Stynes | ||
| Nickname(s) | Jimmy | ||
| Date of birth | 23 April 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 20 March 2012 (aged 45) | ||
| Place of death | St Kilda, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | Ballyboden St Enda's | ||
| Height / weight | 199 cm / 99 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Ruckman | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1987–1998 | Melbourne | 264 (130) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1990–1994 | Victoria | 10 (?) | |
| International team honours | |||
| 1987–88, 1998 | Australia | 5 (?) | |
| 1990 | Ireland | 3 (?) | |
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1998.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 1998.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
James "Jim" Stynes OAM (23 April 1966 – 20 March 2012) was an Irish-born footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football. Playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), he went on to become one of the game's most prominent figures, breaking the record for most consecutive games of VFL/AFL football (244) and winning the sport's highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal, in 1991. Off the field, he was a notable AFL administrator, philanthropist, charity worker and writer.
During his 264-game career with the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) between 1987 and 1998, Stynes became the first and only non-Australian-born VFL/AFL player to win the prestigious Brownlow Medal, which he achieved in 1991. After his retirement he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. Stynes had a high profile in both Australia and Ireland as a result of his involvement in the Melbourne Football Club's ambitious international recruitment program (now known as the "Irish experiment"). Born in Dublin Ireland, where he was a promising Gaelic footballer, Stynes made an ambitious move to Australia at the age of 18 following his side's win in the 1984 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship.
Debuting in the Australian Football League in 1987, he played a league record 244 consecutive games between 1987 and 1998. Playing as a mobile ruckman, Stynes is credited as having changed the way that the position is played and along with his Brownlow his Australian Rules achievements included the Leigh Matthews Trophy, two time All-Australian team selection, a night and day Grand Final and four club trophies for Melbourne. He also represented Victoria in interstate football matches, and both Australia and Ireland in international rules football, a hybrid of Gaelic football and Australian rules football.
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