Ken Kearney

Ken Kearney

Kearney 1953
Personal information
Full name	Kenneth Howard Kearney
Nickname	Killer
Born	(1924-05-03)3 May 1924 Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
Died	18 August 2006(2006-08-18) (aged 82) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Rugby union
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1942–48 Parramatta Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1947–48 Australia 7
Rugby league
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1948–51 Leeds 95 2 0 0 6 1952–61 St. George 156 18 2 0 58 Total 251 20 2 0 64 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1952–58 New South Wales 17 4 0 0 12 1952–58 Australia 31 3 0 0 9
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1954-55, 1957–61 St. George 141 113 2 26 80 1962–64 Parramatta 59 35 2 22 59 1965 Western Suburbs 18 6 0 12 33 1967–69 Cronulla-Sutherland 66 14 1 51 21 Total 284 168 5 111 59 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1956–57 Australia 9 7 0 2 78
As of 10 January 2016 Source: Rugby League Project

Kenneth Howard "Killer" Kearney (3 May 1924 – 18 August 2006) was an Australian rugby footballer – a dual-code international player – and a rugby league coach. He represented the Wallabies in seven Tests and the Kangaroos in thirty-one Test matches and World Cup games. He captained Australia in nine rugby league Test matches in 1956 and 1957. He was a hooker and captain-coach with the St. George Dragons in the first half of their eleven-year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He is considered one of Australia's finest footballers of the 20th century.

Kearney was born in Penrith, New South Wales. He joined Parramatta's 1st grade rugby union side from school before serving in the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II and represented Combined Services in rugby union.

After discharge from the Air Force he resumed playing rugby union in Australia and debuted for the Wallabies against the All Blacks playing two Tests in June 1947 then went on the 1947-48 Australian rugby union tour of Europe and North America, playing against each of the five European rugby union nations.

Kearney returned to England at the end of the Wallabies tour and switched to the professional code of rugby league. After three seasons with Leeds he returned to Australia in 1952 and joined St George. He was captain-coach between 1954-1955, and later between 1957-1961.