Biography.guide
Portrait of Roy McKay

Roy McKay

1909 – 1998

Australian rules footballer and coach

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Roy McKay

Lived 1909 – 1998 (aged 89). Roy McKay was an australian rules football player.

Claude Roy McKay (25 March 1909 – 12 July 1998 ) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1930s.

McKay, who came to Footscray from Victorian Football Association (VFA) club Williamstown, was a durable utility who rarely missed a game. He was used mostly as a defender and twice represented the VFL at interstate football.

After bringing up his 100th league game in 1935, McKay joined Brunswick as captain-coach, a position he remained in until retiring in 1940. He was the centre half back and captain-coach of Brunswick's 1938 premiership team, with a 33-point victory over Brighton. The previous season, and again in 1939, McKay steered Brunswick to Grand Finals but finished on the losing side on both occasions.

McKay went on to coach Melbourne's Thirds in 1952 and coached the Seconds (Reserves) coach from 1956 to 1958 and again in 1962 and 1964. McKay coached the Melbourne reserves team that won the 1956 flag in front of a record crowd of 115,802 fans. The scores were: Melbourne 16.14.110 defeated South Melbourne 10.12.72.

McKay has the Melbourne Football Club's Past Players' Golf Day named in his honour - Roy McKay Trophy Golf Day. He was named a life member of the Melbourne Football Club in 1959.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Also known as
Claude Roy McKay

People in Roy McKay's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Roy McKay's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Roy McKay?

Australian rules footballer and coach (1909-1998)

When was Roy McKay born?

Roy McKay was born on 25 March 1909 in Illabarook.

When did Roy McKay die?

Roy McKay died on 12 July 1998.

What was Roy McKay's occupation?

Roy McKay was an australian rules football player.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Roy McKay

· Wikidata: Q7373152

· DBpedia: Roy McKay (footballer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Roy McKay. https://biography.guide/roy-mckay-australian-rules-football-player/

MLA: "Roy McKay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/roy-mckay-australian-rules-football-player/.

Chicago: "Roy McKay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/roy-mckay-australian-rules-football-player/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:07 UTC