Denis Scanlon (born 5 April 1954) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington United Kin ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL).

Career and awards

Scanlon won

North Hobart North Hobart is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. As its name suggests, it lies directly north of the Hobart City Centre. The main street of North Hobart is Elizabeth Street, which extends northward from the Elizabeth Stre ...

's 'best and fairest' award in 1973 and was a member of their 1974 premiership team. Although primarily a defender, Scanlon could also play as a ruckman and he was recruited to Essendon in 1976 for a record high transfer fee. From his debut mid-season, through the rest of the decade, he was a regular fixture in the side and made a finals appearance in 1979. He represented Tasmania at the

1975 Knockout Carnival The 1975 Knockout Carnival was the 19th Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian football interstate competition. The tournament was won by Victoria. The 1975 carnival represented a significant change in format for the carnival. Prev ...

and

1980 Adelaide State of Origin Carnival The 1980 Adelaide State of Origin Carnival was the 21st Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian football competition. It was the second carnival to take place under the State of Origin format. Four states took part, the hosts South ...

Education

After completing a doctorate, Scanlon has worked as a medical researcher at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

References

* *Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing. {{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlon, Denis 1954 births Living people Essendon Football Club players North Hobart Football Club players Tasmanian State of Origin players Australian rules footballers from Tasmania 20th-century Australian sportsmen