Vale Brian McGowan

Glenelg Football Club is in mourning after former Tigers captain and club champion Brian McGowan passed away on Wednesday, January 14. He was 88.

Glenelg Football Club player No. 505, the highly respected clubman shone out in 58 games and kicked 115 goals between 1964-66. The skilful rover and dangerous small forward won Glenelg’s 1965 best-and-fairest award, was the Tigers’ leading goalkicker in 1964 – with 54 – and was club captain in 1966. Brian, who has been nominated for a place in Glenelg’s Hall of Fame, was the much-loved father of Trudy, Boyd and Adam and grandfather of Mikaela, Shamus, Grace, Charlie, George and Max.His wake will be held at the Oakbank Hotel on Tuesday, 27 January from 3pm and family, friends and former team-mates are all welcome.McGowan was a star for VFL club South Melbourne, the Swans’ vice-captain before Glenelg boss Ray Curnow lured him to the Bay for the 1964 season, along with Geelong premiership star Colin Rice, the dynamic duo becoming one of the Tigers’ all-time great roving combinations. McGowan played 118 games and kicked 171 goals for South Melbourne from 1955-63, finishing in the top 10 for the Brownlow Medal in 1959, when he polled the second-most votes for a South player behind the great Bob Skilton.
The first player to wear a helmet in the VFL-AFL because of his fearless determination to win the hard ball, times were tough at South Melbourne when, “one night at training Ray Curnow is standing up at the fence saying, ‘can I have a word with you?’ I said I was gonna stay for two years and I have been here more than 50,” McGowan recalled of his move to Glenelg in Ton of Tigers, the Glenelg Football Club history released in 2022.
McGowan and Rice made a huge immediate impact, the Bays jumping into finals in 1964 for the first time in five years. “Training was like a social fitness thing and we thought what the hell is going on here?” McGowan said of his first impressions. “We would say ‘let’s get serious, we need to win some games’.” The star recruits arranged extra sessions, organising the players to run on the beach on off nights and McGowan immediately showed his class, kicking five goals against Sturt on debut and six the following week against Norwood.
McGowan, who made up for a lack of height with upper-body strength and an ability to bustle through packs and out of tackles, was quick, creative and accurate around the goals. He remained involved at Glenelg in the years after his retirement as reserves coach and a club vice-president.

The GFC Board, management, staff, players and volunteers extend their deepest condolences to Brian’s children Trudy, Boyd and Adam, and his grandchildren Mikaela, Shamus, Grace, Charlie, George and Max.