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| Fred Fanning | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Born | (1921-11-05)5 November 1921 | ||
| Died | 23 May 1993(1993-05-23) (aged 71) Geelong, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Original team | Coburg juniors | ||
| Height | 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 102 kg (225 lb) | ||
| Position | Full-forward | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1940–1947 | Melbourne | 104 (411) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1947. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Fred Fanning (5 November 1921 – 23 May 1993)[1] was anAustralian rules footballer who played forMelbourne in theVictorian Football League (VFL) who holds the record for most goals in a VFL/AFL match, with 18.
Hailing from theVictorian Football Association (VFA) clubCoburg, Fanning was a strongly built forward standing at 193 cm and weighing 102 kg. In September1939, playing for Melbourne Seconds againstRichmond in the Seconds' Grand Final, Fanning kicked 12 goals in a 29-point victory.[2]
Fanning made his senior debut in1940 and played inthat year's Grand Final victory over Richmond. He topped the VFL's goalkicking charts in1943 (62 goals),1944 (87) and1945 (67),[3] a year in which he also won Melbourne'sbest and fairest award.
InRound 19, 1947, he kicked 18 goals, 1 behind, in a game againstSt Kilda, which remains therecord formost goals in a VFL/AFL match to this day;[4][5] this was coincidentally Fanning's final appearance in a VFL match. He kicked 97 goals for the1947 VFL season, the highest in his VFL career.
Fanning joined theHamilton Football Club in theWestern District Football League as captain-coach in 1948, after being offered 3 to 6 times the salary he was receiving at Melbourne (accounts vary). This appointment caused a split in the club, and the Hamilton Imperials were founded.
Fanning held the Western District record for most goals in a game by kicking 22 against Heywood in 1949. The following year he kicked 20 goals against Penshurst. He kicked a Western District record of 151 goals in a season in 1952. He finished his football career at Coleraine in 1953.
