Dave Irvine

Your Say

• Anonymous
  9 Dec 2016 3:31pm

  i think dave irvine was a ex professional sprinter,if he got inthe clear a try was on,only ron lynch knew how to put him in the open.

• Anonymous
  3 May 2020 10:50pm

  Ian Moir who played for both Souths & Wests in the 1950,s apparently was a real speed machine.Even in his late 50,s,before he passed,still held his own in the speed department.May he R.I.P Amen.

• John
  14 May 2020 4:40pm

  Dave Irvine was a professional sprinter long after he left rugby league.

• John
  14 May 2020 5:27pm

  Dave Irvine was a world champion sprinter. In 1987 at 40 years of age he won the sprint double (100 metres & 200 metres) at a meet at Carrara in Queensland.

• eels old timer
  25 Jul 2020 8:42pm

  dave was indeed a professional sprinter - about 1966 or 1977 he was matched against the american champ sprinter on one - bob hayes i think his name was - 4 races one on one - 100 yards, 220 yards, 440 yards and 880 yards. hayes one 3 and irvine won 1.
  
  in 66 i saw him score as fine a try as you will ever see. it was at cumberland oval. he was grabbed as he took the ball and kicked ahead, then struggled out of the tackle, and raced about 45 yards to the ball which was rolling towards the dead ball line, and dived on it when it was a couple of inches short of the dead ball line. ground was damp and the groove made by the ball showed it was a fair try.
  
  he was a very underrated player. in most clubs he would have been a regular or permanent first grader, but due to the tremendous depth of talent in the parramatta club in those days meant he didnt play first grade as often as he might have.
  
  to me it was a golden era for parramatta, even though they never played in a grand final in those days. due to the depth of the club talent, it was only a matter of time before they would win a premiership or 2.
  names like irvine, thornett brothers, arch brown, john mcmartin, ron lynch, fred pickup, barry rushworth, and quite a few others did the club proud.
  
  their lower grades, which often included players like irvine, heinrich, winney, richards, stacker, and other great players, pretty much dominated reserve and third grade in those days.
  
  todays game has nowhere near the character or the club tribal aspect nor the club loyalty by players as it did in those days, although admittedly it is more demanding and professional than it was then.
  
  i still miss the old game, and aside from the state of origin series, i simply cant get excited by the new game as i did in those days.

• Roj Anchor
  4 Nov 2020 5:04pm

  Top bloke Dave. Took me to homecoming party for Barry Rushworth. I was a wide eyed kid in awe of the Eels players. He was a very fast runner. No matter how big a start I had he would catch me before we got to the top of the stairs at Liverpool station. Dave Irvine is the reason I have been an eels fan and proud of our team through highs and lows. Also very proud of all our brother and sister fans who want to see the Eels go forever.

• John
  13 Apr 2021 4:23pm

  Dave Irvine was a champion professional sprinter during his Rugby League career and for years afterward.

• Anonymous
  29 May 2021 1:32pm

  Dave jogging was the same speed as me sprinting

• Anonymous
  3 Jun 2022 1:21pm

  I knew him as a professional sprinter. Agree with all of the " top bloke" comments. Is he still around?

• Anonymous
  26 Nov 2022 6:20pm

  i used to train with dave at yulong oval at moorebank with a lot of other professional runners. i was a kid and used to get 10 mtrs start over 100. it was like a freight train coming past me about 90 mtrs. amazing runner.

• YoungBob
  31 Dec 2024 10:19am

  Has been mentioned Dave ran against an American sprinter. He was Robert Lee Hayes (December 20, 1942 – September 18, 2002), nicknamed "Bullet Bob", was an American sprinter and professional football player. After winning gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics, he played as a split end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys (for 11 seasons).

• Anonymous
  8 Feb 2026 10:06am

  David (snoopy ) was a world class sprinter he beat bob hayes the Olympic gold medalist over 200 in the late 60s he was also a great guy

• Anonymous
  15 Mar 2026 3:07pm

  I had known of Dave in his playing and running days and thought of him yesterday when I think his Brother if not his Cousin Ken Irvine try scoring record was finally broken .
  I got to know Dave in the early 2000’s when my wife and I where fortunate enough to have him coach our Daughter Sherilee to win the 400 meter State School title in Brisbane
  Unfortunately 9 months later Sherilee pasted away from long T Syndrome
  I cannot thank Dave enough
  Yours
  Stuart and Trish Ramsey

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