The local football fraternity is mourning the death of Alan Lynch.
More commonly known by his nickname, ‘Dizzy’, Lynch died yesterday (Tuesday) after a battle with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 70.
Lynch suffered at least 15 concussions during a football career that started in the North Shore Little League competition in the early 1960s.
His wife, Jenny Bromley, told News Corp that Lynch’s brain will be donated to the Australian Sports Brain Bank, which will investigate whether he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
After graduating from North Shore’s junior program, Lynch won a senior best-and-fairest as an 18-year-old.
He joined VFA club Geelong West in 1973, headed to Hobart in 1974, before returning to West in 1975 to play in the Roosters’ first and only division one premiership.
Lynch followed West coach Billy Goggin to VFL club Footscray in 1976, where he played five games before making a mid-season switch to Richmond.
He played two senior games at Richmond that year and featured in the Tigers reserve grade premiership in 1977 before accepting a coaching job as a 24-year-old at Ballarat League club Beaufort.
Lynch won the Henderson Medal as league best-and-fairest in 1979 before returning to Geelong to link up with Billy Goggin again.
He didn’t make a senior appearance at the Cats but was part of the club’s reserve grade grand final win over South Melbourne and won the best-and-fairest.
Lynch returned to North Shore in 1981 and played in a GFL flag with his home club before returning to the Ballarat region to guide North Ballarat to back-to-back premierships in 1982-83.
He fell just short of playing in a fifth consecutive flag as coach of Drysdale in 1984, with the Hawks suffering a one-point loss to Torquay in a grand final.
Lynch was named best-on-ground in what was his last appearance for the Hawks.
He was appointed coach of Geelong West in 1986 as its days in the VFA were ending, but he resigned mid-season due to work.
Lynch returned to North Ballarat for one more season as coach in 1990 and featured in his late 40s in the made-for-television Western Region team The Hammerheads as part of The Club in 2002.
Lightly built, Lynch was also an outstanding runner.
He was a regular at the Stawell Easter Carnival, running both one and two-mile events, earning Legend status in the Stawell Hall of Fame.
Lynch is survived by wife Jenny Bromley and their four children Jess, Sam, Josh and Tom and their families.
X: @krockfootball
