Stewart Drummond "Nip" Geddes (6 March 1879 – 6 May 1952) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club and St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Family The youngest of the seven children of William Geddes (1827–1886),Deaths, Geddes, The Age, (Monday, 26 July 1886), p.1. and Catherine Stewart Geddes (1833–1906), née Lilburn,Deaths: Geddes, The Argus, (Thursday, 8 February 1906), p.1. Stewart Drummond Geddes was born in Richmond, Victoria on 6 March 1879. He died at Trafalgar, Victoria on 6 May 1952.
Football "'Nip' Geddes, a follower, ranks with the best the State has produced. He was a brilliant high mark and a fine drop-kick."Sandshoes used, The Adelaide News, (Saturday, 25 July 1936), p.7. "Possibly the finest exponent of [the stab kick] we have ever seen … Nip's reputation was that he could, running at his top, stab a bail on to a threepenny piece thirty yards away."South Adelaide v. West Torrens, The (Adelaide) Daily Herald, (Friday, 6 August 1920), p.7.
Melbourne (VFL) Geddes arrived from Richmond Juniors as a defender but was used mostly on the ball by Melbourne. He took part in the historic 1897 VFL finals series and played in the 1900 VFL Grand Final, where he kicked one of Melbourne's four goals to help them claim their maiden premiership. While awaiting to be granted clearance to St Kilda, Geddes missed the 1903 and 1904 season.Migratory Footballers, The Argus, (Thursday, 28 April 1904), p.6; Football Notes, The Australasian, (Saturday, 7 May 1904), p.23.
Richmond (VFA) He joined the Richmond Football Club in the VFA in the mid-season of 1904, and played eleven games for them that year.World of Sport, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Friday, 24 June 1904), p4; Richmond v. Port Melbourne, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 9 July 1904), p.18.
St Kilda (VFL) Finally granted a clearance from Melbourne,Football Season: Granting of Permits, The Argus, (Thursday, 4 May 1905), p.8. he arrived at St Kilda in 1905 but only played for one year.
South Broken Hill Football Club (BHFL) In 1907 he was playing with the South Broken Hill Football Club in the Broken Hill Football League.Football, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Wednesday, 10 July 1907), p.6.
West Torrens (SAFL) He later played with West Torrens, captaining the South Australian Football League club in 1908 and 1909.General, The (Adelaide) Evening Journal, (Thursday, 30 April 1908), p.3."Nip" Geddes Dies in Victoria, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Thursday, 8 May 1952), p.8.
Appointed coach in 1914,Football: West Torrens Club, The (Adelaide) Journal, (Friday, 22 May 1914), p.1. the team came fourth in 1914, and fifth in 1915 (due to the First World War, the SAFL competition was suspended in 1916, 1917, and 1918). "Torrens players wore black armbands during the Alberton game as a mark of respect to Nip Geddes, old-time Torrens ruck star, who died this week in Melbourne. Geddes was a stalwart in the days when Torrens played on Hindmarsh Oval."The Adelaide Mail, (Saturday, 10 May 1952) p.6.
See also 1908 Melbourne Carnival
Footnotes
References Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
External links
Stewart Geddes: Demonwiki. Stewart Geddes, australianfootball.com.