The youngest son of Donald Campbell (1833–1907),[1] and his second wife, Elizabeth Campbell (1825–1910), née Brumby,[2] Colin Mansfield Campbell was born at Cressy, Tasmania on 13 August 1872.
He attracted the Essendon (then VFA) club's attention during Essendon's 1890 Tasmanian tour match against a combined North-Eastern Football team.[5] Immediately he arrived in Melbourne to commence his medical studies,[6] he began his career with Essendon, kicking a goal, and one of its best players, in the first match of the 1891 season, against Footscray, on 2 May 1891.[7]
Campbell played for Essendon in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1891 to 1896, was its vice-captain in 1893, and was a member of its four premiership sides.[8][9]
He also played in 1898 and 1899,[15] including the (losing) 1898 VFL Grand Final, in which he played at centre half-forward.[16]
Cricket
Also in 1897, Campbell represented Tasmania in a first-class cricket match against Victoria at the North Tasmania Cricket Association Ground. He was dismissed in both innings by another debutant in James Giller, for scores of 0 and 17.[17]
Whilst in England he played rugby and cricket, scoring over 1000 runs in a season for the Ryton Cricket Club.[18]
^Note that the VFL records for the match are correct in that both Maurie Collins and Tod Collins did play for Essendon in that match. By contrast, Maplestone (1996, pp. 51, 440), has mistakenly omitted both Maurie Collins and George Hastings from the team, and has mistakenly listed both Campbell and Stuckey as participating in the match.
^"Late Dr. Colin Campbell". The Examiner (Daily ed.). Launceston, Tasmania. 20 May 1907. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN0-9591740-2-8
Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN0-670-86814-0