The Afro, the pirouette, the sidestep – it was all part of the Vin Catoggio persona when the great man was strutting his stuff through winter Saturdays at Princes Park.

And yet, who would know that one of the most endearing of all Carlton footballers followed in the footsteps of another Vin Catoggio – “Uncle Vin” to the 71-game cult hero?

The existence of Vin Catoggio I came to light recently when Jamie Sanderson of www.blueseum.org forwarded an image (below) to the club of the Carlton District Grand Final team of 1958. Featured amongst the Rovers’ ranks, sporting the famed CFC guernsey, is Vin Catoggio esq., who we’ll refer to as Vin Catoggio sen. for the purposes of this article.

Carlton District, 1958 premiers. Vin Catoggio sen. is pictured on the far left in the middle row.

Vin Catoggio jun., when contacted for comment this week, confirmed that the Vin in question was one of three Catoggio brothers, and a lifelong Carlton Member and supporter to boot.

“Vin was a brother to my father Leo who died last year and to Uncle Joe who died 12 years ago, so he’s the last of that line,” Catoggio jun. said.

“With respect I still call him Uncle Vin. Him and his dear wife Betty, together with my cousin Dom and his wife Evon, always ring mum up and take her out to lunch, and she’s 90 now.

“Uncle Vin ended up playing for Preston in a Premiership in the VFA in the early 1960s. He was a left footer, a very good kick, and he played off a half back flank, but you know what? I’ve never asked him if he could twist or turn and I don’t know if he wore No.4.”

Catoggio jun. also revealed that another uncle on his mother’s side – Dom Catoggio, now nearing 80 – was a contemporary of Sergio Silvagni’s in the Carlton thirds of 1955/56.

“Uncle Dom was a Catoggio also, even though he was on the other side of the family. His father and my mother’s father were first cousins. Dom was a good player too, he played a few reserves games for Carlton in ’57, but he did his knee later on at Yarragon, and that was the end of him.” 

The Catoggio name is still inextricably linked with both the football club and the Carlton area, remembering that Vin’s mother lives within the shadows of the old Princes Park ground on Garton Street – not far from where Vin, at 124 Garton, was once domiciled.

Uncle Dom, meanwhile, lived on Rathdowne Street, across the road from the old taxi depot.

When this reporter made a follow-up call to Catoggio sen. recently, the voice on the other end replied: “Have you got the right Vin?”.

Once that was settled, Catoggio sen. conceded that his name had posed an issue or two over the journey – particularly when Vin jun. was up and running in the ’70s. As he said: “Supporters used to ring me thinking I was the bloke running around for Carlton in the No.4, but I played for Carlton Rovers and I wore the No.20”.

“In saying that, I just dragged out an old record from when I was playing for Carlton fourths, and would you I’m listed in the team sheet as No.4.”

Catoggio sen., now 77, explained that after completing his national service at Puckapunyal in April 1957 he pursued his own football career at senior level.

“I thought about going over the road to try out at Carlton, but I thought the list was already set, so I followed a mate of mine, Bernie Quix, to Carlton Rovers,” he said. “Not walking across the ground to ask the question is the one regret I have, because who knows?”

Catoggio sen. was no slouch either, as Carlton Rovers was part of what was then a vibrant Sunday competition, which drew big numbers and attracted League types like North’s Jock Spencer and Jack Edwards, Richmond’s Don “Mopsy” Fraser and Essendon’s Norm McDonald - the latter whom Catoggio sen. once stood.

“Carlton Rovers used to play on the No.1 Oval where the Carlton Cricket Club is based now. We shared the ground with Carlton Stars,” Catoggio sen. said.

“In 1958 we played Kensington in the Grand Final. Jock Spencer was playing for Kensington, while Jack Streader - a Fitzroy ruckman and pretty good player – played for us. I think we got up by five points and I had a good game.”

Catoggio sen. remained with Rovers until the end of the ’61 season, before joining VFA outfit Sandringham in ’62.

That proved a logistical nightmare.

“I had to drive from North Carlton to training and by the time I got to training they were walking off,” Catoggio sen. said.

“I only played reserves there and in ’62 I went to Preston (now Northern Blues). Having played most of the season for Preston reserves I was called up for the finals and was part of the winning Grand Final team of ’63. We beat Waverley and the game was played at Toorak Park.”

He then turned out for a few more Preston senior games in ’64, took line honours in the club’s reserve grade best and fairest count , then got his marching orders in ’65. He turned out for one more season with Diamond Valley Football League outfit Reservoir Lakeside, then gave the game away.

Then, when Catoggio jun. burst onto the scene, Uncle Vin was back with a vengeance.

“Watching Vin play was really enjoyable. I used to go to every match at Princes Park with cousin Dom, and the two families never missed.”

Former Carlton cult hero Vin Catoggio pictured in 1979. 

Though the days of Carlton Rovers are long gone, the spiritual home, to this day, remains fundamental to the Catoggio raison d’etre.

“Even now I walk Princes Park every Sunday,” said Catoggio jun., “and when I get to the ground I go into a daze.

“That’s when I think about getting a footy and balking the elms like I used to in the old days.