Donald Dinnie (10 July 1837 – 2 April 1916) was a Scottish strongman, born at Balnacraig, Birse, near Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. Sometimes regarded as "The Nineteenth Century's greatest athlete", Dinnie's athletic career spanned over 50 years, and over 11,000 successful competitions.
Early life
The son of stonemason Robert Dinnie, born on 10 July 1837, he was one of eight sons, and had two sisters. Also known for being a poet, author and historian, Robert and his wife were married in 1836.
Dinnie won his first sporting event, at the age of 16, in the nearby village of Kincardine O'Neil. He defeated the local wrestling strongman David Forbes, and took first place, winning £1 prize money.
Sporting career
Dinnie became an all-round athlete, growing and building his skills over a 21-year reign as Scottish champion (1856–1876). He excelled in sprint, hurdles, long and high jump, pole vault, putting the stone, hammer throw, tossing the caber and wrestling. The BBC website says "Comparing his best performances long before the Athens Olympics of 1896 leads one to imagine him capable of winning seven gold, a silver, and a bronze medal". However, by 1896, Dinnie was approaching the twilight of his sporting career.
Dinnie was a 19th-century superstar, with widespread fame, success, and riches. Dinnie held the title "World Champion Wrestler", and was regarded as the "greatest athlete in the world", and "The Strong Man of the Age". He was so well known that "heavy artillery shells in the First World War were nicknamed 'Donald Dinnies'." His documented achievements worldwide consist of "2,000 hammer throwing contests, over 2,000 wrestling matches, 200 weightlifting contests, and about 500 running and hurdle events. He also made a good living at all this, earning at least £25,000 in his career, a sum that would be worth about US $2.5 million today. And to this day his image continues to endorse commercial products in Scotland."
Touring
As Scotland's greatest athlete, Dinnie competed in sixteen Highland Games seasons in his native land. He first toured the United States' Caledonian Circuit in 1870. In that year he earned a fortune. Dinnie, then thirty-three, was titled "The Nineteenth Century's Greatest Athlete". However, others despised and criticised Dinnie for his incredible strength. He continued to tour, and in his 60th year he was in New Zealand and Australia as a successful professional athlete.
His North American tour included Milwaukee, Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, Kingstown, Philadelphia, Detroit Caledonian Club annual games, and Brooklyn Caledonian Club.
His Antipodean tours included Goulburn (January 1890), Melbourne (March 1884), Goulburn (September 1884), Sydney (October 1884), Toowoomba (November 1884), Warwick (December 1884), Cooma (April 1885), New Zealand (June 1896), and Sydney (March 1898).
He also participated in the Cape Town, South Africa, Caledonian sports day on 30 May 1898.
During the 1880s and 1890s he competed in mixed style wrestling challenge matches for money and for titles in Australian and New Zealand. These were in various styles including Cornish wrestling and Greco-Roman.
Later years
Donald continued to be involved in theatres and at Highland Games as a judge, or in veteran events, until 1912. In 1903 Robert Barr invited him to endorse his soft drink Iron Brew, using Donald's image on the label with Donald proclaiming "I can recommend BARR's IRN BRU to all who wish to aspire to athletic fame, signed Donald Dinnie, All-round Champion Athlete of the World." Later in Donald's life he struggled financially, and in his 70s was still performing as a strongman in London. His act was to support a platform made from a large table while two Highlanders danced a "fling" on it. Eventually London authorities terminated his performing licence because of his advanced age. To help with his situation, a benefit concert was organised which provided Dinnie with a small annuity.
It was said he had appeared before every monarch in Europe, and was a favourite with Queen Victoria.
Whilst mentioned in newspapers, Scottish-Australian wrestler and strongman George Dinnie (1875–1939) was not the known son or relative of Donald.
Achievements
Some of his records were given as:
running high leap – 5'11
running long leap – 20'11
high jump –
long jump –
hop, step and jump – . run – 10 2/5 sec hammer throw, fair stand – (1871) put the stone – (1868) throw weight by the ring, fair stand – (1868) throw weight by the ring, fair stand – (1868).
Later life
Dinnie later got married. Their family included a son, Edwin.