Donald Dinnie
(1837-1916)
Athletics
Inducted in 2002
Dinnie was one of the first sporting superstars of modern times. As a professional sportsman, he won over ten thousand contests including wrestling, hammer-throwing, putting the stone, caber-tossing, weight-throwing, running, hurdles races and jumping. Dinnie's fame was widespread. He was the model for the athletic figure that advertised the popular soft drink,'Irn Bru', and during the First World War (1914 - 1918), heavy artillery shells were nicknamed 'Donald Dinnies'.
- Dinnie dominated the Highland Games from 1856 to 1876
- He could lift a seventeen stone man above his head
- He carried two boulders across the width of the bridge at Potarch, no-one has been strong enough to carry them back
Image from Gordon Dinnie