Whitefish Bay Native Retires from "Footy" Career

After a short career playing Australian Rules Football, Whitefish Bay's own Shae McNamara plans to retire from the sport and write a book about his experiences.

McNamara, a McDonald’s All-American nominee during his time at Marquette High School, earned a scholarship to play basketball at Division I Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. After college, he played basketball in Germany with TSV Dachau Spurs.

After discovering the unique sport of Australian Rules Football – or "footy" as it is called – McNamara made this YouTube video to promote his athletic skills to recruiters. He was recruited by the Collingwood Magpies, where he was a rookie for three years before being delisted in late August, according to Football Nation.com.

When he was not drafted to play another season of footy, McNamara was then signed to play basketball in Australia for the Sandringham Sabres. But after a few months of pre-season training, he was cut in early March. 

With the news of being delisted, McNamara, now 27, told Football Nation he is going to "hang it all up." He is now focusing on writing a tell-all book about his time in Collingwood, as well as finishing a life-coaching course and doing motivational speaking.

“I’m taking it as a sign to focus on my next career,” he told Football Nation. “Getting cut two weeks before the season started didn’t leave me with much opportunity or hope. So I’ve decided to cut my losses and retire.”

For more information on McNamara, see this 2011 Patch article about McNamara's first year with the Collingwood Magpies.