title: Colin Niven
text: # Colin Niven
  
  Colin Niven (6 September 1903 – 1 December 1968) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
  
  ## Family
  
  The son of Colin Niven (1870-1938), and Ida Bell Niven (1875-1947), née Lewis, Colin Leslie Niven was born at Bealiba, Victoria on 6 September 1903.
  
  His cousin once removed, Gordon Jones, also played for Melbourne.
  
  He married Ada Dorothy Smith in 1934.
  
  ## Footballer
  
  Niven, a follower, played in the Ballarat Football League prior to joining Fitzroy. He captain-coached Fitzroy in 1930 and 1931 before crossing to Melbourne, which he captained in 1934 and 1935. His brother Ray, who played beside Colin in 1931, later reunited with him at Melbourne where they again appeared together in the same side.
  
  After six months out of the game, Niven was appointed playing coach of Donald in 1936 and he led the team to premierships in 1936, 1937 and 1939 before retiring as a player.
  
  ## Military service
  
  Niven later served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II.
  
  ## Death
  
  He died at Cowes, Victoria on 1 December 1968.
  
  ## Footnotes
  
  * ↑ "Colin Niven - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  * ↑ Deaths: Niven, The Argus, (Friday, 1 July 1938), p.12.
  * ↑ Bealiba, The Age, (Tuesday, 5 July, 1938), p.12.
  * ↑ Marriage: Niven—Lewis, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 18 December 1897), p.18.
  * ↑ Deaths: Niven, The Argus, (Thursday, 6 February 1947), p.2.
  * ↑ "Played Senior Football For 23 Years". Weekly Times. No. 3674. Victoria, Australia. 18 November 1939. p. 56.
  * ↑ "World War II Roll: Colin Niven". Department of Veterans Affairs.
  * ↑ Deaths: Niven, The Age, (Monday, 2 December 1968), p.18.
  