Brian McKechnie
He is one of the rare few to represent New Zealand at the highest level in both rugby union and cricket.
Born 1953 (age 73)·New Zealand rugby player and cricketer·Birthday: November 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brian McKechnie occupies a unique niche in New Zealand sports history as a genuine 'double All Black.' The Southland native first made his mark as a robust first-five-eighth and fullback, earning rugby caps against the British & Irish Lions in 1977 and on the tour of the UK in 1978. Almost in parallel, his skills as a right-arm medium-pace bowler and lower-order batsman saw him selected for the New Zealand cricket team. His cricket career, though brief, included a notable and controversial final Test match against England in 1978, where he was the batsman at the crease during the 'underarm bowling incident.' McKechnie’s dual-sport achievement speaks to an era of greater amateurism and remarkable all-round athletic talent, making him a lasting figure of versatile sporting prowess.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brian was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Brian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Represented New Zealand in Test rugby, playing against the British & Irish Lions in 1977.
- Played three Test matches and eight One Day Internationals for the New Zealand cricket team.
- Was the batsman facing during the infamous 'underarm bowling' incident in an ODI against Australia in 1981.
Did You Know?
He was a skilled goal-kicker in rugby; in his first-class debut for Southland, he scored all 24 of his team's points.
After retiring as a player, he served as the CEO of the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association.
His brother, Duncan McKechnie, also played first-class cricket for Otago.
“I just wanted to play the game in front of me, whether it was rugby or cricket.”
