Denis Lanigan was an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

er who played with Collingwood

Collingwood Football Club

The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

, Melbourne

Melbourne Football Club

The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

 and Carlton

Carlton Football Club

The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

 in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL). His name is also given as Dan Lanigan in some sources.

Lanigan holds a place in VFL/AFL history as the first player to compete for three clubs. His 11 appearances for Collingwood included two semi finals. He then crossed to Melbourne and played in 16 of a possible 17 games for them in the 1898 VFL season

1898 VFL season

Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1898.-Premiership season:In 1898, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 20 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves" .Each team played each other twice in...

. A year later he was at another club, Carlton, with whom he made 14 appearances.