[4] Regarded as one of the best all-round players in the colony, McKay was a regular Victorian representative in intercolonial matches.

[4] A forward, he was the competition's leading goal-kicker in the 1888 VFA season, credited with either 49 or 50 goals depending on the source.

[6][7] In the 1896 VFA season, he played in the premiership play-off against Collingwood, which is retrospectively treated as Victoria's first grand final (it was the first match explicitly referred to as such).

[11] As South Melbourne failed to make the finals, McKay's season ended in round 14, a one-point win over Fitzroy at Lake Oval on 7 August, which was also his 14th VFL appearance, having not missed a game all year.

[12] His funeral was one of the largest to have been held in the South Melbourne area, attended by representatives from all of the league, VFA and leading junior clubs.