High-flying marks were bread and butter for Nicky Winmar.

Hanger after hanger decorated the superstar’s 251-game career, with his incredible leaps and gravity-defying air-time earning pure reverence from the St Kilda faithful.

While his marking prowess will forever be remembered, the frequency of his speccies meant many stunners fell by the wayside, forming part of the Pingelly man’s highlights reel rather than being acknowledged as isolated moments of greatness.

But it was on this day in 1992 when one stunning grab was immortalised, as Winmar pulled in the Mark of the Year over Essendon’s Todd Ridley at the MCG.

It was early in the third quarter, and the Bombers held sway over the Saints by 34 points.

The margin threatened to blow out further, as a precise pass through the centre from Derek Kickett opened St Kilda right up, with Kieran Sporn finding himself on the end.

Wheeling around and spotting Ridley inside 50m, the young Bomber unloaded from inside the centre square in the hopes of setting up another goal for the rampant Dons.

Perched underneath the ball, Ridley barely had time to lift his hands above his head before Winmar suddenly tore in from the side.

The soaring Saint snatched the footy overhead before tucking it under his arm and plummeting back to earth – somehow holding onto the ball despite the hard landing.

The tremendous leap came as a complete surprise to the 42,000-strong crowd at the MCG, but the fact Winmar was down in defence to take it was just as staggering.

The incredible moment was cemented into VFL/AFL history as it edged out contenders from Tony Lockett, Wayne Weidemann, Darren Jarman and Darren Wheildon for Mark of the Year.

To this day, Nicky Winmar remains St Kilda’s only Mark of the Year winner.

Winmar ended up winning a Mitsubishi Magna for his breathtaking mark, and despite trading it in for an HSV, recently told The Front Bar it shouldn’t have been the only prize coming his way.

“I won a car, but I should have had a caryard by the time I finished!”

Winmar’s greatest legacy on the game will undoubtedly be his stand against racial vilification in 1993, with his iconic action immortalised in Australian sporting history.

And while he'll forever be remembered for that pivotal moment at Vic Park, his stunning grab one year earlier holds a special place in St Kilda folklore.