Eamonn Coleman
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| Eamonn Coleman | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | |
| Irish Name | Éamonn Ó Colmáin | |
| Place of birth | Ballymaguigan County Londonderry , Northern Ireland |
|
| Occupation | Builder | |
| Club information | ||
| Club | Ballymaguigan | |
| Position | Forward | |
| Club(s)* | ||
| Club | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Ballymaguigan Ballinderry Athlone |
1962-? ?-? ?-? |
? ? ? |
| Club Titles | ||
| Derry Titles | 2 Westmeath SFC 2 |
|
| Ulster Titles | 0/1? | |
| Inter-County | ||
| County | Derry | |
| Position | Forward | |
| Inter-County(ies)** | ||
| County | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Derry | 1970s | ? |
| Senior Inter-County Titles | ||
| Ulster Titles | 1 | |
|
* club appearances and scores |
||
Eamonn Coleman (Irish: Éamonn Ó Colmáin; born 1948 - died June 11, 2007) was an Irish former manager of the Derry senior football team. He was born in Ballymaguigan in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He also managed Armagh, Cavan and Longford and various club sides.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
Eamonn Coleman was first asked into the Ballymaguigan senior side at just 14 years of age in 1962. That year he won the Derry Senior Football Championship, scoring 1-2 in the final replay against Castledawson. He later helped the club to win Derry Junior and Derry Intermediate championships in 1969 and 1971.
Coleman won a second Derry Senior medal with Ballinderry in 1981.
Eamonn Coleman's career with Derry started in with 1965 when he won an All-Ireland Minor medal after defeating Kerry in the final. Three years later in 1968 he won his second Ulster Under-21 Football Championship and went on to win the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship by beating Offaly in the final.
Coleman played senior football for Derry into the mid-1970s and was part of the 1970 Ulster Senior Football Championship winning side. He also won the Dr McKenna Cup on two occasions with Derry; in 1970 and 1971. The same side won the Wembley Tournament in both these years.
Coleman also lined out for Athlone, with whom he won Westmeath Senior Football Championship titles in 1978 and 1981. [1]
[edit] Managerial career
| Club Management | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clubs | Years | ||
| Kildress UU Jordanstown Sigerson Cup team Round Towers Cavan Gaels |
Late 1970s Late 1980s Late 1980s 1990s & Early 2000s |
||
| Achievements | |||
| Club |
|
|
|
| UU Jordanstown Sigerson Cup team Round Towers Cavan Gaels |
- - |
- - |
1? 5 |
| Inter County Management | |||
| County | Years | ||
| Derry Minors Derry U-21s Derry Longford Cavan / Cavan U-21s |
Early 1980s Mid 1980s 1991-1994, 1999-2002 Mid 1990s Mid 2000s |
||
| Achievements | |||
| County |
|
|
|
| Derry Minors Derry U-21s Derry |
- 1 |
1 1 |
- 2 |
Coleman was manager of the Kildress team that won the 1978 Tyrone Intermediate Football Championship.
In 1983 he led Derry to success in the Ulster Minor Football Championship and All-Ireland Minor Football Championship. Four of this team would be in his senior winning panel ten years later. He added a second Ulster Minor Football Championship a year later.
He led Derry U-21s to the 1985 Ulster Under-21 Football Championship.
In the late 1980s Coleman was a key figure in the UUJ Sigerson Cup breakthrough team. Along with Belfast man Charlie Sweeney, "wee Eamonn" steered Jordanstown to inter-varsity wins in 1986 and 1987.[2] The team featured Dermot McNicholl and Enda Gormley, who would both be part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning side.
He then emigrated to England to look for work. He managed the Round Tower's club that won the London Senior Football Championship. In November 1990 Derry were managerless and the Derry County Board rang Coleman and asked him to return home to manage Derry. When he took on the Derry job, the team was languishing in Division 3 of the National Football League. After consecutive promotions, he achieved his first national trophy as Derry senior manager by winning the NFL in 1992.[3] Anthony Tohill scored a late winning goal for Derry in a two point victory over neighbours Tyrone.
The following year Coleman later guided Derry to their biggest ever year. After beating Donegal in the Ulster Senior Football Championship, he led Derry to success in the 1993 All-Ireland Championship, beating Cork in the final 1-14 (17 points) to 2-08 (14 points).[4] Fergal P McCusker who won on the All-Ireland winning Derry side said "The Derry team would not have been brought together without his skills. He stitched a bunch of guys together and we would have went through brick walls. We'd have done anything for him. He was the man that inspired you to go that extra yard".[5]
His son Gary, also featured in the 1993 Derry team and won an All-Star for his performances. Despite his success with Derry in 1993, he was removed as the manager in 1994 after a loss against Down, a game in which was described by many as the greatest match of all time.[6] GAA journalist John Haughey described the Derry Board's decision to sack Coleman as "both disgraceful and shortsighted".[6] many claim if he had been allowed to remain, Derry won have won at least one more All-Ireland in the mid-1990s.[6] He was replaced by Mickey Moran.
Following a brief flirtation with Longford in the mid-1990s, Coleman drifted into club management in County Cavan. He led Cavan club side Gowna to five Cavan Senior Football Championship successes; in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002.[7]
Coleman replaced former Dublin footballer Brian Mullins as Derry manager in late-1998 and steered Derry to another National League title in 2000.[8]
Coleman won Personality of the Year at the 2001 Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards[9], having previously won the award in 1993[10].
Coleman then became manager of Cavan, but was forced to stand down in 2005, after becoming ill.[11] In 2005 he led Cavan Under 21s to the Ulster Under 21 Championship final,[12] but they were defeated by Down.
Despite going through chemotherapy at the time, Coleman came into the Derry dressing room before Derry's opening game of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2006 against All-Ireland champions Tyrone. Joe Brolly said "He delivered a thundering oration and with all the Derry boys, the hairs were standing up on the back of the necks. It was a genuinely motivational speech and to think that just a year on, he's gone. It's very distressing."[13] Derry went on to beat Tyrone comfortably.
[edit] Death
Eamonn Coleman died on June 11, 2007 after a long battle with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, aged 59.
1958 Texaco Footballer of the Year Jim McKeever described Coleman as a "very significant figure in football in Ireland". [14] Monaghan manager Martin McElkennon, who was coach with Coleman with Cavan and in his second term at Derry said "Eamonn Coleman was a one-off. I would have trusted him with my life".[5]
[edit] Memorial match
A memorial match between the 1993 Derry team and a rest of Ireland select has been organised for 7th June 2008 in St. Trea's Ballymaguigan. It is to honour Coleman's memory and raise money for five charities. An post-match dinner will also help raise money with 64 tables of ten, eaching costing £1,000 each.[15]
[edit] References
- ^ Setanta
- ^ BBC
- ^ RTE
- ^ Belfast Telegraph "Former Derry manager Coleman dies after long illness" June 12 2007
- ^ a b "A true Derry legend, Brendan Crossan and Paddy Heaney, The Irish News, June 12 2007, p. 52
- ^ a b c Gaelic Great
- ^ "Playing experience paid off to give Derry GAA its finest hour, Séamus McKinney, The Irish News, June 12 2007, p. 5
- ^ BBC
- ^ Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards - 2001. Retrieved on 2007-09-11.
- ^ Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards - 1993. Retrieved on 2007-09-11.
- ^ Former Derry manager Coleman dies
- ^ Archer, Kenny. "New look Orchard jump into unknown", The Irish News, 205-04-01. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ BBC
- ^ "Derry gaels won't forget genuine article Coleman, Paddy Heaney, The Irish News, June 19 2007, p. 47
- ^ Crowe, Dermot. "Coleman's enduring legacy", Irish Independent, 2008-06-01. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
[edit] External links
- Nicky Brennan Mourns the Death of Coleman
- Former player Brolly pays tribute to Coleman
- Derry GAA Website Tribute
| Preceded by Brian McEniff |
All-Ireland-winning football manager 1993 |
Succeeded by Pete McGrath |
| Preceded by Fr. Seán Hegarty |
Derry Senior Football Manager 1991 - 1994 |
Succeeded by Mickey Moran |
| Preceded by Brian Mullins |
Derry Senior Football Manager 1999-2002 |
Succeeded by Mickey Moran |
|
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