Denis Coughlan
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Denis Coughlan (born 1945) is an Irish sportsperson prominent as a player of Gaelic Games at the inter county level from the 1960s until the 1980s, later becoming involved in team management. He was a successful dual player who won All-Ireland medals in hurling and football with Cork in the 1970s.
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[edit] Early life
Denis Coughlan (pronounced Cawlan) was born in Cork in 1945. Born and raised in Blackpool, an area of Cork city that had a strong association with Gaelic Athletic Association, he showed great skill at both hurling and football from an early age. These skills were further developed when he joined the Glen Rovers GAA club where he played hurling, and the St. Nicholas' club where he played football. In the mid 1960s Coughlan was soon noted by the Cork inter-county selectors in both codes and his inter-county career began in earnest.
[edit] Football career
In 1964 Coughlan won an All-Ireland junior football title before quickly making it onto the senior team where he had much success. In 1967 Coughlan was captain of the Cork senior team and won his first Munster Football Championship medal with Cork. His side narrowly lost out on a first All-Ireland medal when his side were defeated by Meath. In 1971 he claimed his second Munster football medal when he came on as a substitute in the final. 1973 proved to be a special year for Coughlan. He won his third provincial football medal before going on to play against Galway and win his very first All-Ireland Football medal. In 1974 he was captain again and won a fourth Munster football medal, however, Cork were defeated by Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final. While Coughlan remained a key member of the inter-county football team for another number of years he would never win another Munster or All-Ireland football medal. Coughlan also played on four Munster Railway Cup football teams, ending up on the winning side on just one occasion. In retirement Coughlan served as manager of the Cork team in the 1980s before Billy Morgan took over.
[edit] Hurling career
Coughlan was just as adept at hurling as he was at football. In 1966 he won his first All-Ireland medal when he played at left wing-forward on the Cork under-21 side. He soon made it onto the senior side, winning his first Munster Hurling Championship in 1969, before narrowly missing out on a first All-Ireland medal. Coughlan gave up inter-county hurling at the start of the 1970s to concentrate on football. However, he did win an All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship with Glen Rovers in 1972.
He returned to hurling in 1976, winning his second Munster medal and later claiming his first All-Ireland Hurling medal. He finished off the year by winning his very first All-Star Award as well as winning a second All-Ireland club title with "the Glen.". In 1977 Coughlan repeated these feats, winning his third Munster hurling medal and his second All-Ireland hurling medal. He also won a second consecutive All-Star at midfield as well as being named Texaco Hurler of the Year. In 1978 Coughlan won a fourth Munster medal, his third in-a-row, and was back in Croke Park aiming for a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. Coughlan played well at midfield and Cork were successful that day in defeating Kilkenny. Coughlan claimed a third All-Star award in-a-row as well.
In 1979 Coughlan won his fifth Munster hurling medal and it looked likely that Cork could make it four All-Ireland titles in-a-row. Unfortunately Coughlan's side were defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. During the 1970s Coughlan played on four Munster Railway Cup teams winning one medal. In 1980 Coughlan won his only National Hurling League medal and retired shortly after from inter-county hurling.
| Preceded by Tony Doran (Wexford) |
Texaco Hurler of the Year 1977 |
Succeeded by John Horgan (Cork) |
[edit] Honours
| Competition | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| HURLING HONOURS | ||
| All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships | 3 | 1976, 1977, 1978 |
| Munster Senior Hurling Championships | 5 | 1969, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 |
| National Hurling Leagues | 1 | 1980 |
| All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championships (Glen Rovers) |
2 | 1972, 1976 |
| All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championships | 1 | 1966 |
| Railway Cups | 1 | 1978 |
| Hurling All-Star Awards | 3 | 1976, 1977, 1978 |
| Texaco Hurler of the Year | 1 | 1977 |
| FOOTBALL HONOURS | ||
| All-Ireland Senior Football Championships | 1 | 1973 |
| Munster Senior Football Championships | 4 | 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| Railway Cups | 1 | 1972 |
[edit] Teams
| Cork - All-Ireland Football Champions 1973 (4th title) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
1 B. Morgan (Capt.) | 2 F. Cogan | 3 H. Kelleher | 4 B. Murphy | 5 K.J. O'Sullivan | 6 J. Coleman | 7 C. Hartnett | 8 D. Long | 9 D. Coughlan | 10 N. Kirby | 11 D. Barron | 12 D. McCarthy | 13 J. Barry-Murphy | 14 R. Cummins | 15 J. Barrett | Manager: D. O'Donovan |
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| Cork - All-Ireland Hurling Champions 1976 (22nd title) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
1 M. Coleman | 2 B. Murphy | 3 P. McDonnell | 4 M. O'Doherty | 5 P. Barry | 6 J. Crowley | 7 D. Coughlan | 8 G. McCarthy | 9 P. Moylan | 10 M. Malone | 11 B. Cummins | 12 J. Barry-Murphy | 13 C. McCarthy | 14 R. Cummins (Capt.) | 15 S. O'Leary | Subs: J. Horgan | E. O'Donoghue | Manager: B. Troy |
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| Cork - All-Ireland Hurling Champions 1977 (23rd title) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
1 M. Coleman | 2 B. Murphy | 3 M. O'Doherty (Capt.) | 4 J. Horgan | 5 D. McCurtain | 6 J. Crowley | 7 D. Coughlan | 8 T. Cashman | 9 T. Crowley | 10 M. Malone | 11 G. McCarthy | 12 J. Barry-Murphy | 13 C. McCarthy | 14 R. Cummins | 15 S. O'Leary | Subs: P. Moylan | T. Murphy | Manager: B. Troy |
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| Cork - All-Ireland Hurling Champions 1978 (24th title) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
1 M. Coleman | 2 B. Murphy | 3 M. O'Doherty | 4 J. Horgan | 5 D. McCurtain | 6 J. Crowley | 7 D. Coughlan | 8 T. Cashman | 9 P. Moylan | 10 J. Barry-Murphy | 11 G. McCarthy | 12 T. Crowley | 13 C. McCarthy (Capt.) | 14 R. Cummins | 15 S. O'Leary | Subs: J. Allen | E. O'Donoghue | Manager: B. Troy |
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All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship - Silver Jubilee Team (1971-1996) | |
|---|---|---|
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1 Niall Patterson | 2 Tony Maher | 3 Conor Hayes | 4 John Horgan | 5 Joe Hennessy | 6 Frank Cummins | 7 Denis Coughlan | 8 Gerald McCarthy | 9 Joe Cooney | 10 Francis Loughnane | 11 Ray Cummins | 12 Ger Fennelly | 13 Charlie McCarthy | 14 Tony Doran | 15 Liam Fennelly | |
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