Tony Scullion

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Tony Scullion
Personal information
Sport Football
Irish Name Antóin Ó Scolláin
Place of birth County Londonderry
, Northern Ireland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Nickname(s) Scud
Club information
Club Ballinascreen
Position Full back
Club(s)*
Club Years Apps (scores)
Ballinascreen 1977 -?
Inter-County
County Derry
Position Full back
Inter-County(ies)**
County Years Apps (scores)
Derry 1984-1997
Senior Inter-County Titles
Ulster Titles 2
All-Ireland 1
NFL 3
All Stars 4

* club appearances and scores
correct as of .
**Inter County team apps and scores correct
as of .

Tony Scullion (Irish: Antóin Ó Scolláin; born 6 February 1962) is a former Irish dual player who played Gaelic football and hurling with Derry in the 1980s and 1990s. He is chiefly known as a footballer and was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, also winning Ulster Senior Football Championships in 1987 and 1993. With Derry footballers he usually played in the full-back line and is regarded as one of the best full-backs of his generation[1]. Scullion played club football and hurling with St. Colm's GAC Ballinascreen.

Scullion is among the few players who won four All Stars over the course of their career and was named full back on the Irish News Team of the Decade in 2004[2]. The public voted him onto the All-Time Derry Football Team via an online poll in 2007[3].

Contents

[edit] Personal life

Born in Moneyneena in Ballinascreen, Scullion attended the local St. Eoghan's Primary School, before going to secondary school at St. Colm's, Draperstown. After a further year at Magherafelt Technical College, he went onto to work as a labourer for 13 years[4]. He now works as Football Development Officer for the Ulster Council[5].

[edit] Football career

Scullion was a late developer and never played minor football for Derry. He was asked into the U-21 team in his last year. The side went on to win the U-21 1983 Ulster Championship and went on to be runners up to Mayo in the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship after a replay.

Playing at full-back, Scullion was man of the match in both the 1987 and 1993 Ulster Senior Football Championship finals. Derry defeated Donegal in the 1993 decider in torrential rain at Clones and he is famed for his diving block in the match. Derry went on to win the 1993 All-Ireland Championship after a semi-final victory over Dublin and final defeat of Cork.

With Derry, Scullion also collected three National Football League medals in 1992, 1995 and 1996.

Scullion (like Derry clubmate Anthony Tohill) won four GAA All Stars Awards (a record for an Ulster defender, in 1987, 1992, 1993 and 1995 (despite Derry only playing two games that year).

Along with Armagh's Martin McQuillan, Scullion won an incredible six consecutive Interprovincial Championship/Railway Cup medals with Ulster between 1989 and 1995. Only one other player ever won six Railway Cups in a row - Cork's Christy Ring.[6]

He was runner up on three occasions for Ballinascreen in the Derry Senior Football Championship.

[edit] Hurling career

Scullion was also a keen hurling for both Ballinascreen and Derry. He played in five Derry Senior Hurling Championship finals and was man of the match in the 1989 final, despite never winning a final. He played for the Derry hurling team between 1983 and 1991.

He was part of the Derry side which were runners up to Down in the 1988 All-Ireland B final.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Football

[edit] County

[edit] Club

[edit] Province

  • Railway Cup - Winner (6): 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995

[edit] Individual

  • All Star - Winner (4): 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995
  • All Star - Nominated (runner up): ?
  • Irish News Ulster All Stars Team of the Decade (1995-2004) - Winner
  • Irish News Ulster GAA All-Star - Winner (?): Years?
  • Derry Senior football captain: 1995
  • Captain Derry National League winning side: 1995
  • Captain Ulster Railway Cup winning side: Year?
  • Represented Ireland in two International Rules series: 1987, 1990

[edit] Hurling

[edit] County

  • All-Ireland Senior 'B' Hurling Championship - Runner up: 1988

[edit] Club

Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.

[edit] References

  1. ^ “Derry Pen Pics”, 1994 Ulster Championship Quarter Final Programme, 29th May 1994 
  2. ^ Team of the Decade. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
  3. ^ All-Time Derry Senior Football Team. Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
  4. ^ GAA Hall of Fame - Tony Scullion. Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
  5. ^ Comhairle Uladh CLG - Staff - Tony Scullion. Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
  6. ^ Shannon, Kieran. "Local rivalry that led to greatness", Sunday Tribune, 2008-06-02. Retrieved on 2008-06-02. 

[edit] External links

Gaelic games
Preceded by
Henry Downey		 Derry
senior football captain
1995		 Succeeded by
Henry Downey
v • d • e
Derry Panel: 1993 All-Ireland Final

1 D McCusker | 2 K McKeever | 3 T Scullion | 4 F McCusker | 5 J McGurk | 6 H Downey | 7 G Coleman | 8 A Tohill | 9 B McGilligan | 10 D Heaney | 11 D Barton | 12 D Cassidy | 13 J Brolly | 14 S Downey  | 15 E Gormley |
Subs: D McNicholl for D Cassidy | É Burns for S Downey
Manager:É Coleman 
(Team as of September 1993 versus Cork)
v • d • e
Irish News Ulster All Stars Team of the Decade (1995-2004)
1 M. McVeigh  2 K. McKeever  3 T. Scullion  4 S.M. Lockhart  5 D. Diver  6 K. McGeeney  7 P. McFlynn  8 A. Tohill  9 S. Cavanagh  10 B. Dooher  11 G. Blaney  12 O. McConville  13 M. Linden  14 P. Canavan  15 S. McDonnell