Tadhgo Crowley
| Personal information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Tadhg Ó Cruadhlaoich | |||||
| Sport | Gaelic football | |||||
| Position | Centre-back | |||||
| Born |
24 April 1921 Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland | |||||
| Died |
4 December 1963 (aged 42) Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland | |||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||
| Nickname | Tadhgo | |||||
| Occupation | Van driver | |||||
| Club(s) | ||||||
| Years | Club | |||||
1939–1957 |
Cork titles | 7 | ||||
| Inter-county(ies) | ||||||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | ||||
1943–1949 | Cork | 15 (0–03) | ||||
| Inter-county titles | ||||||
| Munster titles | 3 | |||||
| All-Irelands | 1 | |||||
| NFL | 0 | |||||
Timothy J. Crowley (24 April 1921 – 3 December 1963), also known as Tadhgo Crowley, was an Irish
Crowley is widely considered one of the best players of his generation, and among the greatest of all time, as well as being regarded by many in the sport as Cork's greatest ever centre-back.[1] A Cork Examiner obituary stated that his "high fetching, fearlessness, long kicking and clever anticipation put him in a class apart." Crowley is the youngest of Cork's seven All-Ireland-winning captains and was the first of those to accept the Sam Maguire Cup. He was posthumously named in the centre-back position on the Cork Team of the Century in 1984 and the Cork Team of the Millennium in 2000.
Playing career
Clonakilty
Crowley joined the
Crowley had just turned 21-years-old when he was appointed club captain and it was in that role that he guided Clonakilty to the 1942 county final against arch rivals of the time Fermoy. The 1-08 to 1-05 victory gave him a second county championship medal. It was the first of three successive defeats of Fermoy in finals, with Crowley acting as captain on each occasion.[3]
Crowley handed the team captaincy to
After appearing in six successive county finals, Clonakilty's form took a dip and it was the 1952 decider when they next appeared. The 31-year-old Crowley was now regarded as a veteran of the team and had been switched from centre-back to the full-back line, however, he claimed a seventh championship medal after the 1-04 to 0-04 win over reigning champions Collins. This was his last big occasion with Clonakilty. After missing the 1954 county final defeat by St. Nicholas', Crowley retired from club football after Clonakilty's exit from the 1957 championship.
Cork
Crowley first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor hurling team during the 1939 Munster Minor Championship.[4] After scoring two goals on his debut in the semi-final win over Limerick, he was switched to midfield for the 8-03 to 0-2 win over Clare in the final. Crowley retained the midfield berth for the rest of the championship and claimed an All-Ireland medal as partner to Éamonn Young in the 5-02 to 2-02 defeat of Kilkenny in the final.[5]
Success with
After being dropped from the team the following year, Crowley earned a recall in 1945 while once again taking over the captaincy.
Cork surrendered their All-Ireland title at the first hurdle with a defeat by Kerry in the 1946 Munster Championship, before losing back-to-back provincial finals to the same opposition over the following two years. Crowley was switched to the left corner-back position for the 1949 Munster Championship and claimed a third winners' medal after a 3-06 to 0-07 win over Clare in the final. The subsequent All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Cavan was Crowley's last championship game for Cork.
Munster
Crowley's performances for Cork in 1943 earned a call-up to the
Personal life
Crowley was born in Clonakilty, West Cork, the youngest of eight children born to John and Julia Crowley (née Twohig). After his education he worked as a van driver. Crowley married Sheila Crowley and they had two sons.
Crowley died at his home in Clonakilty on 3 December 1963, after suffering a stroke while attending the weekly meeting of the Clonakilty Coursing Club. At just 42-years-old he was the third member of the 1945 All-Ireland-winning team to die.
Honours
- Clonakilty
- Cork
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: 1945 (c)
- Munster Senior Football Championship: 1943 (c), 1945 (c), 1949
- All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship: 1939
- Munster Minor Hurling Championship: 1939
- Munster
- Railway Cup: 1946 (c), 1948
References
- ^ Houlihan, Con (11 December 2005). "His name shines in the galaxy of centre-backs". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Moran, Seán (3 May 1997). "The heart of Cork football still beats". Irish Times. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "It's the end of an era for Clonakilty GAA". The Southern Star. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Hurling – Clonakilty G.A.A. History". Clonakilty GAA website. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Fahey, Denis (2 September 2014). "Thunder, lightning, hurling, war and an Emergency". Irish Times. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Rare Rebel ref ready for big day". Irish Independent. 22 September 2001. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Clon connections to Cork success in 1945". West Cork People. September 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "A football life less ordinary". The Anglo-Celt. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ Keys, Colm (31 July 2013). "Bailieborough and the Cavan goalkeeping connection". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Railway Cup football". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 3 April 2021.