John "Kruger" Fagan is a former Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 football player who played as a forward.

He joined Shamrock Rovers F.C.

Shamrock Rovers F.C.

Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...

 in 1922 and won the title in the club's first season in the League of Ireland. He rejoined the Hoops in the 1924/25 season and together with Bob Fullam

Bob Fullam

Bob Fullam was an Irish footballer and one of the best-known players in the League of Ireland in the 1920s . A versatile attacking player, he was skilful but also had a tough-man image....

, John Joe Flood

John Joe Flood

John Joe Flood, also referred to as Jonjo Flood or John Flood, was an Irish footballer who played as a forward for Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers, Leeds United and Crystal Palace. As an international, he also played for the Irish Free State....

 and Billy Farrell formed a part of a legendary forward-line known as the Four F's. During the 1924-25 season they helped Rovers win a League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 / League of Ireland Shield

League of Ireland Shield

The League of Ireland Shield is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972...

 / FAI Cup

FAI Cup

The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...

 treble. They won the FAI Cup after beating Shelbourne

Shelbourne F.C.

Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....

 2-1 at Dalymount Park

Dalymount Park

Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...

 before an attendance of 25,000.

Rovers went through that 1924/25 season undefeated and thus became the first side in the brief history of the League to win the title twice. They proved they were the best side on the island when they beat Glentoran 2-0 in Belfast for the unofficial title of 'Champions of All Ireland' in May 1925 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1925/0511/Pg011.html#Ar01129:1CECBE20BCD0250C6228FC771E6C62241C771CFC82205C941BECCA1F7CDD.

On March 13, 1926 Fagan was one of five Rovers players in the first ever League of Ireland XI

League of Ireland XI

The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938....

 to play an Irish League XI

Irish League XI

The Irish League representative team was the representative side of the Irish Football League, the national league for football in Northern Ireland and, prior to that, Ireland.-Irish League representative match results:...

 at Dalymount Park

Dalymount Park

Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...

. The League of Ireland won 3-1.

On St Patrick's Day he scored in the FAI Cup

FAI Cup

The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...

 final defeat to Fordsons F.C.

Fordsons F.C.

Fordsons Football Club is a former Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1924 and 1930. The club was originally the factory team of the Ford Motor Company, a major employer in the city at that time and was named after the Fordson tractor, resulting in the...

.

Four days later he won his only cap for the Irish Free State against Italy

Italy national football team

The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 in Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

.

He won five League of Ireland XI

League of Ireland XI

The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938....

 caps while at Glenmalure Park

Glenmalure Park

Glenmalure Park, often simply known as "Milltown", was a football stadium on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland. Located in the suburb of Milltown, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developers by the club's directors...

 between 1924 and 1927 and scored a total of 31 League goals at Milltown.

He suffered a serious illness during the summer of 1929 and departed the club. However he recovered enough to play in the Leinster Senior League. His son Paddy Fagan

Paddy Fagan

Fionan "Paddy" Fagan was an Irish footballer who played as a winger.The son of Irish international and Shamrock Rovers outside-left John Fagan, Fionan Fagan started his career with Shamrock Rovers schoolboys and then Transport F.C., before signing for English Second Division club Hull City after...

 played for his country in the 1950s and 1960s.

Honours

Shamrock Rovers

• League of Ireland
  League of Ireland
  The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
  
  : 3
  • 1922–23, 1924–25, 1926–27
• FAI Cup
  FAI Cup
  The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
  
  : 1
  • 1925
• League of Ireland Shield
  League of Ireland Shield
  The League of Ireland Shield is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972...
  
  : 2
  • 1924–25, 1926–27
• Leinster Senior Cup
  Leinster Senior Cup (football)
  The Leinster Senior Cup is an association football cup competition organised by the Leinster Football Association. It contested by the top League of Ireland sides based in the province in Leinster along with four Leinster Senior League sides and the two Leinster Junior Cup finalists. The Cup was...
  
  : 2
  • 1923, 1927

Sources

• The Hoops by Paul Doolan and Robert Goggins (ISBN 0-7171-2121-6)