Kevin McCloy
Encyclopedia
Kevin McCloy is an Irish
Gaelic football
er who plays for Derry
, with whom he has won a National League
title. He also won an All Star
for his performances in the 2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
.
McCloy plays his club football for Erin's Own's Lavey
. He is a dual player
in that he also plays hurling
for Lavey, and has in the past also hurled for Derry - winning a Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
medal. He is well known for wearing his candystriped stockings above knee level.
In football he is seen as a tough, old-fashioned full back, who is also very competent with the ball in his hands going forward and a good reader of the game. Although full back is his usual position, he has said he prefers to play at centre half back and has done so on occasion for Derry and Lavey.
McCloy matured late in football terms and he never played at Minor or Under 21 level for Derry. He joined the Senior team during the 2000/2001 National Football League
and made his Championship debut in 2001 against Antrim
.
McCloy missed the 2004 Championship
through injury, but had an exceptional year in 2005
. Despite being nominated for an All Star, he missed out, much to the surprise of many experts and journalists around the country.
McCloy had another impressive season in 2007
. Regular captain Kevin McGuckin
got injured in the latter stages of the National League and McCloy became stand-in captain on the field of play that summer until McGuckin's return. After being knocked out of the Ulster Championship by Monaghan
at the semi-final stage, Derry advanced through the qualifiers with victories over Armagh
, Mayo
and Laois
. Against Mayo McCloy shattered his little finger in three places while getting an accidental kick from Conor Mortimer
. He displaced the bones so bad that they were pushed up beyond his knuckle. He played on and played against Laois two weeks later. Derry were paired with Dublin
in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Nine days before the tie McCloy had an operation on the finger. The surgeon told him not to play contact sport for 10 weeks and if he did he would risk never having the full use of his finger again. He contacted 10 doctors to see if any would administer a painkilling injection, but they all refused. McCloy played the game and despite finishing on the losing side in a tight encounter, McCloy was awarded man of the match
. On 19 October 2007 McCloy was named at full back on the 2007 All Star
team. The award is the fifth All Star from the Lavey club, following in the footsteps of Anthony McGurk
(twice), Johnny McGurk
and Henry Downey
.
McCloy was named new Derry captain for the 2008 season. During the match against Dublin the previous year, he hit Mark Vaughan
with a great shoulder tackle, however the tackle left McCloy with whiplash
, hurting his other shoulder and also giving him groin problems which limited his appearances in the 2008 National League. The start of McCloy's 2008 season was an injury hit one - making just two substitute appearance in the Dr. McKenna Cup. He played seven games in the 2008 National League
, three coming as a substitute. One of these substitute appearances came in the final, where he broke down injured in the warm-up, but came on later in the game. Derry defeated Kerry
in the final. The league success saw Derry become favourites to win the Ulster Championship and one of the top few for the All-Ireland. However, despite a good opening victory against Donegal, Derry exited the Ulster Championship against Fermanagh at the semi-final stage and were defeated by Monaghan
in the first round of the Qualifiers.
team for the 2008 International Rules Series
. He impressed initially and survived the initial cull of players from the squad, but did not make the final 27 man squad for the trip to Australia
, and was instead named as one of six standby players.
with Derry, the county's first Ulster hurling title in 92 years. He left the hurling team when the footballers called him up the next season.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
er who plays for Derry
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
, with whom he has won a National League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
title. He also won an All Star
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
for his performances in the 2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2007
The 2007 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was a Gaelic football competition in Ireland, and was the most significant and prestigious competition in the sport held that year. It began on 13 May 2007, with the final game took place for Sunday, 16 September. Kerry were the...
.
McCloy plays his club football for Erin's Own's Lavey
Lavey GAC
Erins Own GAC Lavey is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the parish of Lavey, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football, Hurling, Camogie and Ladies' Gaelic football....
. He is a dual player
Dual player
Dual player or dual star is a term used in Gaelic games to describe a player who plays both Men's Gaelic football and Hurling or Ladies' Gaelic football and Camogie. The player doesn't necessarily have to play at the same standard in both sports...
in that he also plays hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
for Lavey, and has in the past also hurled for Derry - winning a Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
The Ulster Senior Hurling Championship is the premier intercounty "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Ulster. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months. The Ulster Hurling Final is played in July...
medal. He is well known for wearing his candystriped stockings above knee level.
In football he is seen as a tough, old-fashioned full back, who is also very competent with the ball in his hands going forward and a good reader of the game. Although full back is his usual position, he has said he prefers to play at centre half back and has done so on occasion for Derry and Lavey.
Inter-county
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
and made his Championship debut in 2001 against Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
.
McCloy missed the 2004 Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2004
-Leinster Senior Football Championship:---------------------------------------------Ulster Senior Football Championship:-------------------------------------Connacht Senior Football Championship:----------------...
through injury, but had an exceptional year in 2005
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2005
-Leinster Senior Football Championship:-----------------------------------------Ulster Senior Football Championship:-------------------------------------------------Connacht Senior Football Championship:--------...
. Despite being nominated for an All Star, he missed out, much to the surprise of many experts and journalists around the country.
McCloy had another impressive season in 2007
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2007
The 2007 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was a Gaelic football competition in Ireland, and was the most significant and prestigious competition in the sport held that year. It began on 13 May 2007, with the final game took place for Sunday, 16 September. Kerry were the...
. Regular captain Kevin McGuckin
Kevin McGuckin
Kevin "Slith" McGuckin is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Derry, with whom he has won a National League title. McGuckin was captain of the Derry team for 2007 and is currently the vice-captain. He is regarded as one of the best defenders in Ireland....
got injured in the latter stages of the National League and McCloy became stand-in captain on the field of play that summer until McGuckin's return. After being knocked out of the Ulster Championship by Monaghan
Monaghan GAA
The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the...
at the semi-final stage, Derry advanced through the qualifiers with victories over Armagh
Armagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
, Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
and Laois
Laois GAA
The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...
. Against Mayo McCloy shattered his little finger in three places while getting an accidental kick from Conor Mortimer
Conor Mortimer
Conor Mortimer is an Irish Gaelic football player for Mayo senior football team. He has also appeared for the Connacht provincial team in the Railway Cup and played his club football for Shrule-Glencorrib in Mayo and later with Dublin club Parnells. He has also played college football for DCU and...
. He displaced the bones so bad that they were pushed up beyond his knuckle. He played on and played against Laois two weeks later. Derry were paired with Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Nine days before the tie McCloy had an operation on the finger. The surgeon told him not to play contact sport for 10 weeks and if he did he would risk never having the full use of his finger again. He contacted 10 doctors to see if any would administer a painkilling injection, but they all refused. McCloy played the game and despite finishing on the losing side in a tight encounter, McCloy was awarded man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
. On 19 October 2007 McCloy was named at full back on the 2007 All Star
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
team. The award is the fifth All Star from the Lavey club, following in the footsteps of Anthony McGurk
Anthony McGurk
Anthony 'Tony' McGurk is a two-time All Star winning former Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Derry in the 1970s and 1980s. He won three Ulster Championships with the side...
(twice), Johnny McGurk
Johnny McGurk
John McGurk is an Irish former dual GAA player, who is most notable for being a Gaelic footballer for the Derry senior football team in the 1980s and 1990s. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side and also won two Ulster Championships with the side...
and Henry Downey
Henry Downey
Henry Downey is an Irish former dual GAA player, who is most notable for being a Gaelic footballer for the Derry senior football team in the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, where he usually played in at centre half back. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, where...
.
McCloy was named new Derry captain for the 2008 season. During the match against Dublin the previous year, he hit Mark Vaughan
Mark Vaughan
Mark Vaughan is an Irish Gaelic Footballer from Dublin. Mark plays his club football with Kilmacud Crokes. He made his break into the senior Dublin squad in 2005 making his first senior championship start on June 19 against Wexford. He scored two late frees in the Leinster Quarter-Final against...
with a great shoulder tackle, however the tackle left McCloy with whiplash
Whiplash (medicine)
Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension. The term "whiplash" is a colloquialism...
, hurting his other shoulder and also giving him groin problems which limited his appearances in the 2008 National League. The start of McCloy's 2008 season was an injury hit one - making just two substitute appearance in the Dr. McKenna Cup. He played seven games in the 2008 National League
National Football League (Ireland) 2008
The 2008 National Football League was the Gaelic football league contested by 33 GAA counties' football teams, 32 from Ireland and one from England.-Format:...
, three coming as a substitute. One of these substitute appearances came in the final, where he broke down injured in the warm-up, but came on later in the game. Derry defeated Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
in the final. The league success saw Derry become favourites to win the Ulster Championship and one of the top few for the All-Ireland. However, despite a good opening victory against Donegal, Derry exited the Ulster Championship against Fermanagh at the semi-final stage and were defeated by Monaghan
Monaghan GAA
The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the...
in the first round of the Qualifiers.
International Rules
McCloy was asked to attend trials for the IrelandIreland international rules football team
The Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
team for the 2008 International Rules Series
2008 International Rules Series
The 2008 International Rules series was the 10th annual International Rules Series and the 16th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia....
. He impressed initially and survived the initial cull of players from the squad, but did not make the final 27 man squad for the trip to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and was instead named as one of six standby players.
Hurling career
Inter-county
McCloy's first taste of inter-county action was with the Derry hurling team. McCloy won the 2000 Ulster Senior Hurling ChampionshipUlster Senior Hurling Championship
The Ulster Senior Hurling Championship is the premier intercounty "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Ulster. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months. The Ulster Hurling Final is played in July...
with Derry, the county's first Ulster hurling title in 92 years. He left the hurling team when the footballers called him up the next season.
Inter-county
- National Football LeagueNational Football League (Ireland)The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
:- Winner (1): 2008National Football League (Ireland) 2008The 2008 National Football League was the Gaelic football league contested by 33 GAA counties' football teams, 32 from Ireland and one from England.-Format:...
- Winner (1): 2008
- Ulster Senior Hurling ChampionshipUlster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Ulster Senior Hurling Championship is the premier intercounty "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Ulster. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months. The Ulster Hurling Final is played in July...
:- Winner (1): 2000
- Dr. McKenna Cup:
- Runner up: 2005, 2008, 2011
Club
- Derry Senior Hurling Championship:
- Winner (?): Years?
- Ulster Minor Club Hurling Championship:
- Winner (1): 199x
- Derry Minor Hurling Championship:
- Winner (?): Years?