‘OFFALY WERE LUCKY TO HAVE EUGENE’
THE Offaly flag flew at half-mast at the Faithful Fields Centre of Excellence yesterday to mark the sudden passing of Eugene McGee. A Longford native, McGee will always be remembered as the mastermind behind the county’s 1982 AllIreland football success, thwarting Kerry’s five-in-a-row bid in a game immortalised by Séamus Darby’s winning goal.
Richie Connor, the 1982 captain, led the rich tributes to McGee, saying ‘we were lucky to have him’.
Offaly footballer Roy Malone summed up the lasting impact he made on a generation of players. ‘His success with the Offaly team in the ’80s inspired me and generations of future Offaly footballers to play the game we love.’
Speaking to RTÉ, goal hero Darby said: ‘He was a great motivator and tactician. He left no stone unturned with his own team and he left very few stones unturned with the opposition because he could read them like a book and he was a great advantage to us going out on the field.’
An innovator and independent thinker, McGee was a highly regarded journalist and commentator, with GAA president John Horan paying tribute to his multifaceted career. ‘A straight-talking man of great integrity, Eugene was a hugely respected journalist and author and his passion for the game always shone through. The GAA benefited greatly from this passion through his work on the field, and also through his commitment off it where Eugene was instrumental in helping to aid the evolvement of Gaelic football.’
McGee was the former Chairman of a Football Review Committee which oversaw the introduction of the black card to Gaelic football and a series of rules to tackle cynical play.
‘A man of huge talent,’ commented Tomás Ó Sé. ‘He has a place in Kerry hearts for ever. In a good way! Beannacht Dé ar a anam uasal.’