John Horgan (hurler)

For other people named John Horgan, see John Horgan (disambiguation).

John Horgan
Personal information
Irish name Seán Ó hOrgáin
Sport Hurling
Position Left corner-back
Born (1950-05-25)25 May 1950
Barrack Street, Cork, Ireland
Died 10 June 2016(2016-06-10) (aged 66)
Rochestown, Cork, Ireland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Nickname Blondie, Hoggie
Occupation Driving instructor
Club(s)
Years Club
1966-1968
1968-1981
 Passage West
Blackrock
Club titles
Cork titles 5
Munster titles 5
All-Ireland Titles 3
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
1969–1981
 Cork 26 (0–16)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 6
All-Irelands 4
NHL 4
All Stars 3
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John Horgan (25 May 1950 – 10 June 2016) was an Irish hurler whose league and championship career with the Cork senior team spanned twelve years from 1969 to 1981.[1][2] He is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game and as one of the most iconic Cork players of all time.[3]

Born near Barrack Street on the south side of Cork city, Horgan was introduced to hurling by his father, a county junior championship medal winner with Blackrock. He developed his skills at Sullivan's Quay CBS while simultaneously coming to prominence at underage levels with the Passage club, before transferring to Blackrock in 1968. Horgan went on to enjoy a hugely success career over the course of the next decade, becoming the only player to captain a team to three All-Ireland victories. He also won five Munster medals and five county senior championship medals.

Horgan made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he was picked on the Cork minor panel. From three successive All-Ireland final appearances he won one All-Ireland medal in 1967. He subsequently progressed onto the Cork under-21 team, winning back-to-back All-Ireland medals in 1970 and 1971. Horgan made his senior debut for Cork in the Grounds Tournament in 1969, before later becoming a regular on the team during the 1969-70 league. Over the course of the next decade his blonde hair and his long, sweeping clearances from corner-back, made Horgan a cult hero in Cork. He won his first All-Ireland medal in 1970 before winning three championships in-a-row from 1976 to 1978. Horgan also won six Munster medals and four National Hurling League medals. As captain of the team in two separate championship campaigns, he also collected three All-Star awards between 1974 and 1978, while he was named Hurler of the Year in 1978. Horgan played his last game for Cork in June 1981.

Between 1971 and 1980, Horgan lined out for Munster in six inter-provincial championship campaigns. He won two Railway Cup medals in 1976 and 1978.

In retirement from playing Horgan became involved in team management and coaching. After coaching the Blackrock senior team during their unsuccessful 1982 championship campaign, he took a complete break from hurling for over a decade. Horgan returned as coach of the Douglas and Castleyons senior teams, guiding the latter to their first championship semi-final appearance in 2001.

Horgan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most popular club and county hurlers of his era. In retirement from playing he has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including at left corner-back on the Club Hurling Silver Jubilee Team in 1996 and the Supreme All-Stars team in 2001.[4][5] Horgan was also chosen as one of the 125 greatest hurlers of all time in a 2009 poll.[6]

After battling illness for several years, Horgan died on 10 June 2016.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] His death was the first from Cork's 1976-1978 All-Ireland-winning three-in-a-row team.

  1. ^ "John Horgan". Passage West GAA website. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  2. ^ Doody, Derry J. F. "John Horgan". Vintage Gaels website. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  3. ^ Roche, Barry (14 June 2016). "John Horgan one of greatest hurlers of all time, funeral told". Irish Times. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  4. ^ Breheny, Martin (28 November 2001). "Residents of Quality Street form another galaxy". Irish Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  5. ^ Breheny, Martin (1 December 2001). "Supreme team gets plaudits". Irish Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  6. ^ Breheny, Martin & Keyes, Colm (4 November 2009). "The 125 greatest stars of the GAA: 76–100". Irish Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Roche, Barry (12 June 2016). "Tributes paid to former Cork hurler John Horgan". Irish Times. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  8. ^ Horgan, John (13 June 2016). "John Horgan was a legend on the field and a true gentleman off it". Evening Echo. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  9. ^ O'Sullivan, Jim (11 June 2016). "John 'Blondie' Horgan takes his final bow". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  10. ^ Moynihan, Michael (1 July 2016). "OBITUARY: John Horgan, Cork hurling captain, Blackrock club legend". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Tributes pour in after Cork All-Ireland winner John Horgan passes away". The 42. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Cork legend John Horgan passes away". RTÉ Sport. 12 June 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  13. ^ "'Hoggy. Legend. R.I.P'". Hogan Stand. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.