Jody Gormley: Ex-Tyrone midfield dies three months after cancer diagnosis
Gormley helped Tyrone reach the 1995 All-Ireland final, where he was the Red Hands’ only scorer, alongside Peter Canavan, as the Red Hands were controversially eliminated by Dublin by a point.
Earlier that summer he had struck the winner against Tyrone in the Clones’ clash with Derry in a tight Ulster semi-final, despite being beaten by Seamus McCarron and Pascal Ka After Navan received a red card, only 13 players participated in the entire second half, but the Red Hands still won.
A year later, Gormley helped Tyrone, co-managed by Art McCrory and Eugene McKenna, win a second consecutive Ulster Football Championship.
As well as his club, Gormley’s talents were honed through his time at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, where he achieved success on the football field and formed friendships that he sustained throughout his life .
In the late 1990s, Trillick moved to England for work reasons. He played for the London Gaelic Football Team for a period of time. When his time at Belfast club Breda ended, the sensible Gormley transferred to England. Team is no surprise. Coaching and management.
After a spell in Down senior boss Paddy O’Rourke’s backroom team, Gormley was appointed Antrim manager in 2007 and went on to manage a number of clubs , including later his hometown of Trillick.
The teacher also guided Abbey CBS Newry to their only All-Ireland Senior College Hogan Cup title in 2006 and continued to work at the school until he was diagnosed with cancer.
Gormley suffered the stroke while training in the gym with son James while on holiday in Florida in July and was informed of the diagnosis two months later after a series of tests.
The former Tyrone player is married to Deirdre and is the father of daughters Aine and Niamh.
