Mark McGowan (Gaelic footballer)

McGowan won five Donegal Senior Football Championships with his club. He came on as a substitute in the 2007 final, and started the 2008 and 2009 finals as his team completed a three-in-a-row sweep.[5][6][7]

He scored the winner in freak circumstances in the 2012 final. With the team level Brendan McDyre of opponents Naomh Conaill attempted to backpass to his goalkeeper Stephen McGrath only for the ball to drift out for a '45'. McGowan stepped up to punish.[8][9] As the game ended he was photographed celebrating—stooped, wild-eyed with open mouth, sweat-soaked, bare thighs tensed, veins throbbing, mud-stained legs apart and clenched fists turned upwards.[10] McGowan was just as influential in the next game, the Ulster quarter-final, and opponents Crossmaglen Rangers struggled to deal with him as he swept away all before him at Armagh's Athletic Grounds.[11]

McGowan won a Buncrana Cup with the U-16 Donegal football team.[2]

McGowan played in the final as Donegal won their first Ulster minor title in 10 years at Croke Park in 2006.[12] He was part of Donegal's under-21 campaign in 2009.[13] He has also lined out for UCD's team.[14] McGowan was drafted into the Donegal senior squad for the first time in 2008.[15][16] He played in a Senior Championship game against Roscommon that summer.[1]

McGowan declined to join up with Donegal in 2011 due to prior commitments in the United States. Jim McGuinness said, "We would have liked to have Mark McGowan, too, but unfortunately he had already commitments in the States."[17]

However, McGuinness called McGowan back into the Donegal squad for 2013.[1][18] He then sent him away again.[19]

In January 2014, it all became clear. On the third day of that month it was reported that McGowan had been forced to retire from the game at the age of 25. He did so on medical advice he had received since having hip surgery in Santry in February 2012.[3]