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Tony "The Tiger" Scullion (born 6 February 1962) is a former dual player of Gaelic games who played Gaelic football and hurling with Derry in the 1980s and 1990s. He is chiefly known as a footballer and was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, also winning Ulster Senior Football Championships in 1987 and 1993. With Derry footballers he usually played in the full-back line and is regarded as one of the best full-backs of his generation. Scullion played club football and hurling with St Colm's GAC Ballinascreen.

Scullion is among the few players who won four All Stars over the course of their career and was named full back on the Irish News Team of the Decade in 2004. The public voted him onto the All-Time Derry Football Team via an online poll in 2007. He has recently applied for the vacant Derry Senior football manager's job. Previous clubs he has managed include Ballinascreen, Kildress and Eglish. He was Ulster assistant manager to Joe Kernan for the 2008 Railway Cup.

Personal life

Born in Moneyneany, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Scullion attended the local St Eoghan's Primary School, before going to secondary school at St Colm's, Draperstown. After a further year at Magherafelt Technical College, he went on to work as a labourer for 13 years. Tony's son Anton Scullion, 20 years old, is studying Accountancy in the University of Ulster Jordanstown and achieved top in his course in the academic year 2017–18. He is looking to follow in his father's footsteps, saying in the Derry Post: "I hope to achieve a championship medal with my County like Da and go one step further by winning a John McGlaughlin with my club." Anton is currently a key figure in the Ballinascreen Senior squad; however, he also believes his true calling is in NBA and professional gaming.

He now works as Football Development Officer for the Ulster Council.

Football career

Scullion was a late developer and never played minor football for Derry. He was asked into the U-21 team in his last year. The side went on to win the U-21 1983 Ulster Championship and went on to be runners up to Mayo in the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship after a replay.

Playing at full-back, Scullion was man of the match in both the 1987 and 1993 Ulster Senior Football Championship finals. Derry defeated Donegal in the 1993 decider in torrential rain at Clones and he is famed for his diving block in the match. Derry went on to win the 1993 All-Ireland Championship after a semi-final victory over Dublin and final defeat of Cork.

With Derry, Scullion also collected three National Football League medals in 1992, 1995 and 1996.

Scullion (like Derry Team-mate Anthony Tohill) won four GAA All Stars Awards (a record for an Ulster defender, in 1987, 1992, 1993 and 1995 (despite Derry only playing two games that year).

Along with Armagh's Martin McQuillan, Scullion won an incredible six consecutive Interprovincial Championship/Railway Cup medals with Ulster between 1989 and 1995. Only one other player ever won six Railway Cups in a row - Cork's Christy Ring.

He was runner up on three occasions for Ballinascreen in the Derry Senior Football Championship.

Hurling career

Scullion was also a keen hurling for both Ballinascreen and Derry. He played in five Derry Senior Hurling Championship finals and was man of the match in the 1989 final, despite never winning a final. He played for the Derry hurling team between 1983 and 1991.

He was part of the Derry side which were runners up to Down in the 1988 All-Ireland B final.

Honours

Football

County

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship - Winner (1): 1993
• National Football League - Winner (3): 1992, 1995, 1996
• Ulster Senior Football Championship - Winner (2): 1987, 1993
• Ulster Senior Football Championship - Runner up: 1985, 1992
• Dr McKenna Cup - Winner (1): 1993
• All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship - Runner up: 1983
• Ulster Under-21 Football Championship - Winner (1): 1983

Club

• Derry Senior Football Championship - Runner up: 1990, 1992, 1994
• Derry Reserve Football Championship - Winner 2000
• Derry Senior Football League Title - Winner 1994

Province

• Railway Cup - Winner (6): 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995

Individual

• All Star - Winner (4): 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995
• All Star - Nominated (runner up): 1996, more?
• Irish News Ulster All Stars Team of the Decade (1995-2004) - Winner
• Irish News Ulster GAA All-Star - Winner 1995
• Derry Senior football captain:1989,1995
• Captain Derry National League winning side:1995
• Captain Ulster Railway Cup winning side: 1991
• Represented Ireland in two International Rules series: 1987, 1990
• Father of Anton Scullion.
• Godfather of Catherine Louise McGlade
• Brother of John 'Pele' Scullion (the better footballer) and Danny 'The Great' Scullion
• Father of the Occupational Therapist Ciara Scullion.

Hurling

County

• All-Ireland Senior 'B' Hurling Championship - Runner up: 1988

Club

• Derry Senior Hurling Championship - Runner up: Five times 1989, 1997, Year?, Year?, Year?
• Underage awards

Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.

References

1. "Derry Pen Pics". 1994 Ulster Championship Quarter Final Programme. 29 May 1994.
2. "Team of the Decade". Retrieved 31 December 2007.
3. "All-Time Derry Senior Football Team". Retrieved 21 January 2008.
4. "McCloskey among Derry candidates". BBC Sport Online. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
5. Campbell, John (22 September 2008). "Ulster looking strong for Rules ties". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 9 December 2008.
6. "GAA Hall of Fame - Tony Scullion". Retrieved 14 January 2008.
7. "Comhairle Uladh CLG - Staff - Tony Scullion". Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
8. Shannon, Kieran (2 June 2008). "Local rivalry that led to greatness". Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
9. Campbell, John (26 October 1996). "Ulster's 15 'stars'". Belfast Telegraoh. Retrieved 3 October 2008.

External links

• Hogan Stand article on Tony Scullion
• Ulster GAA profile (as Football Development Officer)
• Interview with Irish Abroad's Séamas Mac Giolla Fhinnéin

• All Stars Awards winners (football)
• 1962 births
• Living people
• Ballinascreen Gaelic footballers
• Ballinascreen hurlers
• Derry inter-county Gaelic footballers
• Derry inter-county hurlers
• Dual players
• Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football)
• 20th-century Irish sportsmen