Damian Diver

Damian[note 1] Diver (born 1973/4) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Ard an Rátha and the Donegal county team.

Damian Diver
Personal information
Sport Gaelic football
Position Half-back
Born 1973/4[1][2]
Occupation Quantity surveyor[1]
Centra owner and retail manager[1][3]
Club(s)
Years Club
19??–
 Ard an Rátha
Club titles
Donegal titles 2
Colleges(s)
Years College
c. 1990s
 DIT
College titles
Sigerson titles 0
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
1995–2006
 Donegal 120[4]
Inter-county titles
Ulster titles 0
All-Irelands 0
NFL 0
All Stars 0

He played at half-back for his county.[1] He made 120 appearances, 36 of which were championship, for the team between 1995 and 2006.[4][5] He was noted for owning his own gym equipment in a time before this was commonplace.[6]

Playing career

Club and college

Diver twice won the Donegal Senior Football Championship with his club.[4] He took a free that led to the goal scored during the 2004 final.[7]

He was also DIT's captain during their 1995 cup-winning season, but missed the final with influenza.[8]

Inter-county

Diver first featured on the county panel in 1994.[4] P. J. McGowan was the manager to introduce Diver to the Donegal senior team.[9] He made his debut in an away game to Meath in Navan in the 1994–95 National Football League, during which he marked Colm Coyle and Trevor Giles.[1] Based in Dublin as a student with DIT while training to become a quantity surveyor at the time, Diver did not expect to play and was thus not monitoring his diet.[1] He travelled west from Dublin to meet the team. Diver said later: "I was stuffing myself with grub. I'll never forget it, P. J. McGowan came up to me after and says 'you're starting wing-back today'. Well holy Christ, the colour must've gone out of my face".[1]

Diver made his senior championship debut for Donegal against Down in 1996.[5][10] He played in the 1998 Ulster Senior Football Championship final.[5]

Diver made an appearance as a first-half substitute against Armagh in the 2002 Ulster SFC final.[11] He then played against Dublin in the 2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (in which Donegal earned a replay), but Diver returned home on the bus with only three teammates.[1] The following year he played in an All-Ireland SFC semi-final.[4] He played in the 2004 Ulster SFC final, after Donegal defeated All-Ireland champions Tyrone in the semi-final.[1][5] He also made a substitute appearance in the 2006 Ulster SFC final against Armagh in Croke Park, in what proved to be his last game as a county player.[5] According to Declan Bonner, Diver famously never won anything with Donegal (i.e. seniors).[12] He announced his retirement from inter-county football in November 2006.[2] Donegal won the National Football League less than six months later.[13][14]

Never an All Star, Diver was, however, selected as a replacement All Star (2003 vintage) ahead of an exhibition game in 2005 due to Tom Kelly breaking his collarbone.[15]

Coaching career

Upon being appointed Donegal manager in 2010, Jim McGuinness appointed Diver as a defensive and strength and conditioning coach.[4][16] However, Diver was unable to commit and missed out on winning Ulster SFC titles in 2011 and 2012, as well as the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.[16][17][18][19]

In September 2013, McGuinness parted ways with his backroom team.[16] Diver said he would not take a position.[16] However, shortly afterwards, McGuinness announced him as part of his new backroom team.[16][20][21] Diver was a selector when Donegal reached the 2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.[6]

When McGuinness departed after this game, Diver was linked with the managerial vacancy.[22]

In 2017, Diver was coaching under-10s with his club.[1]

Honours

County

Club

Notes
  1. Occasionally misspelt in some coverage as "Damien". He spells it as Damian on his Twitter.

References
  1. Loughran, Neil (1 September 2017). "Where are they now? Former Donegal wing-back Damien[sic] Diver looks back on his Tir Chonaill career". The Irish News. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  2. "Donegal star Diver retires". Irish Independent. 24 November 2006.
  3. Craig, Frank (21 June 2019). "'Cavan are stirring': Diver fires Breffni warning". Donegal News. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  4. McNulty, Chris (27 September 2013). "Meet the new backroom boys". Donegal News. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  5. Nulty, Chris (22 July 2011). "1992–2011: The best XV not to win Ulster…". Donegal News. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  6. McNulty, Chris (11 February 2014). "Damian Diver and Donegal 'looking to lift things' during three-week League break". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  7. "DONEGAL SFC: Brilliant Boyle is Ardara ace". Irish Independent. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 4 October 2004.
  8. Damian Diver was Captain of DIT, but missed final because of influenza; http://www.ditgaa.ie/alumni.html Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine (last viewed 11 June 2020).
  9. Moran, Sean (9 July 1997). "McGowan calls it a day with Donegal". The Irish Times.
  10. "Donegal ring the changes". The Irish Times. 23 May 1996. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Damien[sic] Diver and under 21 midfielder Dessie McNamara of Bundoran, both substitutes for the league decider, make, their championship debuts Diver at left half back and McNamara at right half forward.
  11. "Armagh win Ulster final". BBC Sport. 7 July 2002.
  12. Bonner, Declan (23 August 2019). "No Bones About It". Donegal News.
  13. "Donegal win National League title". BBC Sport. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  14. "Donegal achieve historic win - First national league title comes to county after victory over Mayo". Donegal Times. 25 April 2007. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  15. O'Riordan, Ian (18 January 2005). "Diver added to 2003 All Star selection". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 January 2005.
  16. McNulty, Chris (25 September 2013). "McGuinness confirms new backroom team". Donegal News. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  17. "Donegal 1–11 Derry 0-08". RTÉ Sport. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  18. "Ulster Senior Football Final: Donegal 2-18 0-13 Down". BBC Sport. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  19. "Donegal 2-11 Mayo 0-13". RTÉ Sport. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  20. "Jim McGuinness appoints new Donegal backroom trio". BBC Sport. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  21. "McGuinness completes additions to Donegal backroom team for 2014". The42.ie. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
  22. McNulty, Chris (9 October 2014). "Declan Bonner says: 'Time isn't right for me'". Donegal News. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
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