Eugene McKenna
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Full Forward | ||
| Born | Tyrone, Northern Ireland | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Augher St. Macartan's | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
| ?-1989 | Tyrone | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 3 | ||
| All-Irelands | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 3 | ||
Eugene McKenna is a former Gaelic footballer, and former Tyrone manager. With three All Stars, three Ulster Senior Football Championship medals as a player, two as a manager to his name, and his guiding of Tyrone to their first all-Ireland triumph, the 2002 National League, he is often considered a legend of Tyrone football.
His son Niall won the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship with Tyrone in 2008 having played the season in midfield. This has led many Tyrone supporters to hope that they might have another Eugene McKenna in their ranks. His second son, Peter, represented the Tyrone Minors in 2012, playing wing half back and both sons currently represent Donaghmore St. Patrick's GFC at senior level.
McKenna was the captain of a star-studded Tyrone team in the mid-eighties, which included All Star winners, Plunkett Donaghy, Frank McGuigan and John Lynch.
Eugene started his playing career with Augher St. Macartans, a small club in the south of Tyrone. He achieved great success with Augher, such as winning the Tyrone County Championship and captaining them twice on this occasion.
In 1986, he led Tyrone to their first ever All-Ireland Final, against the much-fancied Kerry, who were going for their third title in a row. Tyrone gained a massive seven-point lead during the second half, but a missed penalty dented their confidence, and McKenna had to be replaced due to injury. Tyrone then suffered a heavy defeat to the experienced Kerrymen, with the score ending 2-15 to 1-10 (21 points to 13).
He won the Ulster Championship again in 1989, although this time he was under the skippership of Plunkett Donaghy. Tyrone defeated Donegal in a replayed final.
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