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 they were controversially edged out by Dublin by a single point.

Earlier that summer, he had hit what proved Tyrone’s winning point in a tempestuous Ulster semi-final against Derry at Clones which the Red Hands won despite playing the entire second half with only 13 players following the red cards handed to Seamus McCallan and Pascal Canavan.

A year later, Gormley helped the Tyrone side jointly managed by Art McRory and Eugene McKenna clinch a second successive Ulster Football title.

In addition to his club, Gormley’s talent had been honed by his time at University of Ulster, Jordanstown, where he achieved success on the football field in addition to forming friendships that he maintained for the rest of his life.

After moving to England for work reasons in the late 1990s, the Trillick man lined out for the London gaelic football team for a time and when his playing days ended following a stint with Belfast club Bredagh, it was no surprise that the cerebral Gormley moved into coaching and management.

After a stint in the backroom team of Down senior boss Paddy O’Rourke, Gormley was appointed as Antrim manager in 2007 and he went on to manage a number of clubs including latterly his native Trillick.

The schoolteacher also guided Abbey CBS Newry to their only All-Ireland Senior Colleges Hogan Cup title in 2006 and he continued to work at the school until his cancer diagnosis.

Gormley suffered a stroke in July while training in the gym with his son James during a family holiday in Florida and was informed of the diagnosis two months later following a series of tests.

The former Tyrone player was married to Deirdre and also was father to daughters Aine and Niamh.