Frank Stockwell (7 December 1928 – 9 March 2009) was an Irish

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er who played for his local club

Tuam Stars Tuam Stars ( ga, Réalta Thuama) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Tuam area in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The club is a member of the Galway GAA. Underage teams up to U-16's play in the Galway GAA, Galway lea ...

and at senior level for the

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia **Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

county teams at various periods between 1949 and 1960. He is regarded as Galway's greatest-ever full forward.

Playing career

Stockwell began his inter-county career in 1949, at the age of 19. He continued to play for Galway until 1950, when he moved to Louth to play club football with. This led to Stockwell playing for the Louth seniors in 1950 and 1951. He returned to Galway for the 1952 Championship and revived a devastating attacking partnership with his Tuam Stars teammate and friend,

Seán Purcell Seán Purcell (17 December 1928– 27 August 2005), was a Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Galway county team. Best known as a centre half-forward, he played in most outfield positions during his career. In 2009 he was ...

. Lining out at full forward, his ability to finish the chances created by Purcell brought considerable success to Galway in their overall consistency during the 1950s. In 1956, he won an

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

, beating

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

in the final by 2–13 to 3–07. The final was most notable for Stockwell scoring a then-record 2-05. He was unlucky not to add to that tally, having a goal disallowed. Although this scoring tally was surpassed in later years, his achievement was more remarkable given that it occurred during a 60-minute final, a record that seems unlikely to ever be broken. He retired from inter-county football in 1960, having won every major honour possible. At club level, the Stockwell and Purcell partnership proved to be even more effective than on the county scene as Tuam Stars dominated Galway football during the 1950s. Having won a minor title in 1946, Stockwell went on to win nine senior county titles with Tuam, including an remarkable seven-in-a-row from 1954 to 1960. Aside from his football career, Stockwell was also a Connacht champion boxer.

Post-playing

After retiring from playing, Stockwell remained in the game. He was a

selector Selector may refer to: *Selector, electrical or mechanical component, a switch *''Selector'', music scheduling software for radio stations created by Radio Computing Services *Selector, of music, otherwise known as a disc jockey *Selector, a pers ...

and contributor to the Galway three-in-a-row team during 1964–66 and again from 1980–81. As well being selector twice for his home club, Stockwell became president of Tuam Stars in 2006 remaining in the position before his death. In 1999, a new road in Tuam was named after both Purcell and Stockwell. In April 2007, special plaques honouring three legendary Tuam GAA figures were unveiled at Tuam Stadium. The plaques were erected to mark the lifetime of dedicated service to the stadium by the late Miko Kelly, and the honour and glory brought to the famous venue, and to their town and county by the "Terrible Twins", Stockwell and Purcell. Frank Stockwell died on 9 March 2009 at his home in

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, from undisclosed causes, aged 80.Notice of Stockwell's death
A large crowd turned out in Tuam for the funeral, similar as it was for Purcell who predeceased Stockwell in 2005. John Joe Holleran, Galway football board chairmen said, "He was an iconic figure during what turned out to be a glorious period for Galway football. Generations have grown up in Galway hearing about their exploits and it was an privilege for us to see them in action."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockwell, Frank 1928 births 2009 deaths Connacht inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Gaelic football selectors Gaelic games club administrators Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers Irish male boxers London inter-county Gaelic footballers Louth inter-county Gaelic footballers Tuam Stars Gaelic footballers

Playing career

Post-playing

See also

References