Joseph Stafford (10 March 1918 – 17 June 2000) was a

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 the Cavan county team.

Playing career

Stafford played at right full forward and was a prolific goalscorer for Cavan in the 1940s. He is 9th in All-time top Ulster goalscorers chart. His goal was crucial in securing Cavan's famous victory in the

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 ...

Final in

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...

, New York in 1947. He helped Cavan retain the title the following year against

Co. Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

. He also won a

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

medal in 1949/50 season. Joe Stafford was the first man to be sent off in an All-Ireland final. He had been ordered off with fifteen minutes left in the 1943 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final against Roscommon. His nephew, Jimmy Stafford, also played with Cavan in the 1960s and 1970s.

References

1918 births 2000 deaths Cavan inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic football forwards {{Cavan-gaelic-football-bio-stub