Philip Joseph Duke (1925–1950) 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

Duke was a versatile footballer, he could play as a Half-Back, Midfielder or as a Forward. Cavan's historic win over Kerry in the 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final played at the

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 ...

in New York was arguably P.J. Duke's greatest ever hour. Cavan found themselves eight points down against a Kerry side playing out of their skins. Team-manager

Hughie O'Reilly Hugh 'Hughie' O'Reilly was a Gaelic footballer and manager of Cootehill Celtic GAA Club and the Cavan county team. Playing career The Cootehill clubman is the only man to be involved in all of Cavan's Senior All-Ireland Championship victorie ...

switched P. J. from Midfield to right half back to mark Batt Garvey who had threatened to win the game on his own. The Switch saw an immediate tightening up of the Cavan defence and this changed the entire pattern of the game with the red-haired P.J. Duke making spectacular runs out of defence, and the inter-passing speed and skills of Mick Higgins and Tony Tighe. He again formed a brilliant half back partnership with

Simon Deignan Simon Deignan (1922 – September 2006) was a former Gaelic footballer for the Cavan county team, and a referee. Family His grandnephew is the Dublin footballer Jonny Cooper. Playing career A native of Mullagh. Deignan won an All-Ireland Mino ...

& J. J. O'Reilly to reclaim the title in 1948. He won a National Football League medal in 1949 and he collected a

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...

medal with Ulster in 1950. He won three Sigerson Cup medals with University College Dublin.

Death

Duke died while in his prime on 1 May 1950 after a short illness at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin. He was just 25 years old.

Other honours

* Number 124 in The 125 greatest stars of the GAA * Selected at right half back in Cavan's 'Team of the Millennium' in December 2000 * Picked for the star-studded Combined Universities team against Rest of Ireland selections in 1949

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, P. J. 1925 births 1950 deaths Cavan inter-county Gaelic footballers Irish dentists 20th-century dentists Health professionals from County Cavan