Simon Deignan (1922 – September 2006) was a former

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 for the Cavan county team, and a referee.

Family

His grandnephew is the Dublin footballer

Jonny Cooper Jonathan "Jonny" Cooper (born 4 November 1989) is a dual player, who nowadays predominantly plays Gaelic footballer for the Na Fianna club and, formerly, for the Dublin county football team. Cooper played hurling at schoolboy and minor level. ...

Playing career

A native of Mullagh. Deignan won an

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under ...

medal in 1938. He formed a brilliant half back partnership with P. J. Duke & J. J. O'Reilly that won 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 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 ...

, New York in 1947. He was again one of the Breffni county’s stars in the ’48 All-Ireland Final double success. He also won the

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 ...

in 1949/50 season. He won numerous Railway Cup medals with Ulster. He was also a noted referee, officiating at the

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

and

1958 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 1958 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 71st All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1958 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. Dublin w ...

Death

He died in Bon Secours Hospital, Glasnevin, aged 84. His funeral took place from the Church of Our Mother of Divine Grace, Ballygall Road East to Dardistown cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deignan, Simon 1922 births 2006 deaths All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final referees Cavan Gaels Gaelic footballers Cavan inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic football referees Irish Army soldiers Irish auctioneers People from Mullagh, County Cavan