Latest news with #McGuigan
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Waubonsie Valley senior Danny McGuigan earns a new perk in his new gig. He gets to enjoy a tie and a win.
Waubonsie Valley senior Danny McGuigan didn't see a lot of playing time until late in the regular season. He was used mainly as a pitcher out of the bullpen. But Waubonsie Valley coach Bryan Acevedo saw something in the Aurora University commit and decided to try him as the designated hitter. 'On Saturdays, when he got some opportunities, he hit some baseballs hard, and we liked his approach,' Acevedo said. 'We gave him some opportunities a couple weeks ago as the DH, and he hasn't left the lineup.' McGuigan left the bench only four times on Thursday, but he took advantage of his chances. He went 3-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs to lead the 10th-seeded Warriors to a 7-1 victory over sixth-seeded Naperville Central in the Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional semifinals. McGuigan's two-out, bases-loaded double in the top of the first inning plated the first three runs of the game. He blooped the hit into a perfect spot about a foot inside the right-field line. 'I was lucky on that one,' he said. 'I think it was a change-up away, and I tried to foul it off, but it stayed fair. 'That felt great. It set the tone for the rest of the game, and it really hyped me up as well as the team, so I was really pumped up by that.' The three runs were more than enough for senior right-hander Owen Roberts. The Indiana State commit pitched a three-hitter with two walks and 10 strikeouts and also went 2-for-5 with an RBI for the Warriors (20-12), who advance to play third-seeded West Aurora in the regional final at 11 a.m. Saturday. Roberts improved to 7-2. Junior infielder Casey Cooperkawa scored an unearned run in the sixth for the Redhawks (20-16). By that time, Waubonsie Valley was comfortably ahead, and it all started with McGuigan's big hit. 'That helped us to wake up because the energy was low,' Waubonsie Valley senior third baseman Hiroshy Wong said. 'When we scored that three runs, we got excited, we got happy.' Wong is happy to see McGuigan succeed. 'Being a DH is really tough because your only job is hitting, as you know,' Wong said. 'He had a slow start, but he never gave up. 'As they say, the game always comes back to you. So he's been working really hard in the cages, and it's paying off right now.' McGuigan got hits off three pitchers. He had an RBI double and scored in the fifth inning and singled in the seventh. 'I've got to stay locked in on the other pitcher, taking it at-bat by at-bat,' McGuigan said. 'So before my first at-bat, l just really try to zone in and figure out how I'm going hit him and see what he's throwing.' McGuigan's hitting prowess isn't the only new wrinkle for the Warriors. He was seen wearing a striped tie in the dugout after each of his hits. 'Our manager, Matthew Choi, used to dress up in a shirt and tie for big games, and today he just brought the tie and used it as kind of like the celebration chain type of thing you see in the NFL or Major League Baseball,' Acevedo said. Just like that, a new tradition appears to have begun. 'It started out of nowhere,' McGuigan said. 'Matthew just brought it out and put it on one of the poles and started putting it on everybody who hit.' Expect McGuigan to continue as the DH. 'He's got a really good mentality for it,' Acevedo said. 'He's kind of a goofy kid, but he's able to lock in in spurts. 'We talk about team mystique in our program and for guys to take the next step as a senior, and he's definitely done that for us this year.'
Irish Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Barry McGuigan on being 'angry at God' as he reflects on daughter's death
Irish boxing great Barry McGuigan has opened up on the loss of his daughter from bowel cancer in 2019. Danika McGuigan was 33 years old when she passed away, with Barry having been outspoken on preserving her legacy by talking about her. McGuigan picked up the WBA and lineal featherweight belts in 1985, after defeating Eusebio Pedroza by unanimous decision in London. The Monaghan native is now a promoter and famously promoted Carl Frampton before the pair's falling out in 2017. He also founded the Professional Boxing Association. Viewers of last year's I'm A Celeb may remember a profound moment when he spoke about Nika, with the 64-year-old becoming emotional when asked about her. Speaking to Off the Ball, McGuigan said: "I can't talk about it, because if I talk about it I get upset. "It makes you just angry with God. I can't really explain any more, I spent my life dedicated to God and I feel so let down and so sad by what happened. "My brother died of suicide at 34, my father died at 52, my sister died in '21 with breast cancer, we've had a horrific, dreadful, dreadful time. "You ask yourself when is it gonna end, when is it gonna stop? It's hard to believe in anything when you have had a tough time like that."
Irish Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
GAA all-time great seriously ill as club asks for prayers for 'The King'
Tyrone football legend Frank McGuigan is currently in hospital after suffering a heart attack, with his club calling for prayers and support for 'a legend of club and county'. Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa issued a statement on social media on Wednesday night, urging the GAA community to offer their prayers and support to the McGuigan family. "CLG Uí Dhonnabháin Rosa asks all our members and extended club community to pray for Frank and the McGuigan family at this time," the statement read. "A legend for club and county, 'The King' has overcome many battles in the past and we wish him every strength in his recovery. Go dtaga biseach ort go luath!". McGuigan, one of Tyrone's greatest ever players and a two-time Ulster Championship winner with the Red Hands, is renowned as one of the game's all-time greats, reports Belfast Live. His remarkable performance against Armagh in the 1984 final, where he scored 0-11 from play - five off each foot and one fisted point - has been immortalised in GAA history as the 'Frank McGuigan final'. He was awarded an All-Star for his performances in '84, but his county career was tragically cut short after a car accident left him battling for his life, with a horrific leg break ending his footballing career. Tyrone reached their first All-Ireland final in 1986, but were defeated by Kerry in the final, leading many to wonder if McGuigan could have made the difference. They lost another decider to Dublin in 1995. The Sam Maguire Cup would ultimately find its way to Tyrone, with Frank's son Brian playing a pivotal role in the 2003 team that triumphed over reigning All-Ireland champions Armagh. Frank Jnr was also part of the '03 squad, while Tommy McGuigan netted a crucial goal in the 2008 All-Ireland final against Kerry. Brian ended his career boasting three All-Ireland medals, while Shay McGuigan became the fourth of Frank's sons to represent Tyrone seniors.
Irish Daily Mirror
03-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Barry McGuigan recalls his greatest night and the tragedies that followed
When we were children we used to play this game called Find The Bomb. The rules were simple. As we lived in a bungalow with a huge, single-glazed, front window, any time a bomb went off, which was often enough back in 1980s-Ulster, the glass would vibrate. When it did so, we had to guess the explosion's location. Belfast, 27 miles away, was an obvious choice, but as the years passed we began to realise that Dungannon, Newry, Armagh city or Lisburn were just as likely to be victims of terror. And because this all happened in the pre-digital age, and there was no social media, we had to wait until the following evening's news to discover where the bomb had exploded and which of us three brothers had guessed accurately. Looking back now, it's excruciatingly embarrassing to think how warped our little minds had become, such little empathy shown to the possibilities of a loss of life or livelihoods. But the North did that to you. It darkened your humour as well as your mood. Playing Find The Bomb, or having a gun pointed at you by a British Army soldier, was something we considered normal. And that was the biggest trick Northern Ireland ever played on you. You did ordinary things, like go to school, to the shops, to the cinema and convince yourself there was nothing different about living up there. Except tragedy could sometimes strike; someone never made it home. There was a man who lived next door who lost his father to the bullet of a UVF psychopath. A friend at school lost his father, another his home, in bomb blasts. Another year, our milkman and his family were shot. One survived, three did not. Whenever I think back to that brutal period, it is as if you are entering a twilight world where you feel the need to glance over your shoulder to make sure no one is following you. Northern Ireland was just that kind of place; tense, unruly, paranoid, broken. And then a little man from Clones came along and started putting the pieces back together. The impact Barry McGuigan had on my life was profound because ordinarily the people who influence you the most tend to be those you know; a parent or relative, a teacher or a coach. Yet such was the magnetism of this fighter's personality that it felt like everyone in Ulster knew him. He may have been 5 '6 but he was a big rather than a small man. You see McGuigan was Irish but fought for British titles, a Catholic who married a Protestant. He had supporters clubs in the nationalist Falls Road and also the loyalist Shankill. And when he fought for a world title in 1985, he didn't do so under the Union Jack or Tricolour but instead the blue flag of peace. 'People might have thought it was a gimmick but it was far from that,' he says now, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of that title win over Eusebio Pedroza, the Panamanian. 'I was aware I had incredible unity within my support. 'They had spent four years travelling with me as my career progressed from local to European then to world level. 'So, I was really conscious that we had all these people spending their hard earned money and that I was representing them. 'You know, people were dying every day in the North. The trouble and the bitterness was savage. I was sick to death of it. I was thinking 'ah for f**k's sake, this is just awful'. 'So Barney (Eastwood, his manager) and I agreed that I would wear blue, as in the United Nations colour. We had the dove of peace woven onto my shorts. For the world title fights my father (who once represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest) sang Danny Boy. 'We were not going to sing The Soldier Song and we certainly weren't going to sing God Save the Queen. People said that dad singing Danny Boy as a compromise was contrived. That's a load of nonsense. 'We did it on the spur of the moment and stood by our principle that we were not going to get involved in politics because I did not want to insult people. And the fans respected me for that which meant an awful lot. I am very proud of what I achieved.' Those achievements stretched beyond the ring. Inside it, he was a champion, a fast-moving, hard hitting featherweight, whose relentless pressure had the dual effect of putting opponents on their bums and getting fans off their seats. Like all pro boxers, his progress was measured, crossroads fights against journeymen initially, then hand-picked opponents who boasted better CVs than their talent merited. Then, as the crowds got bigger, the venue changed, Eastwood buying the boxing license off an old time promoter to allow McGuigan fight in the King's Hall, which had a larger capacity than the more modestly sized Ulster Hall. And all this while Northern Ireland continued to tear itself apart, McGuigan's pro career overlapping with the Hunger Strikes, the Maze Escape, the Anglo-Irish Agreement, the Brighton, Enniskillen, Newry, Hyde Park, Ballykelly bombings, and periodic massacres right across the province. As a child growing up in that place, life wasn't scary but it was draining. One set of politicians were angry, the other angrier, none of them impressive. McGuigan did inspire, though, the irony remaining that this little man punched people inside a ring but preached peace outside of it. This is Gerry Callan, Irish boxing's greatest aficionado: 'Not only was it essential for Ulster to have a person like Barry McGuigan at that time but it was vital for the entire island. 'Nobody's religion or politics came into it. Barry's fights were sporting events and that was it. Boxing, thankfully, has always been able to cross borders, not just geographic ones, but religious borders, too.' Everything started to come together. By 1981, when McGuigan first fought in Belfast as a pro, the country was crying out for a hero because it had too many villains. In the previous decade, when the violence was at its worst, several countries refused to travel to play internationals against Northern Ireland. Ulster's rugby team, similarly, had to deal with no-shows. So, a sporting void existed and McGuigan and his streetwise promoter, Eastwood, were willing to fill it. Within a year of turning pro, he had fought 11 times, building momentum and a support base. Then tragedy struck in his 12th fight when his Nigerian opponent, Young Ali, died from the injuries he sustained in the ring. Devastated, McGuigan considered retirement, confiding publicly about the trauma he was enduring, and a nation, deeply affected by terrorism's daily grind, empathised. The crowds for his fights started to increase. Five thousand saw him defeat an Italian, Valeri Nati, in 1983, an additional couple of thousand there to see him knock over well regarded opponents, Charm Chiteule, Jose Caba, Paul DeVorce and Felipe Orazco. By now it was 1985 and NBC, the United States broadcaster, wanted to see what all the fuss was, sending their cameras, complete with star pundit, Sugar Ray Leonard, across to Belfast for a world title eliminator against Juan LaPorte. That was when your correspondent got his first taste of big-time boxing, my father securing a ticket for a tenner, just hours before the first bell. A year earlier he had taken me to Windsor Park where new phrases entered my lexicon, as each Catholic player on the Northern Ireland team was dubbed a 'fenian c**t' by some of his own supporters. Fight night was different, though. There was no sectarianism in the King's Hall. Instead there were chants of Here We Go. Sitting on the rafters, we saw McGuigan outclass LaPorte, surviving the Puerto Rican's heavy fists in the ninth when he momentarily thought he was in Mrs Keenan's toy shop back in Clones. 'That was my greatest performance,' he says. But the win over Pedroza was his greatest night. Nineteen million people tuned in on TV, 22,000 packing QPR's Loftus Road stadium, including - once again - your correspondent. London differed to the North in that ten-year-old's eyes. There was no army on the streets for a start. Policemen didn't carry guns. The threat of death didn't surround you. But a sense of wonder did. My father had sacrificed a week's wages to get tickets and transport for the pair of us, £50-a-piece for the ferry to Stranraer, bus to London, ticket in the back row of the stand. And all these years later, as Gerry Callan, McGuigan and myself reminisced about those heady days, the conversation turned to the men who reared us. Sadness abounds. McGuigan's father, Pat, the man who sang Danny Boy, died within 18 months of his son's win. Tragically, Gerry's father didn't even last that long. As a retirement present for their father, Gerry and his sister had booked flights, hotels and ringside seats for his fellow Monaghan man's big night. On the way home from Loftus Road, Gerry's dad was mugged, dying of a heart attack just hours later. For Gerry, Ireland's Mr Boxing, the memory of that night is traumatic and bittersweet. For here was a Carrickmacross man whose love of the sweet science began when Freddie Gilroy went on a 21-fight winning streak in the 1960s. His dad had co-founded St Saviour's Club in Dublin's northside, Gerry the unofficial maintenance boy. By 1985, he had seen thousands of Irish fighters but just one become a world champion. Now there were two, McGuigan reaching his potential with a mix of skill and heart. But within hours of his friend's greatest night, came his saddest. Gerry says: 'My dad had arranged to meet an old work colleague, Tommy, in the hotel after the fight. Tommy told me how dad came in disorientated and bedraggled. 'It turned out he was mugged on the way back to the hotel and under the law of Britain and Ireland if a person dies as a commission of a crime, it is murder. Legally and technically my father was murdered. 'Our mother had died two years and two weeks before dad's death. We watched her die for seven years, suffering awfully with cancer and strokes. So if you have got to go, it (a heart attack) is not a bad way to go but it is still brutal.' Brutal, life changing lows followed McGuigan, too. He lost his father and a brother, and then, in 2019, his daughter, Nika. Two months ago, a brother in law also died and was cremated a few days before we spoke. 'I am so sad because I have lost so many people in the last decade. We had a particularly bad time in the last six years. So, when I look back at the Pedroza win, it's with a huge degree of sadness. 'It is sad to reflect knowing so many people have gone. I have had amazing times but also very low times.' Still, he's grateful for what he did, acknowledging the role Eastwood played in his rise, irrespective of the bitter falling out the two went through in 1986 and 1987. 'I'm neither stupid nor stubborn enough to ignore how good Barney was for me, and how good boxing was for me,' he says. Yet it goes both ways. In our country's darkest decade, he was a symbol of hope as well as of peace. Two days after defeating Pedroza, 75,000 people gathered in Belfast's Royal Avenue to welcome him home, another 30,000 people there in Clones when he got back there. Next to Dublin, where a quarter of a million people lined the pavements from O'Connell Street to the Mansion House. There and then, Barry McGuigan was Ireland's most popular man. 'It really meant something to Ireland and I am very proud of that. Here I am at 64, I am very fortunate to still be here because the nature of the boxing business is that it eats you up. "It is thrilling and incredible b ut the aftermath is not good. Guys who were great champions often don't cope with life after boxing. So, I am very fortunate to still be here and to still have my lucidity. 'I'll never forget what Barney said when he persuaded me to sign with him after the Moscow Olympics. 'We can resurrect boxing in Belfast, boy,' he said. 'And by God we did that.' Barry McGuigan will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of his epic win over Pedroza with a dinner show at the Premier Suite in Cannock, Staffordshire. See info@ for ticket details Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
Sunday World
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Sunday World
False statements provided in legal row over exhuming body of murdered IRA man
Counsel representing the Department for Communities claimed the misleading information related to the removal of a headstone at the grave of Kevin McGuigan The Funeral of former IRA man Kevin McGuigan in 2015 (Photo: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker) False statements were provided in a legal battle over attempts to exhume the body of a murdered ex-IRA prisoner, the High Court heard today. Counsel representing the Department for Communities claimed the misleading information related to the removal of a headstone at the grave of Kevin McGuigan. McGuigan, 53, was shot dead in front of his wife Dolores at their home in the Short Strand, east Belfast back in August 2015. Republicans were suspected of sanctioning the father-of-nine's murder amid disputed claims he was involved in the killing of former IRA commander Gerard 'Jock' Davison in the Markets area of the city three months previously. Kevin McGuigan Today's News in 90 seconds - Thursday, May 1 McGuigan is currently buried in a plot owned by his mother at Belfast City Cemetery. But his widow wants his remains exhumed for interment in the same grave as their late daughter. In August 2021, the Department for Communities turned down a request to be allowed to move the body. The decision was taken after the murder victim's mother refused to consent to the exhumation. Revised policy guidance states that without agreement from the owner, a grave can only be opened in exceptional circumstances. Mrs McGuigan, as her husband's nearest surviving relative, is seeking to judicially review the Department's determination. She alleges that the refusal breaches her entitlement to private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In one statement she described the 'devastating impact' of her husband's shooting and being unable to take part in the decision-making process about his burial. The couple's terminally ill daughter made a request to her grandmother to be buried with her father before she died, it was alleged. Mrs McGuigan has claimed a failure to properly balance her rights against the property rights of her mother-in-law. But in court today Tony McGleenan KC, for the Department, argued that her case involved 'material misrepresentations' about who moved a headstone at the current burial site. Based on further affidavits lodged as part of the challenge, he contended: 'There has been a breach in the duty of candour… it is beyond dispute that false statements have been presented to the court and the Department.' In detailed submissions the barrister insisted the burial row should have been determined by the Chancery Court rather than subjected to a judicial review. 'The case has been brought forward on a false premise,' he said. Part of the case centred on issues over who holds exclusive rights to the current plot. Mr McGleenan suggested issues could be resolved if an 'incredibly elaborate factual account' of an alleged conversation about handing over ownership proved to be correct. 'If the applicant has exclusive rights of burial it unlocks the process, and if the council consents an exhumation would potentially be open under the policy,' he told the court. Rejecting the alleged breach of Article 8, counsel stressed there was no absolute policy of refusing all bids to relocate bodies. He added: 'The Department will look at it on a case by case basis, even where you don't have exclusive rights of burial.' The hearing continues.
