Damian Diver
{{Use Irish English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{short description|Irish Gaelic footballer}}
{{Infobox GAA player
| name = Damian Diver
| image =
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| irish =
| sport = Gaelic football
| clposition =
| icposition = Half-back
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| occupation = Quantity surveyor
Centra owner and retail manager{{cite news|first=Frank|last=Craig|url=https://donegalnews.com/2019/06/cavan-are-stirring/|title='Cavan are stirring': Diver fires Breffni warning|work=Donegal News|date=21 June 2019|accessdate=21 June 2019}}
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| code = Football
| clyears = 19??–
| clubs = Ard an Rátha
| clapps(points) =
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| county = Donegal
| clcounty = 2
| province =
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| colyears = {{c.}} 1990s
| colleges = DIT
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| sig = 0
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| icyears = 1995–2006
| counties = Donegal
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| iculster = 0
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| icallireland = 0
| nfl = 0
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| allstars = 0
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}}
Damian{{refn|group=note|name=Alpha}} Diver (born 1973/4) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Ard an Rátha and the Donegal county team.
He played at half-back for his county. He made 120 appearances, 36 of which were championship, for the team between 1995 and 2006. He was noted for owning his own gym equipment in a time before this was commonplace.
Playing career
=Club and college=
Diver twice won the Donegal Senior Football Championship with his club. He took a free that led to the goal scored during the 2004 final.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/donegal-sfc-brilliant-boyle-is-ardara-ace-25891217.html|title=DONEGAL SFC: Brilliant Boyle is Ardara ace|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=4 October 2004|accessdate=4 October 2004}}
He was also captain of DIT during their 1995 cup-winning season, but missed the final with influenza.Damian Diver was Captain of DIT, but missed final because of influenza; http://www.ditgaa.ie/alumni.html {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921120043/http://www.ditgaa.ie/alumni.html|date=21 September 2013}} (last viewed 11 June 2020).
=Inter-county=
Diver first featured on the county panel in 1994. P. J. McGowan was the manager to introduce Diver to the Donegal senior team.{{cite news|first=Sean|last=Moran|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/mcgowan-calls-it-a-day-with-donegal-1.89218|title=McGowan calls it a day with Donegal|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=9 July 1997}} He made his debut in an away game to Meath in Navan in the 1994–95 National Football League, during which he marked Colm Coyle and Trevor Giles.{{cite news|first=Neil|last=Loughran|url=https://www.irishnews.com/sport/gaafootball/2017/09/01/news/where-are-they-now-former-donegal-wing-back-damien-diver-looks-back-on-his-tir-chonaill-career-1125235/|title=Where are they now? Former Donegal wing-back Damien[sic] Diver looks back on his Tir Chonaill career|work=The Irish News|date=1 September 2017|accessdate=11 September 2017}} Based in Dublin as a student with DIT while training to become a quantity surveyor at the time, Diver did not expect to play and was thus not monitoring his diet. He travelled west from Dublin to meet the team. Diver said later: "I was stuffing myself with grub. I'll never forget it, P. J. McGowan came up to me after and says 'you're starting wing-back today'. Well holy Christ, the colour must've gone out of my face".
Diver made his senior championship debut for Donegal against Down in 1996.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Nulty|url=https://donegalnews.com/2011/07/1992-2011-the-best-xv-not-to-win-ulster/|title=1992–2011: The best XV not to win Ulster…|work=Donegal News|date=22 July 2011|accessdate=22 July 2011|archive-date=2 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402182556/http://donegalnews.com/2011/07/1992-2011-the-best-xv-not-to-win-ulster/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/donegal-ring-the-changes-1.51956|title=Donegal ring the changes|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=23 May 1996|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204040225/https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/donegal-ring-the-changes-1.51956|archivedate=4 December 2018|quote=Damien[sic] Diver and under 21 midfielder Dessie McNamara of Bundoran, both substitutes for the league decider, make, their championship debuts Diver at left half back and McNamara at right half forward.}} He played in the 1998 Ulster Senior Football Championship final. He started Mickey Moran's first game in charge of Donegal, a league win at home to Offaly in October 2000.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/donegal-make-light-of-conditions-to-give-moran-the-ideal-start-1.1112948|title=Donegal make light of conditions to give Moran the ideal start|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=30 October 2000}}
Diver made an appearance as a first-half substitute against Armagh in the 2002 Ulster SFC final.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/2111391.stm|title=Armagh win Ulster final|publisher=BBC Sport|date=7 July 2002}} He then played against Dublin in the 2002 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (in which Donegal earned a replay), but Diver returned home on the bus with only three teammates. He started the first game of Brian McEniff's last spell as Donegal manager, a league defeat to Galway in Tuam in February 2003.{{cite news|first=Keith|last=Duggan|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/meehan-adds-spark-to-galway-attack-1.347556|title=Meehan adds spark to Galway attack|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=3 February 2003}} He played in an All-Ireland SFC semi-final later that year.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/armaghs-double-still-alive-25928845.html|title=Armagh's double still alive|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=1 September 2003}} He played in the 2004 Ulster SFC final, after Donegal defeated All-Ireland champions Tyrone in the semi-final. He also made a substitute appearance in the 2006 Ulster SFC final against Armagh in Croke Park, in what proved to be his last game as a county player. According to Declan Bonner, Diver famously never won anything with Donegal (i.e. seniors).{{cite news|first=Declan|last=Bonner|authorlink=Declan Bonner|title=No Bones About It|work=Donegal News|date=23 August 2019}} He announced his retirement from inter-county football in November 2006.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/donegal-star-diver-retires-26356793.html|title=Donegal star Diver retires|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=24 November 2006}} Donegal won the National Football League less than six months later.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/6581961.stm|title=Donegal win National League title|publisher=BBC Sport|date=22 April 2007|accessdate=11 August 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.donegaltimes.com/2007/04_2/sport.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412230842/http://www.donegaltimes.com/2007/04_2/sport.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 April 2015|title=Donegal achieve historic win — First national league title comes to county after victory over Mayo|work=Donegal Times|date=25 April 2007|accessdate=25 April 2007}}
Never an All Star, Diver was, however, selected as a replacement All Star (2003 vintage) ahead of an exhibition game in 2005 due to Tom Kelly breaking his collarbone.{{cite news|first=Ian|last=O'Riordan|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/diver-added-to-2003-all-star-selection-1.407217|title=Diver added to 2003 All Star selection|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=18 January 2005|accessdate=18 January 2005}}
Coaching career
Upon being appointed Donegal manager in 2010, Jim McGuinness appointed Diver as a defensive and strength and conditioning coach.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://donegalnews.com/2013/09/meet-the-new-backroom-boys/|title=Meet the new backroom boys|work=Donegal News|date=27 September 2013|accessdate=27 September 2013|archive-date=31 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031201347/http://donegalnews.com/2013/09/meet-the-new-backroom-boys/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://donegalnews.com/2013/09/mcguinness-confirms-new-backroom-team/|title=McGuinness confirms new backroom team|work=Donegal News|date=25 September 2013|accessdate=25 September 2013}} However, Diver was unable to commit and missed out on winning Ulster SFC titles in 2011 and 2012, as well as the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2011/0717/derry_donegal.html|title=Donegal 1–11 Derry 0-08|publisher=RTÉ Sport|date=17 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719145639/http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2011/0717/derry_donegal.html|accessdate=17 July 2011|archive-date=19 July 2011}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/northern-ireland/18912731|title=Ulster Senior Football Final: Donegal 2–18 0–13 Down|publisher=BBC Sport|date=22 July 2012|accessdate=22 July 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2012/0923/338732-donegal-beat-mayo-to-end-wait-for-sam/|title=Donegal 2–11 Mayo 0–13|publisher=RTÉ Sport|date=23 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329174043/http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2012/0923/338732-donegal-beat-mayo-to-end-wait-for-sam/|accessdate=23 September 2012|archive-date=29 March 2015}}
In September 2013, McGuinness parted ways with his backroom team. Diver said he would not take a position. However, shortly afterwards, McGuinness announced him as part of his new backroom team.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/gaelic-games/24273293|title=Jim McGuinness appoints new Donegal backroom trio|publisher=BBC Sport|date=25 September 2013|accessdate=26 September 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329213642/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/gaelic-games/24273293|archivedate=29 March 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.thescore.ie/donegal-jim-mcguinness-rory-gallagher-1077944-Sep2013/|title=McGuinness completes additions to Donegal backroom team for 2014|publisher=The42.ie|date=25 September 2013|accessdate=26 September 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329213800/http://www.the42.ie/donegal-jim-mcguinness-rory-gallagher-1077944-Sep2013/|archivedate=29 March 2015}} Diver was a selector when Donegal reached the 2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://donegalnews.com/2014/02/damian-diver-and-donegal-looking-to-lift-things-during-three-week-league-break/|title=Damian Diver and Donegal 'looking to lift things' during three-week League break|date=11 February 2014|accessdate=11 February 2014}}
When McGuinness departed after this game, Diver was linked with the managerial vacancy.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://donegalnews.com/2014/10/rory-gallagher-favourite-to-land-donegal-job-as-declan-bonner-says-time-isnt-right-for-me/|title=Declan Bonner says: 'Time isn't right for me'|work=Donegal News|date=9 October 2014|accessdate=9 October 2014}}
Honours
=County=
- Ulster Senior Football Championship runner-up: 1998, 2002 2004, 2006
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship runner-up: 2014 (selector)
=Club=
- Donegal Senior Football Championship: 2000?, 2004?
Notes
{{Reflist|group=note|refs=
{{refn|group=note|name=Alpha|Occasionally misspelt in some coverage as "Damien". [https://twitter.com/diver_damian He spells] it as Damian on his Twitter.}}
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Donegal Football Team 2014}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diver, Damian}}
Category:Alumni of Dublin Institute of Technology
Category:Ard an Rátha Gaelic footballers
Category:Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers
Category:Gaelic football backs