Eleven years since Cormac left us
March 02, 2015
Tyrone great Cormac McAnallen
Today marks the 11th anniversary of the death of Tyrone football star Cormac McAnallen.
The much-missed Eglish clubman died suddenly on March 2, 2004 from a rare viral infection of the heart. He was only 24. He had captained Tyrone to a comfortable McKenna Cup final victory over Donegal in Ballybofey just eight days earlier.
In his short life, Cormac achieved more than what most of us can only dream of. In 1998 and 2000, he captained Tyrone to All-Ireland minor and U21 glory, and also won a Sigerson Cup medal with Queen's University in 2000.
He was honoured with the Young Footballer of the Year award in 2001 before going on to win National League and All-Ireland senior honours with his county two years later. He also received an All Star award in 2003 and represented Ireland in the International Rules series.
Following his death, the cup that is presented to the winning team in the International Rules series was named after Cormac. In January 2005, the Cormac McAnallens GAC was also founded in Sydney, Australia.
The Cormac Trust was set up by Cormac's family, with the assistance of the Tyrone county board, to raise awareness of sudden cardiac deaths in young people and its causes.
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