Michael Hegarty
Donegal Gaelic footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Hegarty is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team.
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Alongside Johnny McLoone, Barry Monaghan and Eamon Reddin, he played in a minor team that nearly qualified for the 1996 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final.[1]
He made 50 championship appearances, a team record when set in 2011 and not exceeded until Colm McFadden made his 51st championship appearance against Derry in the Ulster quarter-final on 25 May 2014.[2] He broke the record at 46 in the Ulster SFC quarter-final against Cavan where, though named to start, he appeared as an early substitute for Martin McElhinney.[3][4]
He started Mickey Moran's first game in charge of Donegal, a league win at home to Offaly in October 2000.[5]
He started the first game of Brian McEniff's last spell as Donegal manager, a league defeat to Galway in Tuam in February 2003.[6]
He played in the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final against Armagh.[7]
In 2007, Hegarty was part of the Donegal team that won the county's first National Football League title. They defeated Mayo in the final, with Hegarty playing the full game.[8][9]
Hegarty was not part of the 2010 county panel but newly appointed Donegal manager Jim McGuinness called him into the 2011 Dr McKenna Cup panel.[10] He played in the 2011 Ulster Senior Football Championship final against Derry, scoring 0–2 as Donegal won the competition for the first time in 19 years.[11] He retired at the end of the season, with 127 senior appearances for Donegal.[1]
He won the 2017 Donegal Senior Football Championship, scoring a point in the final. It was the first time his club had won the title in 24 years, having been defeated by Glenswilly at the same stage the previous year.[12] He played in the SFC for the hundredth time for his club in October 2021.[13][14]
Having transferred to Naomh Ultan, Hegarty returned to his native club as manager in 2024.[15][16] He was manager for the 2024 Donegal Senior Football Championship,[17] shortly after leading his club to the Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta Senior Championship title.[18]