Mark McGowan

Mark McGowan (born 31 May 1988) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for St Eunan's and, at all levels, the Donegal county team. Known for his defensive play, he could also play further forward in attack and was considered tailor-made for "The System" deployed by Jim McGuinness. Considered the best left cornerback in his age group in the province of Ulster in 2006, a persistent hip injury forced him to retire from the game at the age of just 25. Early life McGowan was educated at St Eunan's College. In 2007, in his final year at school, he was part of a team that won a silver medal at the All-Ireland Higher Maths national finals, a competition for Higher Level Mathematic students. He, of course, played Gaelic football for each of the school's teams, where his preference was for defence and his favourite position was left cornerback. His anticipation and ability to read the flow of a game along with his speed were noted as assets to his game.