{{Short description|Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=March 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox Gaelic games player |image = |name = Tony Scullion |nickname = Scud<ref>[http://hoganstand.com/Derry/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=65178 'Scullion, Tony']. Hoganstand, 1 May 1992. Retrieved 12 March 2025</ref> |occupation = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|2|6|df=yes}} |birth_place = [[Moneyneany]], [[Northern Ireland]] |height = {{convert|1.8|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}} |sport = Gaelic football, hurling |code = Football |county = Derry |province = Ulster |club = [[Ballinascreen GAC|Ballinascreen]] |clyears = 1978–2000 |clposition = Full-back |clapps(points) = |clcounty = |clprovince = |clallireland = |counties = [[Derry county football team|Derry]] |icyears = 1983–1996 |icposition = Full-back |icapps(points) = |icprovince = 2 |icallireland = 1 |nfl = 3 |allstars = 4 |clupdate = |icupdate = }}

'''Anthony Scullion''' ({{langx|ga|Antóin Ó Scolláin}}; born 6 February 1962), often known as '''Scud''', is a former [[Gaelic games]] [[dual player]] who played [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] with [[Derry GAA|Derry]] in the 1980s and 1990s. He was part of Derry's [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1993|1993 All-Ireland Championship]]-winning side, also lifting the [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] in 1987 and 1993. He has three [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] medals. With Derry footballers he usually played in the full-back line and is regarded as one of the best of his generation.<ref>{{ Cite journal | date = 29 May 1994 | journal = 1994 Ulster Championship Quarter Final Programme | title= Derry Pen Pics }}</ref> He twice represented Ireland in the International Rules series. Scullion played club football and hurling with [[Ballinascreen GAC|St Colm's GAC Ballinascreen]].

Scullion is among the few players who won four [[GAA All Stars Awards|All Stars]] and was named full-back on the ''Irish News'' Team of the Decade in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.irishnews.com/allstars/decade.html|title= Team of the Decade|access-date=2007-12-31 }}</ref> The public voted him on to the All-Time Derry Football Team via an online poll in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.derrygaa.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=407&Itemid=173|title= All-Time Derry Senior Football Team|access-date=2008-01-21}}</ref> In 2008, he was a candidate for the vacant Derry Senior football manager's job.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/7608760.stm |title=McCloskey among Derry candidates |access-date=2008-09-11 |work=BBC Sport Online |date=2008-09-10 }}</ref> Previous clubs he has managed include Ballinascreen, Kildress and Eglish. He was [[Ulster GAA|Ulster]] assistant manager to [[Joe Kernan (Gaelic footballer)|Joe Kernan]] for the 2008 [[Railway Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Campbell |title=Ulster looking strong for Rules ties |work=[[Belfast Telegraph]] |date=22 September 2008 |access-date=9 December 2008|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/gaa/ulster-looking-strong-for-rules-ties-13979725.html }}</ref>

He was a member of the Football Review Committee that recommended that a black card be brought into play for deliberate fouls, "cynical behaviour infractions", from the 2014 season onwards; Scullion believes the black card to have been a great success.<ref>Niall McCoy, [https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2023/1221/1423288-the-gaas-black-card-a-decade-of-debate/ 'The GAA's black card - a decade of debate']. RTÉ Sport, 1 January 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2025</ref>

==Personal life== Born in [[Moneyneany]], [[County Londonderry]], Northern Ireland, Scullion attended the local St Eoghan's Primary School, before going to secondary school at [[St Colm's High School, Draperstown|St Colm's]], [[Draperstown]]. After a further year at Magherafelt Technical College, he went on to work as a labourer for 13 years.<ref name="hall of fame">{{cite web |url= https://www.irishabroad.com/Sports/gaa/fame/tonyscullion.asp|title= GAA Hall of Fame - Tony Scullion|access-date=2008-01-14 }}</ref> He also worked as football development officer for the [[Ulster GAA|Ulster Council]].<ref name="council">{{cite web|url=http://ulster.gaa.ie/staff/tScullion.html |title=Comhairle Uladh CLG - Staff - Tony Scullion |access-date=2008-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121152328/http://www.ulster.gaa.ie/staff/tScullion.html |archive-date=2007-11-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2025 Scullion was coaching Gaelic football in Northern Ireland's prisons.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0kxk831 'The GGA Social. Tony Scullion - The life & times of a footballing giant (20:30)']. BBC Sport, 11 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025</ref>

==Football career== Scullion was a late developer and never played minor football for Derry. In his last year of eligibility the county's U-21 team won the 1983 Ulster Championship and were runners-up to Mayo in the [[All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship]] after a replay.

Playing at full-back, Scullion was man of the match in both the 1987 and 1993 [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] finals. Derry defeated [[Donegal GAA|Donegal]] in the 1993 decider in torrential rain at [[St. Tiernach's Park|Clones]], during which he made a crucial diving block. Derry went on to win the [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1993|1993 All-Ireland Championship]] after a semi-final victory over [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] and final defeat of [[Cork GAA|Cork]].

With Derry, Scullion also collected three [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] medals in 1992, 1995 and 1996.

Scullion's four [[GAA All Stars Awards]] in 1987, 1992, 1993 and 1995 are a record for a defender from Ulster. He shares the record for his county with [[Anthony Tohill]].

Along with [[Armagh GAA|Armagh's]] Martin McQuillan, Scullion won six consecutive [[Interprovincial Championship|Interprovincial Championship/Railway Cup]] medals with [[Ulster GAA|Ulster]] between 1989 and 1995, to equal the mark of Cork's [[Christy Ring]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Kieran |last=Shannon |title=Local rivalry that led to greatness |url=http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=Tribune%2FSport%2FGAA&id=88812&SUBCAT=Tribune%2FSport |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073057/http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=Tribune%2FSport%2FGAA&id=88812&SUBCAT=Tribune%2FSport |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-03-04 |work=Sunday Tribune |date=2008-06-02 |access-date=2008-06-02 }}</ref>

He was runner-up on three occasions for Ballinascreen in the [[Derry Senior Football Championship]].

==Hurling career== Scullion was also a keen [[hurling|hurler]] for both Ballinascreen and Derry. He played in five [[Derry Senior Hurling Championship]] finals and was man of the match in the 1989 final, despite never winning a final. He played for the Derry hurling team between 1983 and 1991.

He was part of the Derry side that were runners-up to [[Down GAA|Down]] in the 1988 All-Ireland B final.

==Honours== ===Football=== ====County==== *[[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] (1): 1993 *[[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] (3): 1992, 1995, 1996 *[[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] (2): 1987, 1993 *[[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] runner-up: 1985, 1992 *[[Dr McKenna Cup]] (1): 1993 *[[All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship]] runner-up (1): 1983 *[[Ulster Under-21 Football Championship]] (1): 1983

====Club==== *[[Derry Senior Football Championship]] runner-up (3): 1990, 1992, 1994 *Derry Reserve Football Championship (1): 2000 *Derry Senior Football League Title (1): 1994

====Province==== *[[Railway Cup]] (6): 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995

====Individual==== *[[GAA All Stars Awards|All Star]] (4): 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995 *[[GAA All Stars Awards|All Star]] nomination (1): 1996<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Campbell |title=Ulster's 15 'stars' |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/imported/ulsters-15-stars-13856662.html |work=[[Belfast Telegraph]] |date=1996-10-26 |access-date=2008-10-03 }}</ref> *[[Irish News Ulster GAA All-Stars Awards|Irish News Ulster All Stars Team of the Decade (1995-2004)]] *[[Irish News Ulster GAA All-Stars Awards|Irish News Ulster GAA All-Star]] (1): 1995 *Derry Senior Football captain: 1989, 1995 *Captain Derry National League-winning side: 1995 *Captain Ulster Railway Cup-winning side: 1991 *Represented Ireland in International Rules series (2): 1987, 1990

===Hurling=== ====County==== *All-Ireland Senior 'B' Hurling Championship runner-up (1): 1988

====Club==== *[[Derry Senior Hurling Championship]] runner-up (5):

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://hoganstand.com/Derry/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=65178 ''Hogan Stand'' article on Tony Scullion] *[https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/sport/gaa/derry-hero-tony-scullion-recalls-27739247 2023 interview with ''Belfast Live''] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081031221259/http://ulster.gaa.ie/council/staff/ Ulster GAA profile (as Football Development Officer)] *[https://www.irishabroad.com/Sports/gaa/fame/tonyscullion.asp Interview with Irish Abroad's Séamas Mac Giolla Fhinnéin]

{{s-start}} {{s-sports|gaa}} {{succession box | before=[[Henry Downey]] | title=[[Derry county football team|Derry]] senior football [[Captain (Gaelic games)|captain]] | years=1995 | after=[[Henry Downey]] }} {{s-end}}

{{Navboxes |title=Derry squads |bg=white |fg=#E00000 |bordercolor=#E00000 |list1= {{Derry NFL Team 1992}} {{Derry Football Team 1993}} {{Derry NFL Team 1995}} {{Derry NFL Team 1996}} }} {{Navboxes |title=Awards |bg=gold |fg=black |list1= {{1987 All Stars}} {{1992 All Stars}} {{1993 All Stars}} {{1995 All Stars}} {{Derry All Stars record}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scullion, Tony}} [[Category:1962 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Ballinascreen Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Ballinascreen hurlers]] [[Category:Derry inter-county Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Derry inter-county hurlers]] [[Category:Dual players]] [[Category:Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football)]] [[Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen]]