An amateur throughout his career, Kevin McGarry was the first recipient of the Ulster Player of the Year Award in 1951. An inside-forward he played Gaelic Football before signing for Belfast Celtic in 1946 and three years later he joined Cliftonville for whom he scored a club record 172 goals in 11 seasons. He was still the club’s record goalscorer more than 50 years later. Despite such a long career his only domestic honour was a runners-up medal in the County Antrim Shield in 1950-51. But his talent was recognised with many representative honours including 15 amateur international appearances between 1948-55, in which he scored 11 goals. And in 15 appearances representing the Irish League he scored a further 12 goals. Despite being an amateur he won three full Northern Ireland International caps in 1950-51 and was selected for the 1952 Olympic Games, although he did not start. He played his last game for Cliftonville in 1961 and had a few games at the end of his career in the League of Ireland with Sligo Rovers and Dundalk. He later returned to Cliftonville in a coaching capacity and eventually became the club president. When he gained his first representative honour in 1948 McGarry was studying at Queen’s University and he later became a doctor. Belfast actor and comedian Tim McGarry is Kevin’s nephew.
GBR