The world of Gaelic games is in mourning following the death of former Derry and Cavan manager Eamonn Coleman after a long illness.
Coleman, who was 59, will go down in history as the man who guided Derry to their only All-Ireland title in 1993.
The colourful, and often controversial, Coleman was sensationally sacked by Derry the following year but returned to succeed Brian Mullins in 1999.
Coleman took Derry to National League titles in 1992 and 2000.
A native of Ballymcguigan in south County Derry, Coleman won an All-Ireland minor medal in 1965 and was an Under-21 winner three years later.
A non-smoker and non-drinker, it was as a manager that he set himself apart.
In the late 1980s Coleman was a key figure in the UUJ Sigerson Cup breakthrough team. Along with Belfast man Charlie Sweeney, "wee Eamonn " steered Jordanstown to inter-varsity wins in 1986 and 1987.
606: DEBATE
Coleman was handed the reigns of the Derry senior team in 1990 and first tasted success as a manager in 1992, landing the National League title.
But 1993 was to be his defining year, when he guided the Oak Leaf county to All-Ireland senior success with his son Gary among the victorious players.
In July he had masterminded the defeat of the then champions Donegal in the Ulster provincial decider.
The defeat of Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final left Derry in a September showdown with Cork. Coleman's boys did not disappoint, the Sam Maguire cup was on its way to Derry for the first time.
Barely a year later, defeat to Down in Celtic Park in one of the great Championship matches, cost Eamonn Coleman his job.
Coleman's departure caused huge divisions in Derry football although his successor Mickey Moran did steer the county to the National League title seven months later.
However, Moran, who had been team trainer during Coleman's reign, departed from the job after less than a year in charge, unable to quell the civil war that had broken out in Derry football and following defeat against Tyrone in a titantic Ulster Championship clash.
Following a brief flirtation with Longford in the mid-1990s, Coleman then drifted into club management in Cavan, but by 2000 he had returned to Derry and brought them yet another National League title.
Coleman led Derry to another Ulster final appearance a few months later but they were narrowly edged out by Armagh.
The Ballymaguigan man announced his resignation after the defeat but was persuaded to change stay on and a year later, an All-Ireland final appearance looked on the cards as they led Galway by five points midway in the second half at Croke Park only for things to dramatically unravel for the Oak Leafers.
It was a heartbreaking defeat and a disappointing championship season a year later saw Coleman make his final departure from the Derry job.
Within a year Coleman had returned to the intercounty scene as Cavan boss but after a promising start to his Breffni reign, illness forced him to step down from the position in 2005.
Coleman's typically battling spirit came to the fore as he fought valiantly against cancer and he appeared to have beaten the disease last year.
However, the illness re-emerged in recent months and he passed away on Monday evening.
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