View source for Mickey Linden

{{Short description|Irish Gaelic footballer}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox Gaelic Athletic Association player
| image = 
| name = Michael Linden
| irish = 
| feet = 5
| inches = 10
| occupation = 
| sport = Gaelic Football / Athletics
| code = Football
| county = Down
| province = Ulster
| clposition = Full forward
| club = [[Mayobridge GAA|Mayobridge]]
| clyears = 1980–2008
| clapps(points) = 
| clcounty = 7
| clprovince = 
| clubs = [[Mayobridge GAA|Mayobridge]]
| counties = [[Down GAA|Down]]
| icposition = Right corner forward
| icyears = 1982–2003
| icapps(points) = 9–64
| icprovince = 3
| icallireland = 2
| nfl = 1
| allstars = 1
| birth_place = [[Newry]], [[County Down]], [[Northern Ireland]]
| icupdate = 00:21, 21 August 2009 (UTC)
| clupdate = 
}}

'''Michael Rory Linden''' is an [[Irish people|Irish]] [[Gaelic football]]er who played for [[Down GAA|Down]] in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He was part of the Down team that won the [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] in [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1991|1991]] and [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1994|1994]].<ref name="IN athletics">{{cite news |first=Bimpe |last=Archer |title=Down GAA legend bags gold on athletics track |work=[[The Irish News]] |page=1 |date=20 August 2009 |accessdate=20 August 2009 |url=http://www.irishnews.com/appnews/540/5860/2009/8/20/625436_391170189097DownGAAl.html |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122045514/http://www.irishnews.com/appnews/540/5860/2009/8/20/625436_391170189097DownGAAl.html |archive-date=22 January 2016}}</ref> Linden also won two [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]]s and a [[National Football League (Ireland)|National League]] title with Down. In 1994 he also won an [[GAA All Stars Awards|All Star award]] and was named [[Texaco Footballer of the Year]].

Linden usually played as a [[Gaelic football and Hurling positions|corner forward]]. He was renowned for his speed,<ref name="IN athletics"/><ref name="ul_125 - down shortlist">{{cite news |title=Ulster's 125 - Down shortlist |work=[[The Irish News]] |date=February 2009 |accessdate=17 August 2009 |url=http://irishnews125.blogspot.com/2009/02/125-down-player-list.html }}</ref> "electrifying skills", turn of foot and accuracy in front of the posts with both feet.<ref name="ul_125 - down shortlist"/> He "tore defences apart with his pace and scoring power"<ref name="ul_125 - down shortlist"/> and "took the best back lines to the cleaners".<ref name="ulster_125">{{cite news|title=Ulster's 125 - The province's 125 best footballers since 1884 |work=[[The Irish News]] |date=20 March 2009 |accessdate=17 August 2009 |url=http://www.irishnews.com/125/125flip.html |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122045515/http://www.irishnews.com/125/125flip.html |archive-date=22 January 2016 }}</ref> Linden is among the top twenty all-time top Ulster scorers in Championship football. His understanding with Down play-maker [[Greg Blaney]] has been described as "near telepathic".<ref name="ulster_125"/> In 2009 ''[[The Irish News]]'' named him as one of the all-time best 125 footballers from Ulster.<ref name="ulster_125"/>
{{TOC limit|limit=3}}

==Personal life==
Linden is from [[Mayobridge]], [[County Down]], is married and has three sons.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

==Playing career==

===Club===
Linden played club football for [[Mayobridge GAA|Mayobridge]]. He won the [[Down Senior Football Championship]] on eight occasions, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and was twice beaten finalist twice in the [[Ulster Senior Club Football Championship]].

===Inter-county===

===Minor & Under 21===

====Senior====
Linden made his Down [[List of Gaelic Games terminology#S|Senior]] debut in Oct 1981.<ref name="IN athletics"/> In 1983 he won the [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]] with the county.<ref name="ulster_125"/> Down reached the 1986 [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] final, but were beaten by [[Tyrone GAA|Tyrone]].<ref name="stra">{{cite news|first=Ronan |last=McSherry |title=Mourne great Blaney recalls some past Red Hand tussles |work=The Strabane Chronicle |date=5 June 2008 |accessdate=18 August 2009 |url=http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/SC/free/344473631394717.php |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828000038/http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/SC/free/344473631394717.php |archive-date=28 August 2008 }}</ref>

In [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1991|1991]] he won his first Ulster Championship medal,<ref name="ulster_125"/> with Down beating [[Donegal GAA|Donegal]] in the decider. Down defeated [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]] in the All-Ireland semi-final, before beating [[Meath GAA|Meath]] in the All-Ireland final. The success was Down's first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title since 1968.<ref name="ulster_125"/>

Linden won a second Ulster Championship medal with Down in [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1994|1994]] - overcoming Tyrone comfortably in the decider.<ref name="stra"/> Victories over [[Cork GAA|Cork]] in the All-Ireland semi-final and [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] in the final gave Linden another All-Ireland Senior medal. For his performances that year he received an [[GAA All Stars Awards|All Star award]] and named [[Texaco Footballer of the Year]].<ref name="ulster_125"/>

Linden reached further Ulster finals with Down in 1996, 1999 and 2003. He retired from inter-county football in 2003.

==Honours==
===Inter-county===
* 2 [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] 1991, 1994
* 2 [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] 1991, 1994
* 1 [[Ulster Under-21 Football Championship]] 1984
* 1 [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League Division 1]] 1983
* 2 [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League Division 2]] 1982, 1988
* 1 [[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League Division 3]] 1997

===Club===
* 7 [[Down Senior Football Championship]] 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
* 5 Down Senior Football League Division 1 1993, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004
* 1 Down Junior Football Championship 1981
* 1 Down Minor Football Championship 1980
* 1 Down Senior Football League Division 4 1980
* 1 Down Senior Football League Division 3 1981
* 1 Down Senior Football League Division 2 1990

===Individual===
* 1 [[GAA All Stars Awards|All Star]] 1994
* 1 [[Texaco Footballer of the Year]] 1994
* 1 Irish News Ulster All-Stars 1995
* In May 2020, the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' named Linden as one of the "dozens of brilliant players" who narrowly missed selection for its "Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years".<ref>{{cite news|first=Martin|last=Breheny|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/the-greatest-players/revealed-the-top-20-footballers-in-ireland-over-the-past-50-years-39244335.html|title=Revealed: The Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date=30 May 2020|accessdate=30 May 2020}}</ref>

==Athletics==
In 2009 Linden joined Dunleer Athletics Club,<ref name="IN athletics"/> at the behest of former [[Tyrone GAA|Tyrone]] footballer Patsy Forbes.<ref name="IN athletics"/> Later that year at the age of 46 and six years after retiring from inter-county football - Linden added to his All-Ireland medal haul.<ref name="IN athletics"/> In the 2009 Irish Over-45 Championships in [[Tullamore]], [[Offaly]] he won two golds and a silver in the 45–50 category.<ref name="IN athletics"/> He was first in both the [[100 metres]] and [[long jump]] and finished runner-up in the [[200 metres]].<ref name="IN athletics"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.hoganstand.com/Down/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=48490 Interview with Hogan Stand magazine]
*[http://www.downgaa.net/ Official Down GAA website]

{{Navboxes
|title=Down squads
|bg=red
|fg=black
|list1=
{{Down Football Team 1983}}
{{Down Football Team 1991}}
{{Down Football Team 1994}}
}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Awards
|bg=gold
|list1=
{{1994 All Stars}}
{{Texaco Footballer of the Year}}
{{All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final Man of the Match}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Linden, Mickey}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Down inter-county Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Gaelic football forwards]]
[[Category:Mayobridge Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:People from Mayobridge]]
[[Category:Winners of two All-Ireland medals (Gaelic football)]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Newry]]