John McKnight (Gaelic footballer)

John McKnight, who lived from 1932 until 9 July 2017, was a Gaelic footballer whose league and championship career at senior level with the Armagh county team lasted seven seasons from 1953 to 1959. Born in Killeavy, County Armagh, into a family with no immediate link to Gaelic games, he first played with Ballybot in the Newry street leagues, and he and his three brothers all lined out for Armagh in time. He won a Rannafast Cup medal at Abbey CBS Grammar School and Sigerson Cup medals with University College Dublin in 1954 and 1956, then played for Aodh Ruadh in Ballyshannon and Belturbet in Cavan after graduating in law. He won an All-Ireland minor medal in 1949, an Ulster junior medal in 1951 and an Ulster senior medal in his debut season, and he was an All-Ireland runner-up in 1953.