The locals made their way to Friels on the Kilrea Road on Sunday evening as Swatragh turned out to watch one of their own become a Giant in New York.
Jude McAtamney’s historic appearance for the New York Giants against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium was a milestone moment in his burgeoning professional career. It was also a hugely significant occasion for many in south Derry.
The 24-year-old kicker was successful with both of his efforts on his debut – an extra point attempt in the second quarter, followed by a 31-yard field goal in the third. The Giants twice opted unsuccessfully for two-point conversions during the game, which denied McAtamney further kicking opportunities. Washington won the game, 27-22.
Still, McAtamney became the first Irish-born player to score in the NFL since Dubliner Neil O’Donoghue was on target for the St Louis Cardinals in 1985.
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Michael O’Kane was one of those in Friels Bar and Restaurant on Sunday. He is chairman of the Michael Davitt’s club in Swatragh and played alongside McAtamney towards the end of his own playing days as the club’s goalkeeper.
He can remember McAtamney as a teenager booming balls over the crossbar at his ease. There were times when it looked as if the flame-haired lad was kicking balls from a different postcode.
“Jude was a very good underage performer for us,” recalls O’Kane.
“He captained various underage teams and I can still remember him at the age of 13 stroking over 45s and the distance he got on them, there was plenty of space to spare as they sailed over. Back then we thought that was amazing, and he just continued to develop and get better.
“But he wasn’t just a fantastic striker of the ball, he was a fantastic footballer as well. It wasn’t just his free-taking capabilities that made him an important player for us, his general play was at a very high level.
“I got to play a couple of games with him myself before I finished up, by then he was striking over 50/55-metre frees. He was very proficient, he was such a good striker of the ball.”
Several members of the McAtamney family have played for the club and one of his brothers, Conor (also a former Derry player), has been involved as a strength and conditioning coach as well.
“Jude’s father used to play for the club, his brothers and sisters have all played as well. They are a great family, a very humble family.”
Friels hosted what became something of an impromptu watch party on Sunday. Former team-mates, classmates and even some of his former teachers were present.
Such was the excitement around his debut, BBC turned up to document the reaction in Swatragh, as did Pro Football Ireland – a popular resource for American Football news and stories.
“There was a great buzz around the place and there were a lot of families there watching Jude,” says O’Kane.
“Whenever he scored the place was jumping. We won the intermediate hurling and the senior camogie recently but there have also been a couple of deaths in the area as well, so it has been up and down. This was a nice occasion for the community to come together.”
McAtamney won an Ulster under-20 title with Derry in 2018 and seemed destined to become a senior county player before deciding to pursue a professional career in the NFL.
McAtamney’s journey to the NFL is different from those taken by Daniel Whelan (Green Bay Packers) and Charlie Smyth (New Orleans Saints).
The former Derry player contacted David Shanahan (Georgia Tech) to see if the Kerry man could help him get in touch with Prokick, the Australian organisation specialising in training players (mostly AFL) to become NFL kickers and punters. In 2021 McAtamney earned a scholarship to Chowan University in North Carolina.
After one season in Carolina, he joined Rutgers University in New Jersey where he played for two campaigns before impressing on a pro day where NFL scouts, including those from the Giants, were in attendance.
In April, the Giants signed McAtamney through the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme but he was not promoted to the active roster until this week after kickers Greg Joseph (abdomen) and Graham Gano (hamstring) were ruled out because of injury.
The New York Giants travel to Germany next weekend where they will face the Carolina Panthers at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
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