Biography
He has fought his way through a lot of adversity….escaping with his life in a terrible accident and being forced to deal with a serious blood disorder but he is still one of the best darts players that Ireland has produced and Mick McGowan won’t give up until he has tasted success again.
It really has been a big test of McGowan’s courage and determination that he still has the desire to play darts at the highest level.
And he feels like 2009/2010 could see a return to his very best…..but he has been forced to be patient.
McGowan has been diagnosed with a serious blood disorder. This results in chronic tiredness and severe joint pains. He is now on a special diet and will need a blood transfusion once a week for at least the next year, until the problem is cured.
He has lost over a stone in weight but now believes the time is right to start putting things right on the oche!
The illness has resulted in McGowan tumbling down the world rankings but he is sure that this is only a temporary blip.
“It’s all about confidence and after every setback, I will keep picking myself up again until I get it right,” he said. “I am still in the top 50 in the world and that ranking will improve!”
McGowan added: “I am feeling better and playing better and I don’t feel too far away. I certainly have a big point to prove to myself and I also have to gain the respect of the other players again.”
It has certainly been a rollercoaster ride for the genial Irishman.
He didn’t manage to qualify for the 2009 World Championship and Las Vegas Desert Classic and was an early casualty at the UK Open Finals but he has a reputation for being a real battler and that is what will surely help him back to the good times.
Mick missed four darts to beat Kirk Shepherd at the 2008 World Championship and lost in a tie-break and that was where it started to go wrong.
The low point came at his home tournament in October 2008. McGowan had spent six years trying to qualify for the World Grand Prix in Dublin but he lost in the first round to Terry Jenkins and came closing to quitting the sport altogether.
“I am putting the time in again and I know that one little break could be enough to turn it all around,” he said. “I just need one good day, one good tournament.”
His targets for the rest of the year are clear: “To get back in the world’s top 32, qualify for the World Grand Prix and World Championship.”
But it could all have been so different…..McGowan has bravely battled back from a serious car accident. He admits he was lucky to escape with his life. He takes up the story: “It was in 1995 and a truck lost control and came straight for me. It ended up on top of my car. I was very lucky to survive but I did suffer a bad back injury and was out of darts for two years. When I started throwing again, I wasn’t sure how it would work out but one day I hit a 9-darter and it convinced me to try again and I haven’t looked back.”
Unicorn snapped McGowan up after his debut at the 2007 World Championship. He had qualified for the tournament and after beating Matt Clark, the Irishman gave Phil Taylor a real run for his money. McGowan took the first set and although he lost 4-1, it was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests. He hit 10 180s and averaged 102. Taylor had to average 109 to beat him!
It all started at the age of 12. The McGowan family were all darts players. One day, somebody dropped out of his brother’s local league side…..Mick stepped in and won a match and incredibly, he was soon playing county darts for Meath. By the age of 15, he was Irish Youth Champion and helped Ireland to the quarter-finals of the World Youth Championship.
When he was just 17, McGowan was crowned full Irish Champion and was No.1 on the Emerald Isle. He was the youngest ever captain of the Irish side – aged 18 – at the Europa Cup and he proudly represented his country in two World Cup’s.
After the car accident, he made the decision to start playing a few PDC tournaments and took the plunge to go full-time on the circuit at the start of 2006. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life.
After reaching the semi-finals of both the West Tyrone Open and Antwerp Open, it all took off after he qualified for the Las Vegas Desert Classic. McGowan toppled Adrian Lewis to qualify, beat American Ray Carver in the 1st Round, before losing to Wes Newton but it was the start of a golden run.
In September 2006, McGowan won his first PDC title – beating Kevin Painter to claim the Ireland Open Classic. Soon after, he was the beaten finalist in two Players Championship events in Scotland and Holland – losing to Adrian Lewis and Colin Lloyd respectively and along came another tournament win at the Vauxhall Classic.
That is what he is capable of!
Away from the oche, Mick is a Transport Manager for Tony Dixon International, working for his sister and brother-in-law. “I owe them both a huge debt,” he said. “They give me all the time I need to play darts and I couldn’t have achieved half what I have without their understanding.”
He added: “ I get up at 6.30am and practice for a couple of hours before I go to work and then do some more at home in the evenings, so the support of my wife Debbie and daughter Denise is very much appreciated!”
Hopefully Mick McGowan will get back to the form of three years ago, when he was a real threat on the PDC circuit. Unicorn is backing the Irishman to do just that and with the belief and support, there is no reason why a fit and healthy McGowan can’t start winning tournaments again.