Did you know Jim McGuinness took charge of Donegal for the 100th time? Or did he?

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness celebrates after the Ulster SFC final win over Armagh in May

placeholder image — Donegal manager Jim McGuinness celebrates after the Ulster SFC final win over Armagh in May

One number the Glenties native might have overlooked, like many others, the day Donegal beat Mayo in Roscommon last month is that he had just been in charge for his 100th game as manager

Not long after Donegal’s victory over Mayo at Hyde Park in Roscommon last month, manager Jim McGuinness stood in the evening sunshine and spoke to the assembled media outside the dressing rooms as his panel boarded the team bus.

With Ciaran Moore having struck the final blow in the 0-19 to 1-15 win, Donegal had assured themselves of second-place - and therefore a home preliminary All-Ireland quarter-final - in Group 1 of the round-robin stage.

McGuinness had his numbers prepared as he quoted the shorter distance Mayo had to travel when compared to Donegal, and how he felt other venues like Cavan and Clones were overlooked.

The issue has long since been put to bed and it’s one that certainly doesn’t need to be resurrected. But one number McGuinness might have overlooked, like many others, is that he had just been in charge for his 100th game as Donegal manager.

As usual in such cases, it was left to Fr Sean Ó Gallchóir, the Donegal GAA historian, to tot up the numbers and put everyone right. Since Roscommon, the curate has shared weekly stats, such as Ciaran Thompson lining out for Donegal for the 50th time in the championship - all in succession since his 2016 debut against Dublin - against Louth.

Fr Ó Gallchóir also let it be known that Michael Langan would hit the 100-appearance mark against Monaghan in the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final and that Shaun Patton is on 99 heading into the semi-final against Meath on Sunday week.

Ahead of that same game, McGuinness is officially on 102, although he has only been in charge of Donegal 99 times. Following the All-Ireland SFC success of 2012, the panel and management went on a holiday to Dubai between Christmas and New Year and with the Dr McKenna Cup getting underway on January 9, charge of the competition was passed onto U-21 manager Maxi Curran.

McGuinness was back from the sun and watched on from the Brewster Park press box for Donegal’s opening fixture, as an inexperienced team lost out 2-15 to 2-7 against Fermanagh on a night at Brewster Park that was so cold you could see your own breath.

Kevin McFadden, Sean McGarvey (both Cloughaneely), Ciaran Cannon (Letterkenny Gaels), Packie Mailey (St Mary’s Convoy) and Willie Gillespie (Naomh Colmcille) were given first starts with St Eunan’s Caolan Ward, Glenswilly’s Leon Kelly and Kilcar’s Pauric Carr on as subs for first appearances.

McGuinness continued his role of spectator for the other two fixtures. Donegal then went down 3-16 to 1-5 against Monaghan in Ballybofey, with Cory Gallagher from Dungloe and James Carroll of Gaoth Dobhair making debuts.

Then, in their third outing, goals from Letterkenny’s Ross Wherity and Conor Gibbons sealed a 1-14 to 2-10 victory over St Mary’s College, Belfast. Donegal handed first senior appearances to Kilcar’s Eoin McHugh and Naomh Conaill’s John O’Malley from the start, while Adi O’Gara (Naomh Muire), Carr (Kilcar) and Michael Cannon (St Michael’s) were making their first starts, having appeared as subs previously in the competition.

All in all, as perverse as it sounds, McGuinness will manage Donegal for the 100th time in the All-Ireland semi-final next week, although he has officially been manager for 102, as the 2013 Dr McKenna Cup was still technically on his watch.

McGuinness took the Donegal U-21s to an Ulster title in 2010 and lost out in the All-Ireland final 1-10 to 1-8 against Dublin in Cavan. He had shown enough to be named as Donegal senior team manager that July.

Between the year dot and then, Donegal had won five Ulster SFC titles - in 1972, 1974, 1983, 1990 and 1992, when they won Sam Maguire for the first time in their history, when 19-year-old McGuinness was on the panel but had not played competitively.

Brian McEniff was in charge of all of those successes. Donegal, by 2010 when McGuinness was appointed, had reached All-Ireland SFC semi-finals in each of those five seasons, plus a sixth in 2003 through the qualifiers’ system, losing all but one.

McGuinness, over two spells, is now in his sixth season as Donegal manager - 2011-14 and 2024-25 - and, like McEniff, has now won five provincial crowns. They came in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2024 and this season, and he has now reached five All-Ireland SFC semi-finals. Outside of McEniff and McGuinness, no other Donegal manager made that stage.

As Donegal manager over those 102 matches, Donegal have played 41 in the championship, coming out on top in 34 - although the 2024 Ulster SFC was won on penalties 5-4 following a 0-20 apiece draw with Armagh after extra-time - and losing just seven.

Those championship wins have come against Tyrone 5, Derry 5; Cavan 3, Down 3, Monaghan 3, Armagh 3 (one on pens); Antrim 2, Mayo 2, Louth 2; Kildare, Kerry, Cork, Laois, Dublin, Clare. No team has beaten McGuinness twice with the seven defeats against Dublin, Monaghan, Mayo, Kerry, Cork, Galway and Tyrone.

In total, Donegal have won 66 of the 102, drawn six if you include the 2024 Ulster SFC final, and lost 30.

His first match was the 0-14 to 0-10 2011 Dr McKenna Cup win over University of Ulster Jordanstown, the largest winning margin was the 2-23 to 0-5 victory over Clare in last year’s round-robin stage in Castlebar and the biggest score amassed was last month’s 3-26 against Cavan.

So, a bit like Langan at Croke Park on Saturday, and whether you want to call it 100 or 103, McGuinness might soon be getting his piece of ornamental glass from the county board. You’d presume, though, at this stage in the game, he’d be more interested in taking Sam back to the Hills.