He was a little force of nature with a spring in his step, a beaming smile on his face, and a passion for following his beloved Scotland wherever their footballers were travelling on international duty.
Joe McGunnigle was the sort of goodwill ambassador who spread cheer across more than 5o countries and at five different World Cups, as he enjoyed the heroics and endured the hangovers from his country’s flirtations with triumph and disaster.
Cancer battle
He died in January, aged 77, after finally succumbing to the cancer he has battled for the previous three years, but even now, his precious mementos and memorabilia are safely intact at the place he called home in Aberdeen.
A minute’s applause was arranged at every north-east amateur football fixture when the news emerged of his passing.
Joe would have loved that.
A minutes silence in memory of the late Joe McGunnigle@AbshireAFA @ScotAmFA pic.twitter.com/HEOiAFmgw9
— Central Scottish AFL (@csaflofficial) January 19, 2020
But then, people loved Joe and he is still missed by the many friends with whom he shared a plethora of action-packed adventures.
It might be 30 years since he was in Italy, following the fortunes of Andy Roxburgh’s team at the globe’s premier competition.
And he was as (temporarily) deflated as everybody else when his compatriots slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Costa Rica.
Yet he never allowed these setbacks to dent his zest for accentuating the positives. Or buying a postcard to send home to his wife in the Granite City.
As he said: “We got used to unexpected defeats at the World Cup, but Costa Rica were a decent team and it wasn’t an embarrassment.
“We made up for it in the next match by beating Sweden 2-1 (with goals from Stuart McCall and Mo Johnston), then it was another meeting with Brazil.
“We kept getting drawn against them (in 1974, 1982, 1990 and 1998), and couldn’t get the better of them, but we ran them close and only got edged out 1-0.
“Of course, it was disappointing, but I loved meeting up with my mates and meeting fans from other countries and football was never the be-all and end-all to me.
“I mean, you have to accept early on that you are going to have to put up with a bit of pain when you are cheering on Scotland.”
This twinkly-eyed character never relinquished his affection for Scotland and he was quick to take advantage of living in the days when his compatriots used to qualify regularly for the finals of major tournaments.
Tartan heart
Joe wasn’t simply a football aficionado, but a global traveller with a tartan heart.
As his daughter, Karen Sedgwick, told me: “Dad enoyed every excursion, all over the globe, beginning with the World Cup in Germany in 1974, when he was accompanied by my mum (his late wife Cath).
“That was the only overseas football trip which she ever went on, but she always watched the games on television and we would always try to ‘spot Dad’ in the stadium.
“He primarily travelled to watch his beloved Scotland, but he always came home with stories of his experiences with the local people from every trip.
“He was invited into family homes for meals in Mexico and Japan amongst other places. It was the hospitality he shared with so many, that made his trips memorable.
“He befriended so many people in every country he visited and his personality and love for his team left a lasting impact on every person he met.”
Joe’s journeys meant that he established bonds with scores of supporters from different countries and continents, and the response to the news of his death showed the impact he made on his hosts in these far-off locations.
Grassroots level
She added: “We recently received a message from a gentleman from Germany, who told us: ‘I met Joe 15 years ago on a bus from Lithuania to Belarus, which he had organised to see the Scotland game in Minsk.
“It was always good to meet him or hear from him, it was a pleasure to know him and we always had a good laugh together. He was a great guy, who will be sadly missed.”
So very saddened to learn of Joe's passing. An inspirational man who fought his illness face-on whilst armed with courage and a fantastic sense of humour. RIP Joe McGunnigle. pic.twitter.com/FyMk8MUM4A
— Martin Johnston 🏴 (@FitbaGeek) January 3, 2020
Joe wasn’t simply a supporter, but a wholehearted administrator in the north-east, who organised buses to take fans to Hampden Park, and worked assiduously across the region at grassroots level with many amateur and junior clubs for decades.
But he was also a true dandy Don, whose trademark tartan jacket has now been donated to the Scottish Football Museum in Glasgow.
As Karen said: “It’s important not to forget the role my Dad played in local football. He stepped down from his managerial role at Woodside in recent years, but continued to support them on the sidelines.
“He was also a member of a number of Scottish Amateur FA committees including the Scottish Amateur FA council and the North of Scotland District executive committee.
“He was not a boastful man in any way, but was incredibly proud to receive a lifetime membership award from SAFA in 2016.
“He also received the Football Association medal from AAFA in 2018, having been nominated by the current co-manager of Woodside, Dougie Gibb.”
Joe was as unstintingly resilient in his battle with cancer as everything else he did and was one of the stars of the Brave catwalk show for Friends of Anchor in 2018.
When I met him at his home with Karen, his granddaughter Cassie and his little dog, Misty – whom he loved to bits and the feeling was clearly mutual – he had recently undergone gruelling treatment for his illness.
But he refused to let it define him, joked about his last meal before a major operation being a “brilliant” fish supper at The Ashvale and carried out his modelling assignments at the Beach Ballroom with a buckle in his swash and a flashy sashay.
The World Cup adventures finished for him and Scotland in France in 1998, but it didn’t deter him from continuing to plan and revel in foreign odysseys to new places.
Even after his diagnosis, his joie-de-vivre and wanderlust never deserted him.
As Karen told me this week: “I remember, very clearly, the excitement and build-up to his departure for overseas Scotland trips.
“Depending on where he was going, this often included packing his suitcase with gifts of toys, books and pencils for local children. The photograph in Mexico sees Dad surrounded by local children and their parents.
“There was equal enthusiasm, welcoming dad home and hearing his stories of the wonderful people he encountered on his trips.
“He always sought to explore the culture and get to know the local people as far as possible, and was even invited to share meals in family homes, of local football fans.
“He relished the chance to try the cuisines of Japan, Italy, Spain, France, Mexico, Germany and numerous other countries, but he always told my mum that none were as good as her own mince and tatties.
“Thankfully, football remained a huge positive in my dad’s life when his health declined and he’d watch it on television every day with family and friends.
“He often spoke of Mexico as being his absolutely favourite trip and the local hospitality extended to him during this trip, left a lasting impression on him.
“There are so many lovely people who have shared wonderful memories of their football trips with my dad.
“He touched many people with his enthusiasm, commitment and sheer love of the game and despite not being able to follow his teams in person latterly, he did in spirit.
“He was always incredibly happy to share footballing nostalgia with everyone.”
It’s a heartfelt tribute to a blithe spirit who never saw Scotland lift a major trophy – although he celebrated Aberdeen’s European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph in 1983.
And, for many of us, Joe was a champion in his own right.