'A sporting giant': Tributes as Mick O'Dwyer, legendary Kerry GAA figure, dies aged 88

LAST UPDATE | 17 hrs ago

MICK O’DWYER, ONE of the most prominent figures in the history of the GAA, has passed away at the age of 88.

Regarded as one of one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport, ’Micko’ was an iconic presence in the Kingdom as both player and manager.

While his incredible management career led to the idea of a ‘manager’ in Gaelic Games, he was a remarkable footballer and made his debut in the 1956-57 league season, facing Carlow in October 1956.

He went on to win four All-Irelands, eleven Munster medals and seven league titles during his playing days, while he also lost five All-Ireland finals.

Having retired as a player, he immediately took over as manager in 1974 at the age of 38.

Kerry’s longest serving manager oversaw eight All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) wins, including a then record-equalling four-in-a-row between 1978 and 1981, and a three-in-a-row between 1984 and 1986.

Micko had further success as a manager, leading Kildare and Laois to Leinster titles and guiding Wicklow to a Tommy Murphy Cup win.

The Waterville man’s intercounty career lasted well into his seventies, until he retired as Clare manager in 2014 at the age of 77.

‘A sporting giant’

Taoiseach Micheál Martin led tributes to O’Dwyer this morning, describing him “as an icon of Gaelic Games”.

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“Micko lived and breathed Gaelic football. He embodied everything good about the game – dedication, ambition, positivity and community,” Martin said.

“Kerry, and all of us, were lucky to have him. His sporting legacy is unmatched.”

Jack O’Connor, the current Kerry football manager, said he was given “plenty of advice” from O’Dwyer, remembering the GAA giant as “a great man”.

“The GAA has a lot to be thankful for, he was such a great ambassador for the sport,” O’Connor told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

GAA President Jarlath Burns said that O’Dwyer was “quite simply, the man with the Midas touch”.

Burns praised the “charismatic, clever and a shrewd judge of character”, hailing is achievements in the sport as “magic”.

“There will only ever be one Micko, and while his passing is an enormous loss to his close family and great many friends, amongst the wider GAA family his memory will forever be celebrated and remembered, and we will be forever thankful that he was one of our own,” Burns said.

Tánaiste Simon Harris also paid tribute to the late footballer, saying O’Dwyer’s  contribution to Irish sport and community life was “extraordinary”.

“I was always struck by his warmth and kindness, his great sense of leadership and his ability to get the best out of young athletes,” Harris said.

“A sporting giant has left us, may he rest in peace”.

President Michael D Higgins similarly described O’Dwyer as “one of the greatest figures ever to be associated with Gaelic Games”.

“My deepest sympathies to Mick’s family, teammates, former players, and all of his many friends,” Higgins said.