FORMER KERRY PLAYER Jimmy Deenihan says the legend of Mick O’Dwyer “will endure” following his passing at the age of 88.
Deenihan is among the former players and GAA figures in Kerry who have paid tribute to O’Dwyer, and his decorated career as both a player and manager.
He leaves behind an incredible legacy both as a player and manager which includes eight All-Ireland senior titles as Kerry boss. Later in his career, he managed Kildare to two Leinster championships as well as an All-Ireland final where they were defeated by Galway in 1998. He delivered Leinster success again with Laois and also enjoyed stints with Clare and Wicklow.
“It’s a sad day for the whole GAA community and the sporting community because he was revered and respected across all sports,” Deenihan began on RTÉ Radio 1′s Morning Ireland today.
“I have great memories of Micko going right back to the early 70s when I was a student and I used to go to America with him to play football. We had a very close friendship and I was on his team up to 1982 and I had great respect for him as a trainer. He was one of the greatest managers ever.
“He went out to look for the best training methods. Before he started training us, he went to Manchester United and I think Liverpool. He changed the whole method of training for Gaelic Football in Kerry. He was exceptional for his time, way ahead of his time.
“His legend will endure and he will be remembered as long as GAA is played.”
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Mick O'Dwyer urging on his players in the 1985 All-Ireland final. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Deenihan also spoke on the Kerry Today programme on Radio Kerry, where he touched on O’Dwyer’s instinct for ensuring his players were properly cared, something he said was rare for that era.
“He made sure we were presented properly on the pitch. I remember in 1975, we went out with tracksuits. He was into player welfare before other managers were. He always made sure there was a physio available at our training, and that we got the best of treatment. I was with him in Laois along with Eoin Liston and player welfare was very important. When it came to unveiling his statue, he insisted I should unveil it, which was an honour.
“I saw him in Kenmare and he wasn’t saying much. He was watching a match on television and he made a few comments about it so he was still steeped in sport. He had his senses right up to the end.”
Ogie Moran, who was one of the key players from that Kerry side that captured eight All-Ireland titles, also paid tribute on Radio Kerry. His career began at the same time as O’Dwyer’s appointment in 1974, something which Moran has always been grateful for.
“Mick was manager all through my career. He was a huge influence on my life. He was iconic and passionate. I was fortunate to be chosen and you’d put your life on hold for those 12 or 13 years. It was just a marvellous journey.
“You’d be terrible fond of him. He was a great player as well and he looked after his players. He was a one-man band at times; he did it all himself. It’s not easy to keep people hungry who have won for four or five years. We were as hungry the next year as we were the first year. He had a great understanding of fitness, he was like Vincent O’Brien with the horses.
“And he had the bit of magic and roguery. But you never got too close to him, you always had that huge respect for him. Even with team talks, it was just all his own passion. I was so honoured to have him for so long.”
Mickey Ned O’Sullivan was both a team-mate of O’Dwyer’s and played under him during his career.
“I played with him,” he told Radio Kerry.
“I played under him and I worked for four years from ’84 to ’87 in the management team with him. He had a great sense of humour. He liked interacting with people and with players, he knew what buttons to press. Psychology came naturally to him and he knew the personalities of [his] players. Teams were treated collectively by managers. Mick treated people individually in order to get peak performance.
“He could define roles and expectations from the word go. He had a job to do and there was no preferential treatment. You either performed or you didn’t. It was all in the interest of Kerry football.”
"I had a marvellous run, but wasn't I lucky to be born in Kerry?" - @MartyMofficial looks back on the remarkable life of the great Mick O'Dwyer, who has died aged 88. #RTEgaapic.twitter.com/h9PVhDYOWi
O’Sullivan also touched on a low point in O’Dwyer’s tenure when Offaly stopped their famous drive for five All-Ireland triumphs in a row, which was unprecedented for that time.
“When Kerry were beaten by Offaly for the five-in-a-row, most managers would have retired at that stage. Mick decided to rebuild the team. He took two years and it was about succession planning. He brought in enough players to win three more All-Irelands. That was his greatest achievement.”
When asked to sum up O’Dwyer, O’Sullivan simply replied:
“Determined. Determined. Determined.”
Current Kerry manager Jack O’Connor spoke on Morning Ireland about a meeting he had with O’Dwyer in 2022, shortly after guiding the Kingdom to All-Ireland success.
“I went to visit my parents’ grave in New Chapel Cross which is about a mile from Micko’s house, and we were so near and we spent a pleasant afternoon with him. We took a photo and it won Sports Picture of the Year, which was lovely.
“He gave me plenty of advice. He set the standards for all of us. His record with that team between 1975 and 1988, he won eight All-Irelands in 12 years. That’ll never be matched again. He was a great man. Himself and [former Dublin manager] Kevin Heffernan drove the standards in Gaelic football at that time to new levels.”
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Kieran Donaghy, a modern legend of Kerry football, talked candidly about his memories of O’Dwyer on Off The Ball. He noted how the success of those Kerry teams in the 70s and 80s helped shape his childhood.
“We were brought up on the golden years based on Micko and all those magical wins and we were all given that tape at an early age to watch and learn from. That chapter is a huge part in the Kerry story over the last 150 years.
“I came across a good bit of him in Waterville and he was always a great character to bump into and just a rogue behind it all. He was an outlier, fundraising before fundraising was a thing and bringing the team on holidays. He won everywhere he went. An unbelievable GAA person and very witty. He had that all the way to the end I’d say.”
He continued by talking about the coaching advice O’Dwyer passed on to him and the wider cultural impact of the Kerry great.
“I picked Micko’s brain on coaching and management and a huge part of it was, ‘Your boys have to believe they can win in whatever they’re doing.’ Micko was probably the ultimate at that.
“I’d pass by his statue in Waterville and there’d be bus-loads of Yanks standing in for photos. Charlie Chaplin’s about 300 metres down the road but they all come up to Micko’s one too. We’ve lost one of our greatest.”
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'His legend will endure' - former Kerry players and GAA figures pay tribute to Mick O'Dwyer
FORMER KERRY PLAYER Jimmy Deenihan says the legend of Mick O’Dwyer “will endure” following his passing at the age of 88.
Deenihan is among the former players and GAA figures in Kerry who have paid tribute to O’Dwyer, and his decorated career as both a player and manager.
He leaves behind an incredible legacy both as a player and manager which includes eight All-Ireland senior titles as Kerry boss. Later in his career, he managed Kildare to two Leinster championships as well as an All-Ireland final where they were defeated by Galway in 1998. He delivered Leinster success again with Laois and also enjoyed stints with Clare and Wicklow.
“It’s a sad day for the whole GAA community and the sporting community because he was revered and respected across all sports,” Deenihan began on RTÉ Radio 1′s Morning Ireland today.
“I have great memories of Micko going right back to the early 70s when I was a student and I used to go to America with him to play football. We had a very close friendship and I was on his team up to 1982 and I had great respect for him as a trainer. He was one of the greatest managers ever.
“He went out to look for the best training methods. Before he started training us, he went to Manchester United and I think Liverpool. He changed the whole method of training for Gaelic Football in Kerry. He was exceptional for his time, way ahead of his time.
“His legend will endure and he will be remembered as long as GAA is played.”
Deenihan also spoke on the Kerry Today programme on Radio Kerry, where he touched on O’Dwyer’s instinct for ensuring his players were properly cared, something he said was rare for that era.
“He made sure we were presented properly on the pitch. I remember in 1975, we went out with tracksuits. He was into player welfare before other managers were. He always made sure there was a physio available at our training, and that we got the best of treatment. I was with him in Laois along with Eoin Liston and player welfare was very important. When it came to unveiling his statue, he insisted I should unveil it, which was an honour.
“I saw him in Kenmare and he wasn’t saying much. He was watching a match on television and he made a few comments about it so he was still steeped in sport. He had his senses right up to the end.”
Ogie Moran, who was one of the key players from that Kerry side that captured eight All-Ireland titles, also paid tribute on Radio Kerry. His career began at the same time as O’Dwyer’s appointment in 1974, something which Moran has always been grateful for.
“Mick was manager all through my career. He was a huge influence on my life. He was iconic and passionate. I was fortunate to be chosen and you’d put your life on hold for those 12 or 13 years. It was just a marvellous journey.
“You’d be terrible fond of him. He was a great player as well and he looked after his players. He was a one-man band at times; he did it all himself. It’s not easy to keep people hungry who have won for four or five years. We were as hungry the next year as we were the first year. He had a great understanding of fitness, he was like Vincent O’Brien with the horses.
“And he had the bit of magic and roguery. But you never got too close to him, you always had that huge respect for him. Even with team talks, it was just all his own passion. I was so honoured to have him for so long.”
Mickey Ned O’Sullivan was both a team-mate of O’Dwyer’s and played under him during his career.
“I played with him,” he told Radio Kerry.
“I played under him and I worked for four years from ’84 to ’87 in the management team with him. He had a great sense of humour. He liked interacting with people and with players, he knew what buttons to press. Psychology came naturally to him and he knew the personalities of [his] players. Teams were treated collectively by managers. Mick treated people individually in order to get peak performance.
“He could define roles and expectations from the word go. He had a job to do and there was no preferential treatment. You either performed or you didn’t. It was all in the interest of Kerry football.”
O’Sullivan also touched on a low point in O’Dwyer’s tenure when Offaly stopped their famous drive for five All-Ireland triumphs in a row, which was unprecedented for that time.
“When Kerry were beaten by Offaly for the five-in-a-row, most managers would have retired at that stage. Mick decided to rebuild the team. He took two years and it was about succession planning. He brought in enough players to win three more All-Irelands. That was his greatest achievement.”
When asked to sum up O’Dwyer, O’Sullivan simply replied:
“Determined. Determined. Determined.”
Current Kerry manager Jack O’Connor spoke on Morning Ireland about a meeting he had with O’Dwyer in 2022, shortly after guiding the Kingdom to All-Ireland success.
“I went to visit my parents’ grave in New Chapel Cross which is about a mile from Micko’s house, and we were so near and we spent a pleasant afternoon with him. We took a photo and it won Sports Picture of the Year, which was lovely.
“He gave me plenty of advice. He set the standards for all of us. His record with that team between 1975 and 1988, he won eight All-Irelands in 12 years. That’ll never be matched again. He was a great man. Himself and [former Dublin manager] Kevin Heffernan drove the standards in Gaelic football at that time to new levels.”
Kieran Donaghy, a modern legend of Kerry football, talked candidly about his memories of O’Dwyer on Off The Ball. He noted how the success of those Kerry teams in the 70s and 80s helped shape his childhood.
“We were brought up on the golden years based on Micko and all those magical wins and we were all given that tape at an early age to watch and learn from. That chapter is a huge part in the Kerry story over the last 150 years.
“I came across a good bit of him in Waterville and he was always a great character to bump into and just a rogue behind it all. He was an outlier, fundraising before fundraising was a thing and bringing the team on holidays. He won everywhere he went. An unbelievable GAA person and very witty. He had that all the way to the end I’d say.”
He continued by talking about the coaching advice O’Dwyer passed on to him and the wider cultural impact of the Kerry great.
“I picked Micko’s brain on coaching and management and a huge part of it was, ‘Your boys have to believe they can win in whatever they’re doing.’ Micko was probably the ultimate at that.
“I’d pass by his statue in Waterville and there’d be bus-loads of Yanks standing in for photos. Charlie Chaplin’s about 300 metres down the road but they all come up to Micko’s one too. We’ve lost one of our greatest.”
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