 O'Dwyer in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Mícheál Ó Duibhir | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Wing-forward/ Wing-back | ||
| Born |
9 June 1936 Waterville, County Kerry, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Nickname | Micko | ||
| Occupation | Hotelier | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
Waterville South Kerry | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Kerry titles | 3 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1957–1973 | Kerry | 48 (6–129) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 12 | ||
| All-Irelands | 4 | ||
| NFL | 7 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
Michael O'Dwyer (born 9 June 1936) is an Irish retired Gaelic football manager and former player. He most famously managed the senior Kerry county team between 1974 and 1989, during which time he became the county's longest-serving manager and most successful in terms of major titles won. O'Dwyer is regarded as one of the greatest managers in the history of the game.[1][2][3] He is one of only three men to manage five different counties.[4] Martin Breheny has described him as "the ultimate symbol of the outside manager".[5]
Born in Waterville, County Kerry, O'Dwyer was introduced to Gaelic football by the local national school teacher who organised games between schools in the area. He enjoyed divisional championship success during a thirty-year club career with Waterville. O'Dwyer also won three championship medals with South Kerry.
O'Dwyer made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen with the Kerry minor team. An All-Ireland runner-up in this grade, O'Dwyer subsequently made his senior debut during the 1956–57 league. He went on to play a key role for Kerry in attack during a very successful era and won four All-Ireland medals, eleven Munster medals and seven National Football League medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on five occasions.
As a member of the Munster inter-provincial team, O'Dwyer won one Railway Cup medal in 1972. Throughout his inter-county career he made 48 championship appearances. O'Dwyer retired from inter-county football following the 1974 championship.
O'Dwyer was appointed manager of the Kerry senior team prior to the start of the 1974-75 league. He went on to lead Kerry through a period of unprecedented provincial and national dominance, winning twenty-two major honours. These include eight All-Ireland Championships, including a record-equalling four-in-a-row between 1978 and 1981, and a three-in-a-row between 1984 and 1986, eleven Munster Championships in twelve seasons and three National Leagues, including two league-championship doubles. O'Dwyer simultaneously took charge of the Kerry under-21 team, winning three successive All-Ireland Championships. His tenure in charge of the Munster team saw the province claim six Railway Cups.
After ending his fifteen-year managerial tenure with Kerry, O'Dwyer moved to Leinster, where he took charge of Kildare between 1990 and 1994. After making Kildare a competitive footballing force, he was reappointed for a second tenure in 1996. O'Dwyer ended a 42-year provincial famine with the securing of two Leinster titles, while Kildare also made their first All-Ireland final appearance in seventy years. In 2002 O'Dwyer moved to Laois, where he helped end a 57-year wait for a Leinster title.
O'Dwyer remained in Leinster after his Laois tenure and began a five-year stint as Wicklow manager in 2006. Wicklow secured the Tommy Murphy Cup in 2007 and brought them to the last 12 in 2009 for the first time ever. O'Dwyer ended his managerial career with an unsuccessful one-year stint in charge of Clare.
- ^ Breheny, Martin (14 March 2013). "Championship is all that matters in Kerry – Micko". Independent.ie. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Hogan, Vincent (16 January 2014). "Vincent Hogan: 'Outsider' O'Dwyer – quite simply Gaelic football's greatest manager". Independent.ie. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ "End of era as Micko announces retirement after storied career". Independent.ie. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ Keys, Colm (29 August 2018). "Maughan completes 'slam' with Offaly". Independent.ie. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ^ Breheny, Martin (24 November 2012). "The import and export business". Irish Independent.