Mick O’Dwyer, a legendary Gaelic Football manager and player for Kerry has died aged 88.
O’Dwyer has long been considered one of the best managers in GAA history. As a player, he won four All-Irelands and secured a further eight as the manager for Kerrey’s team throughout the 70s and 80s.
Born in Waterville, O’Dwyer won 23 Munster titles and 11 National Leagues as player and manager, securing Kerry’s spot as the top-dogs in football during this time.
O'Dwyer had a hand in almost one-third of Kerry's 37 All-Ireland titles since 1903. The team would go on to win a further seven since he decided to stand down as manager in 1989.
After stepping down from the Kerry team, O’Dwyer began managing other teams such as Kildare, Laois, Wicklow and Clare.
Under his guidance, Kildare won the Leinster championships in 1998 and 2000, even making it to the All-Ireland final in ‘98 where the team were unfortunately beaten by four points to Galway.
In 2003 he led Laois to their sixth ever provincial title, beating Kildare 2-13 to 1-13 in the final.
In 2009, Wicklow defeated Fermanagh in a round one qualifier match. Meaning that the now GAA legend had beaten every single county in the country over the course of his managerial career.
O'Dwyer was actually a hotelier and undertaker in his native Waterville. His first wife Mary Carmel sadly passed away in 2012 and he married Geraldine Shields in 2023.
O'Dwyer is survived by his wife Geraldine and his sons John, Robbie and Karl.
