“A symbol of pride for the county – spanning decades.” That’s how Kerry GAA has described the late, great Mick O'Dwyer, who has passed away at the age of 88.
The Waterville native was one of the most iconic figures in Gaelic Games. As a player, he won four All-Irelands with Kerry. As a manager, he guided the Kingdom to eight All-Ireland titles, including an historic four-in-a-row between 1978 and 1981.
Micko represented Kerry on 141 occasions and still holds the county record for most scores in the National League—amassing 16 goals and 291 points over 93 games.
Radio Kerry’s Gary O’Sullivan spoke to Micko back in 2012 and asked what it meant to wear the Kerry jersey for the first time:
Mick O Dwyer : I was delighted, of course, to be selected. It was my one ambition, I suppose, from the day that I left the cradle, was to wear a green and gold jersey for Kerry. And I think that is the ambition and most young fellas in Kerry when they grow up. I mean, the one ambition they would have is to play for the Kerry football team, because it should be like playing for Manchester United. Kerry are the kingpins, there's no doubt about that to get on a Karry team at any period. I think there's great satisfaction in that for any young player, and especially players coming from rural Kerry.
Gary O Sullivan: What does it mean to you mix to have won an All Ireland Medal with Kerry as a player?
Mick O Dwyer : Well, I think that is the ultimate thing in Gaelic football, to win an All Ireland Medal and to win it with Kerry, I suppose, is a very special thing to do above any other county.
Gary O Sullivan: And of the four you won as a, as a, as a player, was there one sweeter than the other?
Mick O Dwyer : Well, I suppose the one in 1959 was the one that really stands out in my memory, being the first one. So, no doubt that was definitely the best.
Gary O Sullivan: Beat Galway in the final. We beat Galway, and they were, they had two players at that time, Stockwell and Purcell, the “terrible twins” they were known as! They had wrecked all the teams in Connaught on the way through to the All Ireland final. But God rest Kevin Coffey and Niall Sheehy they took care of both of them and we went on then to win by five or six points.
Jimmy Deenihan, who was selected by O’Dwyer at corner back for five All-Ireland victories, says Micko cared for his players both on and off the pitch:
"He had great time for his players. And he looked for conditions for us that previous players didn't, I suppose, benefit from, and for GAA players in general. And he was always, I suppose, demanding from the centre in Croke Park for more for better facilities, for better conditions, for players. And he was a way ahead of his time in that aspect, too. And even for gear. He went away, when it was kind of more or less banned, to get gear from Adidas, to make sure that we were presented properly on the pitch. And I remember even way back in ‘75 that we'll be marking shortly, we went out with tracksuit tops on. There's an iconic photograph of that team with track suits on that wasn't there before. So, he was a way ahead of his time in so many different ways".
Speaking on Kerry Today, former Kerry midfielder Ogie Moran reflected on how Micko motivated his team to stay at the top for over a decade:
Treasa Murphy: Ye were such young boys when you won that first all Ireland in 1975 many of you were teenagers.
Ogie Moran: I think that's the magic he had. Tresa like he has a very innate ability to manage people, and as I say, keep people as hungry as he did. He also had a very good understanding of people's fitness media, different people on that panel from people who were heavier builds. I mean, people like Ger Power and I were very light. lightly built. And he used to give us the same training as he’d give the guys who were heavier, who might have wintered well. He'd a great nose and he was like Vincent O Brien knew the horse like, you know, he didn't train every horse the same way. And he just knew what I needed or Eoin Liston needed or what Jimmy needed – he had a great, natural sense of doing that. And he just had a very innate skills to keep people, had them peak at the right time, both physically and mentally, and also, you know, treating people with a great respect and dignity I think, at all times.
It's very hard to go through, you know, 12 years with your county football and to be so successful as he was and lose very few players along the way. he had to get the huge respect. And he had that bit of magic about him and little roguery and a bit of fun. And then, you know, you never got too close to him either. He was always able to keep us, you know, just using that huge respect for him. And there was also him, you know, he was the boss, and you knew that.
But I think his passion was fantastic, and I think that spread through all of us, and he was a marvellous player, as well as people forget that. I mean as manager he won All Ireland Medals in three decades. He won in ‘59 he won in the 60s, and he won the 70s. You know, he was when he was 33 years old. He was top scorer the championship, and he got Player of the year. Not many people, you know can start off at 19 at wing back, and he was a great wing back. And go on, you know, 13 years later and win Player of the Year and be top scorer as a forward. So as a player, he was exceptional, you know, and then he had the courage to go on and take over managing teams. He was an exceptional man Treasa, remembered fondly by all the players who served under him.
After stepping down as Kerry boss in 1989, O'Dwyer continued his managerial career with remarkable success—leading Kildare and Laois to Leinster titles and later managing both Wicklow and Clare.
Former Kerry forward Kieran Donaghy says O'Dwyer's teams from the 1970s and 80s inspired a whole generation of footballers in the county:
"Obviously, we were brought up down in Kerry on the Golden Years, which was basically built around Mick and all those magical wins as a youngster, and we were all, we were all given that tape at an early age to watch and to learn from. So yeah, that chapter is probably a huge part in the Kerry football story over the last 150 years, for sure".
Tributes have poured in from across the country and beyond. Kerry GAA said it is "deeply saddened" by his passing and called him “more than just a legendary figure—he was a symbol of pride for the county.”
GAA President Jarlath Burns also paid tribute to the Kerry icon, saying:
> “The Kerry team of the 70s and 80s was a magic that was as intoxicating for us in South Armagh as it was in his own beloved South Kerry.”
