Former Spa, East Kerry and Kerry player Donie O’Sullivan is to be honoured with the Football Hall of Fame Award by Munster GAA at their awards night in Limerick on this coming Saturday night.
The 1970 All Ireland winning captain and two-time All Star is a worthy recipient having won almost every honour in the game. He made his senior championship debut for Kerry as a 19 year old in the 1962 Munster Final against Cork but missed out on All Ireland glory that year having returned to college before the final against Roscommon. Defeat was to be his lot in the 1964, ’65 and ’68 All Ireland Finals before he finally got back to winning ways in 1969 when Kerry won their 21st All Ireland title.
In 1970 he captained Kerry to victory over Meath in the first 80 minute final but two years later in 1972 Kerry were defeated by Offaly after a replayed final. The Spa man was a sub on the 1975 Kerry team winning a 4th All Ireland medal and bringing the curtain down on an outstanding career that saw him play 35 championship games for the Kingdom.
O’Sullivan played in 6 National League Finals winning all 6 including 4-in-a-Row between 1971 and 1974 and in all played 68 League games for his county.
He also had the distinction of being a member of the Kerry Under-21 that won the inaugural All Ireland title in that grade in 1964.
In 1971 he was Kerry’s first and only All Star at number 4 on the inaugural team and would win another in the same position a year later in the company of Mick O’Connell.
A dedicated club and district player, he had the distinction of winning 4 County Championship titles with East Kerry (1965, ’68, ’69 and ’70) and was a member of the Divisional side to claim the first All Ireland Club Championship title in 1971 – the first and only time divisional sides were allowed participate in the competition.
Above all, O’Sullivan’s heart and soul was in his club and though he started his career with Dr Crokes, winning 3 O’Donoghue Cup medals with the town side, he threw in his lot with Spa when the club was reformed in 1966. The fledgling club went on to establish itself as one of the best in the county and the experienced defender helped his club to a Senior Football League Division 1 title, a county Intermediate title and 7 O’Donoghue Cup titles.
Renowned for the length and accuracy of his dead ball kicking, which incidentally brought him to the attention of the New York Jets during a sojourn in college in America in 1967, he was also one of the last great exponents of the drop-kick, a skill seldom seen in the modern era.
John O'Leary