Brian Mullins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Brian Mullins**

Personal information
Sport	Gaelic Football
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Club information
Club	St Vincents
Position	Midfield
Club(s)*
Club	Years	Apps (scores)
St Vincents
Inter County
County	Dublin
Position	Midfield
Inter County(ies)**
County	Years	Apps (scores)
Dublin	?-1985
Inter County Titles
Leinster Titles	?
All-Ireland	4
All-Stars	2
* club appearances and scores correct as of {{{clupdate}}}. **Inter County team apps and scores correct as of {{{icupdate}}}.

Brian Mullins is a former Gaelic football player for Dublin and is the current Director of Sport for University College Dublin.

Brian Mullins was the manager of the TG4 'Underdgogs' team that played Dublin in its inaugral year. He is a fluent Irish speaker and was therefore a good candidate for the role of 'Underdogs' manager which is shown on the Irish language television station TG4.

Mullins was previously teacher in Greendale Community School in Kilbarrack on Dublin’s northside where he taught Irish, Geography and History as well as P.E. He then went on to become a school principal in the Carndonagh secondary school in Co. Donegal. He returned to Dublin in 2000 to take up his role as UCD Director of Sport. He managed the 'Underdogs' team along with Jarlath Burns of Armagh and Ned Sullivan of Kerry.[1]

Between 1995 and 1998 he was manager of the Derry senior Football team. He guided to two National League titles in 1995 and 1996 and one Ulster title in 1998.

Mullins' is the current team selector for St Vincent's who play UCD in the Dublin Senior Football Championship final. Brian Mullins could be forgiven for having mixed feelings as he is the current Vincent's selector and Head of Sport at UCD. The Gaelic Games Officer at UCD is Davy Billings who is also a St Vincents clubman.[2]

[edit] Playing career

Brian is regarded as one of the finest midfielders of his time and has won two allstars for his all-Ireland winning performances with Dublin in 1976 and 1977.[3] The 1976 final was a historic final against bitter rivals Kerry, the game finished on a scoreline of 3-08 to 0-10. The following year, Dublin with Brian Mullins steering the midfield easily beat Armagh by a scoreline of 5-12 to 3-06. He won two more all-Ireland winning medals for Dublin in 1974 and 1983. The 1974 final was a five point win over Galway and the 1983 final was a closer game with a 1-10 - 1-8 win over the same team. Mullins has won the national football league division one title with Dublin on two occasions in 1976 with a win over the team he would go on to manage in 1995 to win the same title on two occasions in 1995 and 1996. He won his second National football league title in 1978 when Dublin defeated Mayo in the final.

In his all-Ireland winning year of 1976, he collected a medal with St. Vincents in the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship. Another Dublin GAA favourite Jimmy Keaveney was one of his team mates in the final.

'One Friday night in late June 1980, Mullins was driving out the Clontarf Road, when his Fiat 127 went out of control and collided with a lamp post. To even play football again after that was a miracle'.[4] Despite this he went on to collect his fourth allstar for Dublin in 1983 despite being sent off in the 1983 All-Ireland final. Mullins' time away from football was not wasted, he received some time off from his place of work, Greendale secondary school and went on in 1980 to do a Masters in athletics administration at New York University.

Kerry midfielder Jack O’Shea faced up to Brian on many occasions during the seventies and again in the eighties. “To look at Brian Mullins you’d get the impression that he was there for his strength. But he had brains. He never let a pass go astray.”[5]

He retired from inter-county football in 1985, and became the caretaker manager for Dublin although, it didn't last long and ended with a disappointing loss to rivals Meath. Meath had been in the GAA wilderness for 16 years so, a loss to Meath in the Leinster final came as a shock.

Preceded by ?	Derry Senior Football Manager 1995 - 1998	Succeeded by ?

	1983 - All-Ireland Winning Team
1 J. O'Leary\| 2 M. Holden\| 3 G. Hargan\| 4 R. Hazley\| 5 P. Canavan\| 6 T. Drumm\| 7 P.J. Buckley\| 8 J. Ronayne\| 9 B. Mullins\| 10 B. Rock\| 11 T. Conroy\| 12 K. Duff\| 13 J. Caffrey\| 14 A. O’Toole\| 15 J. McNally\| Subs: J. Kearns, K. Maher. Manager: (Team as of September 1983 versus Galway)