John Doyle (hurler)

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**John Doyle**
Personal information
Sport	Hurling
Irish Name	Seán Ó Dúil
Date of Birth	1930
Place of birth	{{{placeofbirth}}}, {{{countryofbirth}}}
Club information
Club	Holycross-Ballycahill
Position	[[Gaelic football and Hurling positions#{{{clposition}}}\|{{{clposition}}}]]
Club(s)*
Club	Years	Apps (scores)
{{{clubs}}}	{{{clyears}}}	{{{clapps(points)}}}
All-Stars	2 Cú Chulainn awards
* club appearances and scores correct as of {{{clupdate}}}.

John Doyle (born 1930) is a famous Irish sportsperson who played hurling for Tipperary in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, making 57 championship appearances. He was named in the right full-back position on the Gaelic Athletic Association's "Hurling Team of the Millennium". Of legendary fame, he enjoys iconic status in the annals of the game.

Born in Holycross, County Tipperary, John Doyle holds the distinguished record of winning eight All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medals, playing the full match in all eight finals. Three of his medals were won by the age of 21. He shares the record tally of eight medals with his great sporting rival and a man who many consider to be the greatest player of all time, Christy Ring of Cork. Doyle has admitted, to his own great credit, that his team-mates won the eight medals for him but that Ring won the eight medals for his team-mates. Doyle was a prominent member of the Tipperary team that won All-Ireland titles in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964 and 1965. He also played in the defeated sides of 1960 and 1967. His ten All-Ireland final appearances is another record he shares with Ring.

Possessed of a strong physique and a long stride, Doyle was famed for his dependable close defensive play, marked by his ability to execute long clearances from very tight entanglements in his corner-back position. His tussles with such illustrious Munster forwards as Paddy Barry (Cork) and Jimmy Smith (Clare) have gained legendary status with the passing years. He holds a unique record in that he was never substituted in 19 years of inter-county championship and national league hurling, ample proof of his renowned durability.

Individually, his mastery of the shoulder-to-shoulder charge, allied to an above average number of deliveries out of defence marked him apart. Collectively, with fellow inner-defenders, Michael Maher (Holycross) and Kieran Carey (Roscrea), he completed a very formidable trio as Tipperary's last line of defence for a ten year period from the late 1950s. Their marshalling territory in front of goal was famously known as "Hell's Kitchen" because of the often tempestuous nature of the exchanges which greeted the dropping ball arriving from mid-field. Their engagements with Cork in the Munster Championship and Kilkenny and Wexford in the All-Ireland series were among the most thrilling episodes of hurling play in the mid-century. They were past masters at 'holding-off' the forwards, which was a legal ploy designed to afford protection to the goalkeeper, thus allowing him ample time and space to 'catch and clear'. This was an integral and important part of their defensive strategy which paid rich dividends through many campaigns. This was a period when goalkeepers were legitimate targets for in-rushing forwards who were then allowed to charge the custodian with impunity, not a welcoming prospect for most goalkeepers intent on keeping an eye on a fast approaching sliothar. However, a succession of Tipperary goalkeepers enjoyed maximum protection from the 'Kitchen' staff who repelled all invaders, employing ample strength and muscle to suit the occasion.

Doyle revelled in the winter campaigns of the National Hurling League and won 11 league medals with Tipperary over a 16-year period, as well as five Railway Cup medals with Munster and six Oireachtas medals. He won two Gaelic Athletic Association All-Star awards in 1963 and 1964, as well as being named the "Texaco Hurler of the Year" in 1964. Doyle was honoured by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1999 when he was named right full-back on the "Hurling Team of the Millennium."

[edit] References

Brendan Fullam (1991) Giants of the Ash

Séamus J King (1996) A History of Hurling

Preceded by: Séamus Cleere (Kilkenny)	Texaco Hurler of the Year 1964	Succeeded by: Jimmy Doyle (Tipperary)

	GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium
1 Tony Reddin \| 2 John Doyle \| 3 Nick O'Donnell \| 4 Bobby Rackard \| 5 Paddy Phelan \| 6 John Keane \| 7 Brian Whelehan \| 8 Lory Meagher \| 9 Jack Lynch \| 10 Christy Ring \| 11 Mick Mackey \| 12 Jim Langton \| 13 Eddie Keher \| 14 Ray Cummins \| 15 Jimmy Doyle \|