From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bobby Rackard |
| Personal information |
| Sport |
Hurling |
| Irish Name |
Riobaird Mac Riocaird |
| Full name |
Robert Rackard |
| Place of birth |
Killanne , County Wexford |
| Club information |
| Club |
Rathnure |
| Position |
Full-back |
| Club(s)* |
| Club |
Years |
Apps (scores) |
| Rathnure |
?-? |
|
| Club Titles |
| Wexford Titles |
4 |
| Inter-County |
| County |
Wexford |
| Position |
Full-back |
| Inter-County(ies)** |
| County |
Years |
Apps (scores) |
| Wexford |
1945-1957 |
|
| Senior Inter-County Titles |
| Leinster Titles |
4 |
| All-Ireland |
2 |
|
* club appearances and scores
correct as of .
**Inter County team apps and scores correct
as of .
|
Bobby Rackard (1927-1996) is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Rathnure and with the Wexford senior inter-county team from 1945 until 1957.
[edit] Playing career
Rackard played his club hurling with the famous Rathnure club and enjoyed much success. He won senior county titles with the club in 1948, 1950, 1955 and 1961.
[edit] Inter-county
Rackard first came to prominence in the mid-1940s as a member of the Wexford minor hurling team. After little success at this grade he was introduced to the county senior team in 1945. Success at senior level was also slow in coming and it would be 1951 before Rackard won his first Leinster title. Wexford later reached the All-Ireland final, however, the men from the Model County were defeated by Tipperary. It would be another three years before Rackard collected his second Leinster medal. Once again his team reached the All-Ireland final, however, he ended up on the losing side once again as victory went to Cork. The following year Wexford continued their provincial dominance with Rackard adding a third Leinster medal to his collection. Wexford went on to defeat Galway in the subsequent championship decider giving Wexford their first championship title since 1910. Rackard, in turn, collected his first All-Ireland medal. At the start of 1956 Rackard added a National League medal to his collection. He subsequently won his fourth Leinster title and Wexford qualified to play in their third consecutive All-Ireland final. Just like 1956, Cork turned out to be the opposition and the game has gone down in hurling history as one of the all-time greats. Wexford won the day and Rackard collected his second consecutive All-Ireland medal, however, the game is mostly remembered for Art Foley’s great save from a Christy Ring shot. The save denied Cork a goal and Ring was denied an almost certain ninth All-Ireland medal. It was Rackard’s last major victory as he was forced to retire from inter-county hurling in 1957 due to injury.
[edit] Honours
In retirement Rackard, along with his brothers Nicky and Billy, came to be regarded as one of the greatest hurling families of all-time. In 1984, the centenary of the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association, he was named on the Hurling Team of the Century selection. In 1992 both Billy and Bobby Rackard were presented with an All-Time All-Star Award. Rackard’s position as one of the all-time greats of the game was further cemented in 1999 (three years after his death) when he was posthumously named on the Hurling Team of the Millennium.
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Wexford - All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions 1955 (2nd title) |
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Wexford - All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions 1956 (3rd title) |
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[edit] See also
