Denis Moran (Gaelic footballer)
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| Denis 'Ogie' Moran | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | |
| Irish Name | Donncha Ó Moráin | |
| Full name | Denis Moran | |
| Place of birth | Ballybunion , County Kerry | |
| Nickname(s) | Ogie | |
| Club information | ||
| Club | Shannon Rangers | |
| Position | Half-forward | |
| Inter-County | ||
| County | Kerry | |
| Position | Half-forward | |
| Inter-County(ies)** | ||
| County | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Kerry | 1975-1986 | |
| Senior Inter-County Titles | ||
| Munster Titles | 11 | |
| All-Ireland | 8 | |
|
* club appearances and scores |
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Denis 'Ogie' Moran (born 16 January 1956) is a former Irish sportsperson who played Gaelic football with Shannon Rangers and Kerry in the 1970s and 1980s.
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[edit] Early life
Denis 'Ogie' Moran was born in Ballybunion, County Kerry in 1956. His father was a huge influence on his football career as he brought his young son to a football match every weekend. A rare distinction for Moran is that, as a six-year-old, he was the Kerry mascot at the 1962 All-Ireland final. Little did he know then that he would return to Croke Park on many occasions as a great footballer in his own right. Moran was educated locally and later at the Franciscan College, Gormanstown. Here his football skills were developed and he won an All-Ireland Colleges medal with the school.
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Club
Moran played both club football and club hurling with a host of different clubs throughout the 1070s and 1980s. He won seven North Kerry Championship medals with Beale, as well as two Kerry SFC titles with Shannon Rangers. Moran was also a hurler of note and he won a Kerry SHC medal with Ballyduff.
[edit] Inter-county
Moran’s skill was quickly spotted by the Kerry inter-county selectors and he soon joined the minor team. In 1975 he won his very first All-Ireland title with the under-21 team. A second All-Ireland medal followed in 1976 and Moran completed a hat trick of All-Ireland medals with the under-21 side in 1977.
By this stage Moran was also a key member of Kerry’s senior football team. In 1975 he captured his first Munster Championship and All-Ireland medals at senior level, under the new management of the legendary Mick O'Dwyer. In 1976 he won his second Munster title, however, Dublin gained revenge for the previous year by defeating Kerry in the All-Ireland final. 1977 was another frustrating year as Kerry won another Munster title but lost out to Dublin yet again, this time in a thrilling All-Ireland semi-final.
In 1978 Moran was captain of his native county and Kerry were primed for success. They easily won another Munster title and breezed into the All-Ireland final to face Dublin The game itself is remembered for Mikey Sheehy’s cheeky goal which he scored by lobbing the ball over the head of Paddy Cullen. The final score was 5-11 to 0-9 and Moran had secured a second All-Ireland medal. In 1979 Kerry once again faced up to Dublin in the All-Ireland final. Like the previous year the men from “the Kingdom” had another emphatic victory over “the Dubs”, and Moran claimed his third All-Ireland medal.
Victories for Kerry over Roscommon and Offaly in the respective All-Ireland finals of 1980 and 1981 brought Moran’s All-Ireland medal tally up to five. In 1982 he collected his eighth consecutive Munster Championship medal and the scene was set for Kerry to become the first team in the history of the game to win five All-Ireland football titles in-a-row. Once again, Moran’s side faced Offaly in the All-Ireland final. Kerry had the upper hand for much of the game and were leading by two points with two minutes left to be played. The game, however, was not over as Offaly substitute Séamus Darby, who had entered the game almost unnoticed, produced possibly the greatest match-winner of all-time when he scored a late goal. Kerry failed to score again to level the match and Offaly went on to win their third All-Ireland title ever.
In 1983 Kerry were denied a record-breaking ninth Munster title in-a-row by Cork. Moran’s side were down but not out, as they reclaimed the provincial title the following year, before securing back-to-back All-Ireland victories over their old rivals Dublin in 1984 and 1985. In 1986 he collected his third All-Ireland title in-a-row with an 8 point victory over Tyrone. It was his eighth All-Ireland medal overall. Moran also enjoyed playing Railway Cup football with Munster, winning inter-provincial titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1982. His honours also include three National Football Leagues in 1977, 1982 and 1984 and one All-Star Awards. Moran also played hurling for a short period with his native county. In 1974 he won a 'Special All-Ireland' hurling medal for weaker counties when Kerry defeated Westmeath in the final.
[edit] Managerial career
Moran was appointed manager of Kerry’s senior team for the 1993 championship. His tenure as manager was not a successful one as Billy Morgan’s Cork team were the kingpins of Munster at the time. Moran was replaced as manager by Paidi O Se at the end of 1995.
[edit] Records
In all Moran collected eleven Munster Championship medals. He played in ten All-Ireland finals, ending up on the winning side on eight occasions. His record haul of All-Ireland medals is a record that he shares with fellow Kerrymen Pat Spillane, Páidí Ó Sé, Ger Power and Mikey Sheehy. Moran, however, stands apart as the only player to win these eight medals playing in the one position. Furthermore, Moran was the only member of the Kerry team to have played every single minute in those eight victorious All-Ireland finals. These records have not been equalled since and may never be equalled.
[edit] Family
Ogie's son David Moran played with Kerry in the 2006 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final, and is a current player with the county in the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship. He was added to the Kerry senior squad for the 2008 National Football League and appeared in the first three games against Donegal GAA, Tyrone GAA and Derry GAA.
| Preceded by Ger O'Keeffe |
Kerry Senior Football Captain 1978 |
Succeeded by Tim Kennelly |
| Preceded by Tony Hanahoe (Dublin) |
All-Ireland Football Final winning captain 1978 |
Succeeded by Tim Kennelly (Kerry) |
| Preceded by Mickey 'Ned' O'Sullivan |
Kerry Senior Football Manager 1993-1995 |
Succeeded by Páidí Ó Sé |
[edit] Teams
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