Jimmy Coffey

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Jimmy 'Butler' Coffey
Personal information
Sport Hurling
Irish Name Séamus Ó Cofaigh
Full name Jimmy Coffey
Place of birth Newport , County Tipperary
Nickname(s) Butler
Club information
Club Newport
Position Forward
Inter-County
County Tipperary
Position Half-forward
Inter-County(ies)**
County Years Apps (scores)
Kilkenny 1932-1940
Senior Inter-County Titles
Munster Titles 1
All-Ireland 1

* club appearances and scores
correct as of .
**Inter County team apps and scores correct
as of .

Jimmy 'Butler' Coffey (born 1909 in Newport, County Tipperary) is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local Newport club and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1931 until 1940. Coffey holds the distinction of being one of the oldest living senior All-Ireland medal winners.[1]

Contents

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Club

Coffey played his club hurling with his local Newport club and enjoyed some success. He won two North Tipperary titles with the club in 1932 and 1935. Coffey later played club hurling with Ahane in County Limerick and won two senior county titles.

[edit] Inter-county

Coffey first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Tipperary minor team in 1928. He won a Munster title in this grade in 1930 before later collecting an All-Ireland medal as Tipp defeated Kilkenny.

Coffey made his senior debut for Tipp in 1931. It was a lean period for the county's senior hurling team as Limerick dominated the Munster championship throughout the 1930s. Their monopoly was ended in 1937 as Coffey collected his first senior Munster title. Due to a builders strike Croke Park was unavailable so the the subsequent All-Ireland final was played in FitzGerald Stadium in Killarney. Kilkenny provided the opposition, however, the game turned into a rout as Tipp defeated 'the Cats' on a score line of 3-11 to 0-3 giving Coffey a coveted All-Ireland medal. Tipp went into decline following this match again and Coffey retired from inter-county hurling in 1940.

[edit] Provincial

Coffey also line dout with Munster in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He captured a Railway Cup title with the province in 1938.

[edit] Post-playing career

Following his retirement from hurling in the early 1950s Coffey did not sever his connection with the game. He trained the local team that brought county titles to the parish in both junior and senior grades. He was also a selector with Mick Mackey on the Limerick team that won the Munster title in 1955.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Enfer Group founder Tipp Person of Year. www.tipperarystar.ie. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.