Michael Keating (hurler)
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| Michael 'Babs' Keating | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Hurling | |
| Irish Name | Micheál Céitinn | |
| Full name | Michael Keating | |
| Date of birth | April 17, 1944 | |
| Place of birth | Ardfinnan , County Tipperary | |
| Nickname(s) | Babs | |
| Club information | ||
| Club | Ballybacon-Grange | |
| Position | Forward | |
| Inter-County | ||
| County | Tipperary | |
| Position | Forward | |
| Inter-County(ies)** | ||
| County | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Tipperary | 1963-1975 | |
| Senior Inter-County Titles | ||
| Munster Titles | 4 | |
| All-Ireland | 2 | |
| All Stars | 2 Cú Chulainn awards 1 All Star award |
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* club appearances and scores |
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Michael ‘Babs’ Keating (born 17 April 1944) is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Ballybacon-Grange and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team in the 1960s and 1970s. Keating has been regarded as a ‘larger-than-life’ figure in the GAA world for the last two decades.
As a player Keating was involved with the famous Tipperary team of the 1960s, a team often described as the greatest of all-time. In a senior inter-county career that lasted from 1964 until 1975 he won two All-Ireland titles, four Munster titles, two National Hurling League titles and two Railway Cup title. Keating has also been the recipient of many awards and honours off the field. In 1971 he was named in the inaugural All-Star team as well as being presented with the prestigious Texaco Hurler of the Year award.
As a manager Keating has had much success with many different teams. At various times he has served as manager of the Galway, Offaly and Laois senior hurling teams, however, it has been with his own native Tipperary that he has enjoyed the most success. Between 1987 and 1994 Keating lifted Tipperary out of the doldrums and guided the team to two All-Ireland titles, five Munster titles and two National Hurling League titles. His second term in charge, from 2005 until 2007, was not as successful.
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[edit] Early & private life
Michael Keating was born in Ardfinnan, County Tipperary in 1944. The youngest member of a large family, he received the nickname 'Babs' when he went to school where he was the youngest of three Michael Keatings in the school. The nickname has remained with him into adult life and he is almost always exclusively referred to as Babs. As well as his sporting career, Keating has worked for many years for the petroleum oil company Esso. He is married to Nancy Maher and his son-in-law is Irish jockey Johnny Murtagh, who is married to his daughter Orla.
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Club
Keating showed skill at Gaelic games in his youth and he quickly joined his local clubs. He played hurling with Ballybacon and football with Ardfinnan. He had little success at county level with Ballybacon, however, he won five Tipperary SFC titles with Ardfinnan.
[edit] Inter-county
Keating was a dual player in his early playing career, however, he later decided to concentrate solely on hurling. 1964 proved to be a very successful year in his career. He began the year by winning his first National Hurling League title with Tipperary. Keating later went on to win his first Munster title, before defeating Kilkenny to win his first All-Ireland medal. Keating finished off the year by winning an All-Ireland medal with Tipp’s under-21 hurlers.
In 1965 Keating was off the team when Tipperary claimed further Munster and All-Ireland honours. In 1967 he captured his second Munster title, however, Tipp were defeated by Kilkenny in the ALL-Ireland final. 1968 began well with Ketaing winning his second National League medal. He later collected his third Munster title, however, Tipp were once again defeated in the All-Ireland final, this time by Wexford. By 1971 Keating had come to be regarded as one of the great full-forwards of his era. That year he won his fourth Munster title before subsequently claiming his second All-Ireland medal following a huge win over Kilkenny. The game itself will surely be remembered for the image of Keating discarding his worn-out boots and playing the last few minutes of the match in his bare feet. This moment was listed as one of RTÉ‘s Top 20 GAA Moments in a special television programme in 2005.
Keating retired from hurling without further success in the mid-1970s. His other honours include four Railway Cup medals with Munster and an All-Star Award in 1971.
[edit] Managerial career
| Michael Keating | |||
| Inter County Management | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| County | Years | ||
| Galway Tipperary Laois Offaly Tipperary |
1978-1979 1986-1994 1995-1997 1997-1998 2005-2007 |
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| Achievements | |||
| County |
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| Tipperary |
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In retirement from playing Keating has managed many different teams all over the country and has had much success.
[edit] Galway: 1978-1979
[edit] 1979: League and All-Ireland final appearances
Keating's one year term in charge of Galway saw a major improvement in the mindset of the team. Successful results were immediate and Galway qualified for the National Hurling League final at the start of 1979. Ironically, it was Keating's native-county of Tipperary that provided the opposition. The game, however, turned out to be a disaster for Keating as Tipp won with a score line of 3-15 to 0-8. Being beaten by treble scores did not bode well for Galway's chances in the championship. Galway's championship campaign didn't begin until July, however, Keating's team qualified for an All-Ireland semi-final show-down with Cork. Cork had won the three previous All-Ireland titles and were going for a remarkable fourth in-a-row. In theory the game should have been a walk-over for Cork, however, Galway had been waiting in the long grass and defeated 'the Rebels' by 2-14 to 1-13. Kilkenny provided the opposition in the championship decider. Both sides were neck and neck in the first-half, however, Keating's side took a two-point lead twelev minutes into the second-half. Unfortunately, this was the last time that 'the Tribesmen' scored in the game. A 2-12 to 1-8 defeat tells its own story and Keating resigned as Galway manager shortly afterwards.
[edit] Tipperary: 1986-1994
In 1986 the Tipperary senior hurling team had hit an all-time low. The county hadn’t won a Munster title since 1971 and went almost a decade without winning a single championship game. Tony Wall took over as manager in 1986, however, at the end of the year the Tipp County Board turned to Keating in an effort to revive the county’s flagging fortunes.
[edit] 1987: Early success
Keating’s first game in charge of Tipperary nearly ended in disaster, however, the team managed a draw against Clare in the Munster semi-final. Tipp won on the second occasion, setting up a Munster final meeting with fierce rivals Cork. The closing stages of the game saw both sides take the lead, however, the game ultimately ended in a draw. The replay at FitzGerald Stadium turned out to be one of the classic games in the history of Munster hurling. Once again the sides were level after seventy minutes, however, after a period of extra-time Tipp emerged as victors with a 4-22 to 1-22 score line. It was the county’s first provincial title in seventeen years. Keating’s dream start as manager came to an end following an All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Galway.
[edit] 1988: Munster success - All-Ireland defeat
In 1988 Keating consolidated on the previous year’s success by guiding his team to a National Hurling League title. Tipp later strolled through the Munster championship with relative ease and defeated Cork in a second consecutive Munster final. This victory allowed Tipp to advance to the All-Ireland final where Galway provided the opposition. Once again the men from the West put an end to Tipp’s championship hopes with a 1-15 to 0-14 defeat. It was a very disappointing defeat for Keating. His two star players, Pat Fox and Nicky English, did not play to their potential and the manager also received criticism for introducing John Leahy, then an unknown teenager.
[edit] 1989: Munster and All-Ireland successes
1989 saw Keating’s side cruise to a third consecutive Munster title in-a-row. The provincial final was a particularly dour affair as Waterford took a physical approach and had two players sent off. The stakes were raised even higher for the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final when Antrim pulled off the shock of the decade with a victory over Offaly in the other semi-final. The winners of the Tipperary-Galway match would be certainties to win the final. That game was an ill-tempered affair with the men from the West getting two players sent off. With two players extra Tipp finally defeated Galway and reached a second consecutive All-Ireland final. Antrim’s presence in the final was a novelty, however, Keating’s side captured a huge 4-24 to 3-9 victory. After eighteen years Tipp had finally reached the summit of the hurling world.
[edit] 1990: ‘Donkeys don’t win derbies’
In 1990 Keating set out to prove that Tipp’s All-Ireland victory was not a flash-in-the-pan. Accordingly, both the team and the manager exuded an over-confidence from the start of the championship. In an infamous interview Keating dismissed Cork’s chances in the championship by stating that ‘donkeys don’t win derbies.’ This comment severely riled the Cork hurlers, so much so that they defeated Tipp by 4-16 to 2-14 in a classic Munster final. Tipp had lost their All-Ireland crown while Cork went on to win the ultimate accolade in 1990.
[edit] 1991: Munster and All-Ireland successes again
Keating’s side regrouped in 1991 and there was an enevitibility about their Munster final show down with Cork. The game looked like it would not only decide the resting place of the Munster title but also the destination of the All-Ireland cup as well. The game turned out to be a classic and ended in a draw, Tipp 2-16, Cork 4-10. The replay turned out to be a game that had everything and Keating’s side stormed to a 4-19 to 4-15 victory. Galway fell heavily to Tipperary in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final, setting up a championship decider with Kilkenny. It was the first meeting of the two sides in twenty years. ‘The Cats’ got off to a better start, however, it was Keating’s men who peaked in that game. A 1-16 to 0-15 victory gave Keating’s team a second All-Ireland title in three years.
[edit] 1992: A trophyless season
1992 turned out to be Keating’s worst season as manager. Tipp were defeated by arch rivals Cork at the first hurdle, thus surrendering their Munster and All-Ireland crowns.
[edit] 1993: A fifth Munster title
1993 saw Keating’s side have one last hurrah. Tipperary cruised through Munster and defeated Clare in the provincial final by double scores. The 3-27 to 2-12 score line was even more impressive than it sounds. The subsequent All-Ireland semi-final saw Tipp take on a new-look Galway team. The classic clashes of the 1980s were relived, however, Keating’s side were eaten by just two points.
[edit] 1994: A second National League
1994 began well for Keating. His team captured a second National League under his tenure in charge. All signs pointed to the fact that Tipp would retain their Munster title, however, the team was defeated in the early stages of the Munster championship.
[edit] Tipperary: 2005-2007
In 2005 the Tipperary senior hurling team was in the doldrums. After winning the All-Ireland title in 2001 the team took a backward step and recorded few victories of note in the intervening years. After Ken Hogan’s resignation as manager at the end of that year’s championship, the Tipp County Board turned to Keating in an effort to revive the county’s flagging fortunes once again.
[edit] 2006: First season back
Keating’s first game of the championship was a Munster quarter-final meeting with near neighbours Limerick. In the first ten minutes Limerick scored two goals, however, Tipp fought back to seal the victory. A defeat of Waterford in the Munster semi-final set up a second consecutive Munster final meeting with Cork. Keating’s side got off to a good start, however, the All-Ireland champions showed their worth by a capturing a 2-14 to 1-14 victory over Tipp. The subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final saw Keating’s side take on Waterford for the second time that year. There was some mild controversy from the Tipp camp over this second meeting of the two sides. Keating was less than pleased when Waterford reversed the earlier defeat and captured a three-point victory.
[edit] 2007: Another mixed season
2007 saw Keating’s side taken on Limerick in their opening game. It was a game that Tipp were expected to win, however, Limerick put up a good fight and the game ended in a draw. For the replay of the game Keating made the drastic move of dropping legendary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins. The second game saw Keating’s side lead by ten points at one stage, however, by the end of the seventy minutes both sides were level once again. A period of extra-time failed to separate these two sides were forced to meet for a third time. Once again extra-time had to be played, however, after nearly four hours of hurling Limerick emerged as the winners. After the defeat Keating looked less than impressed when he was forced to do a television interview alongside ecstatic Limerick manager Richie Bennis. The All-Ireland qualifiers saw Keating’s side win all of their games, including a victory over Cork for the first time since 1991. It looked as if Tipp had come out on the easy side of the draw as their opponents, Wexford, were not regarded as being up to much. Because of this Keating may have been guilty of having one eye on the All-Ireland semi-final. His decision to relegate star forward Eoin Kelly to the substitutes bench baffled many, particularly since Kelly tops the chart as Tipp’s all-time top scorer. The game itself was an exciting one, however, a Damien Fitzhenry penalty sealed the victory for Wexford and dumped Tipp out of the championship. Keating resigned as manager shortly after this defeat.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Pat McDonnell (Cork) |
Texaco Hurler of the Year 1971 |
Succeeded by Eddie Keher (Kilkenny) |
| Achievements | ||
| Preceded by Cyril Farrell (Galway) |
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final winning manager 1989 |
Succeeded by Fr. Michael O'Brien (Cork) |
| Preceded by Fr. Michael O'Brien (Cork) |
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final winning manager 1991 |
Succeeded by Ollie Walsh (Kilkenny) |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by ' |
Galway Senior Hurling Manager 1978-1979 |
Succeeded by Cyril Farrell |
| Preceded by Tadhg O'Connor |
Tipperary Senior Hurling Captain 1972 |
Succeeded by Mick Coen |
| Preceded by Tony Wall |
Tipperary Senior Hurling Manager 1986-1994 |
Succeeded by Fr. Tom Fogarty |
| Preceded by ' |
Laois Senior Hurling Manager 1995-1997 |
Succeeded by Pádraig Horan |
| Preceded by John McIntyre |
Offaly Senior Hurling Manager 1997-1998 |
Succeeded by Michael Bond |
| Preceded by Ken Hogan |
Tipperary Senior Hurling Manager 2005-2007 |
Succeeded by Liam Sheedy |
[edit] Teams
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