John Doyle (hurler)

John Doyle (hurler)

John Doyle (12 February 1930 – 29 December 2010) was an Irish sportsperson and politician, hailed as one of the best defenders in hurling and his county's most iconic player upon his death. He played hurling with his local Holycross-Ballycahill club from the 1940s until the 1970s and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1949 until 1967. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game and is one of only a handful of players to have won All-Ireland medals in three separate decades.

Doyle’s status as one of the all-time greats is self-evident. His haul of eight senior All-Ireland medals is a record which he jointly holds with Christy Ring., Henry Shefflin and Eddie Brennan. Doyle was also the first hurler to win ten Munster Championship titles, a record which was later equalled by Jimmy Barry-Murphy. His tally of 11 National Hurling League medals is a record which has never been equalled. Doyle held the record for most Championship appearances (54) by a Tipperary player until overtaken by Brendan Cummins in 2009.

Doyle has also been the recipient of many awards and honours off the field. In 1964 his hurling prowess earned him the prestigious Texaco Hurler of the Year award. He was later honoured in 1984 when he was named, by popular opinion, in the left corner-back position on the GAA Hurling Team of the Century. He was named in the right corner-back position on the GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium in 1999. In 2009 he was named in the Sunday Tribune's list of the 125 Most Influential People In GAA History.