John James Keane (14 April 1871 – 1 April 1956) was an Irish

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er, track athlete and sports administrator. His championship career at senior level with the Dublin county team spanned five seasons from 1898 until 1902. Born in

Anglesboro Anglesboro or Anglesborough (, historically anglicized as ''Gleanagruer'') is a small village at the foot of the Galtee Mountains, in southeastern County Limerick, Ireland. The nearest town is Mitchelstown in County Cork approximately 12 kilomet ...

, County Limerick, Keane was born to John and Ellen Keane (née Cook). He was educated locally before moving to Dublin where he worked as a corn merchant. After moving to Dublin, Keane helped establish the Geraldines club in 1896. As well as being a founder-member he also became a regular member of the senior team and won back-to-back county football championship medals in 1898 and 1899. Keane made his inter-county debut during the 1898 championship when he was selected for the Dublin senior team. Over the course of the next five seasons, he won three All-Ireland medals, beginning with back-to-back triumphs in 1898 and 1899, followed by a third and final championships in 1902. He also won three Leinster medals. As a track athlete, Keane won the Irish 120 yards hurdles in 1900 before becoming one of the most effective sports administrators of the early part of the 20th century. He was chairman of the Athletic Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1901 until 1922, when he became founding president of its successor, the National Athletic and Cycling Association (NACA). He also founded the

Irish Olympic Council The Olympic Federation of Ireland or OFI ( ga, Cónaidhm Oilimpeach na hÉireann) (called the Irish Olympic Council until 1952 and the Olympic Council of Ireland until 2018) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the island of Ireland. A ...

, becoming its first President and Ireland's first member of the International Olympic Committee. As NACA president he was appointed to the board of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF). He was heavily involved in the organisation of the three

Tailteann Games Tailteann Games or Aonach Tailteann may refer to: * Tailteann Games (ancient) sporting and religious festival in Gaelic Ireland * Tailteann Games (Irish Free State) held 1924–32 * Tailteann Games, Athletics Ireland Athletics Ireland, officiall ...

, becoming overall director of the games in 1932. Keane died in Dublin on 1 April 1956.

Honours

Geraldines * Dublin Senior Football Championship (2): 1898, 1899 Dublin * All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (3):

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a c ...

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

* Leinster Senior Football Championship (3):

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keane, J. J. 1871 births 1956 deaths Athletics (track and field) administrators Cycle racing executives Dublin inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic games administrators International Olympic Committee members Olympic Federation of Ireland officials