Kevin Bernard Moran (born 29 April 1956) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

former footballer who excelled at the top levels in two codes:

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

and the

association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

brand. In Gaelic football, he is known for his time at senior level with the Dublin county team, winning two

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

s with them, and in association ball for his career with Manchester United and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In 1985 he became the first man to be sent off in an

FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...

. Moran grew up in

Rialto, Dublin Rialto () is an inner suburb of Dublin, situated on the city's southside. The area takes its name from the Harcourt Bridge, which was commonly known as the Rialto Bridge due to its resemblance to the shape of the bridge of that name in Venice. ...

until his early teens, before he moved to the Long Mile Road in Walkinstown. While there, he attended James's Street CBS and Drimnagh Castle CBS where

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 ...

was the dominant sport although soccer proved to be the sport he played on the streets while growing up. During the period in which he played Gaelic football for Good Counsel and soccer for Rangers, Bohemians and Pegasus, he had divided loyalties between the two sports, as both sports were then played on a Saturday.

Gaelic football

In his native Ireland, Moran played at senior level for the Dublin county team. A former Dublin under-21 player, Moran was called up to the senior panel for the first time in 1976. He won two All-Ireland Championship medals with Dublin in 1976 and 1977. In the 1976 final, he helped Dublin to defeat (by 3–8 to 0–10)

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...

— the winner over Dublin in the 1975 final – and again in the 1977 semi-final, aided by new tactics which manager Kevin Heffernan introduced, and which hindered Kerry's tactic of pulling defenders forward and taking full advantage of the space behind the half-back line. The 1977 final resulted in a 5–12 to 3–6 victory over Armagh at Croke Park. Moran was awarded an All-Star for his performance in the 1976 championship. Moran was also part of the 1976–77 side that won the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for Dublin with a win over Derry in the final. He played his club football for Dublin-based GAA club Good Counsel.

Association football

With Bohs winning everything bar the FAI Cup in the 1974-75 League of Ireland season 18-year-old Moran did not have an opportunity for much game time and only made one

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

appearance in the last game of the season on 17 April 1975. After Bohs he moved to UCD where in December 1975 he won the

Collingwood Cup The Collingwood Cup is an association football cup competition featuring university teams from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Universities Football Union, and is the oldest surviving all Ireland associ ...

. In February 1976 Moran won the Universities Championship when he scored the winner for the Irish Universities against their Scottish counterparts Moran started playing as a full back with Bohemians F.C. and then Pegasus. He was spotted by

Billy Behan William Behan (8 August 1911 – 12 November 1991) was an Irish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and Manchester United during the 1930s. He made his Rovers debut on 8 February 1931 in a 5–1 win over B ...

, a Manchester United scout, who reported to United manager

Dave Sexton David James Sexton (6 April 1930 – 25 November 2012) was an English football manager and player. He was notable for managing Chelsea to their first ever major European trophy. Playing career Son of former professional boxer Archie Sex ...

, and Moran signed for Manchester United in February 1978. He made his senior debut on 20 April 1979 against

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, and was a regular player in the first team by the time

Ron Atkinson Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939), commonly known as "Big Ron" or "Mr. Bojangles", is an English former football player and manager. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits. Nic ...

had succeeded Sexton as manager in June 1981. Despite not being the tallest of defenders, Kevin was known for his strong aerial ability and was a threat in the box from corners and set pieces. Playing as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

, he won

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

medals with the club in 1983 and 1985. Moran is notable for having been sent off in the 1985

against Everton, the first player ever to be sent off in an FA Cup final. YouTube videos reveal that he was the last defender when he brought down

Peter Reid Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player. A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...

with a two-footed foul tackle, without playing the ball. He was later presented with the winner's medal that had at first been withheld. After 10 years with United, Moran left Old Trafford as a 32-year-old in the summer of 1988, having played his final 18 months at the club under the management of Alex Ferguson. His first team opportunities had been limited since the arrival of

Steve Bruce Stephen Roger Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a centre-back. He most recently managed West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Br ...

in December 1987. He transferred to

Sporting Gijón Sporting may refer to: *Sport, recreational games and play * Sporting (neighborhood), in Alexandria, Egypt Sports clubs *AC Sporting, a football club from Beirut, Lebanon * Alexandria Sporting Club, a sports club from Alexandria, Egypt *Real Sport ...

, where he remained for two seasons, making 33 appearances without scoring. During his time at Sporting Gijón, Moran roomed with promising youngster and future

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

and

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

star

Luis Enrique Luis Enrique Martínez García (; born 8 May 1970), known as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish football manager and former player. A versatile player with good technique, he was capable of playing in several different positions, but usually played as ...

. While with the Spanish side he was named as the Senior International Player of the Year at the inaugural

FAI International Football Awards The FAI International Football Awards is an awards evening held to honour the best Republic of Ireland international footballers of the year. Senior International awards Senior International Player of the Year Senior Women's International P ...

in 1989. In 1990, he returned to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to join

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

. He was an automatic choice in the first team, but endured a disappointing first season at Ewood Park as Rovers finished 19th in the Second Division. The following season was a huge success, however, as playoff victory ended the club's 26-year exile from the top division and secured their place in the new

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. Moran continued in his role as club captain as Rovers finished fourth in 1992–93 and runners-up in 1993–94, and finally retired at the end of the 1993–94 season – one year before Rovers won their first league title in 81 years. In both seasons preceding Moran's retirement, Rovers were beaten to the title by his old club Manchester United. Moran made his debut for the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

against

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1980 and played a key role in Ireland's unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...

finals in Spain. He played 71 times for Ireland between 1980 and 1994, including

UEFA Euro 1988 The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. The tournament crowned the Nethe ...

in Germany and the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, and scored 6 goals. He was also a member of the Irish squad at the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

in the United States, despite being 38 years old and about to retire from playing completely, but did not play due to an injury he picked up before the tournament started.

Later career

After retiring from football, Moran made a career in business. In 1994, he formed a football agency, Proactive Sports Management, with

Paul Stretford Paul Stretford is an English football agent. In 1987, he founded Proactive Sports Management, renamed Formation Group in 2004, which went on to represent, amongst others, England footballer Wayne Rooney. In 2010 Rooney revealed as part of his evi ...

and

Jesper Olsen Jesper Olsen (born 20 March 1961) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a left winger. He is best remembered for representing Ajax of the Netherlands and Manchester United of England. He was a regular player for the Danish na ...

. His own clients include

John O'Shea John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player. He was known for his versatility in playing several positions on either side of the pitch or the centre. Born in Waterford, O'Shea joined Man ...

and Steve Finnan. Moran has also worked as a pundit on Irish television channel TV3. Moran's brother Ray is a knee specialist known as "Dr Cruciate" and as a "'surgeon to the stars'", with clients including rock star Jon Bon Jovi and numerous athletes (such as Bernard Brogan,

Colm Cooper Colm "the Gooch" Cooper (born 3 June 1983) is an Irish Gaelic footballer whose league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned fifteen years from 2002 to 2017. Born in Killarney, County Kerry, Cooper was born ...

Brendan Maher Brendan Maher (born 5 January 1989) is an Irish Hurling, hurler who plays for club side Borris–Ileigh GAA, Borris–Ileigh and previously at inter-county level with the Tipperary senior hurling team. Regarded as one of the great talents of hi ...

Alan Quinlan Alan Quinlan (''Irish: Ailín Ó Caoindealbhain'', born 13 July 1974) is a retired Irish rugby union player. He played for Munster and was registered to All-Ireland League side Shannon. He retired from rugby in May 2011. Early years Quinlan ...

and

Josh van der Flier Josh van der Flier () (born 25 April 1993) is an Irish rugby union player for Leinster and Ireland. His preferred position is flanker, but plays at other positions if needed. Van der Flier is of Dutch descent through his paternal grandparents, ...

). Moran sits on the board of his brother's Sports Surgery Clinic (SSC) in

Santry Santry () is a suburb on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin, Kilmore and Ballymun. It straddles the boundary of Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council jurisdictions. The character of the area has changed ...

, which opened in 2007.

Honours

Gaelic football

Dublin *

(2):

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, 1977 *

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GA ...

(3): 1975, 1976, 1977

Association football

Manchester United *

(2): 1982–83, 1984–85 * FA Charity Shield: 1983 Individual * FAI Senior International Player of the Year: 1989

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Kevin 1956 births Living people Dublin inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic football backs Gaelic footballers who switched code Good Counsel Gaelic footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in Spain People educated at Drimnagh Castle Secondary School Association football defenders University College Dublin A.F.C. players Bohemian F.C. players English Football League players League of Ireland players La Liga players Premier League players Manchester United F.C. players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Sporting de Gijón players Republic of Ireland association footballers Republic of Ireland expatriate association footballers Republic of Ireland international footballers UEFA Euro 1988 players 1990 FIFA World Cup players 1994 FIFA World Cup players FA Cup Final players

Gaelic football

Association football

Later career

Honours

Gaelic football

Association football

See also

References