Ger O'Keeffe (born 1952 in

Tralee Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

) is an Irish former

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

er who played for Austin Stack's and at senior level for the Kerry county team between 1973 and 1982. He is currently a selector with the Kerry senior football team.

Playing career

Schools

O'Keeffe was part of the

St Brendan's College, Killarney St Brendan's College, known locally as The Sem, is a secondary school in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland History St Brendan's is a Catholic Diocesan College, founded in 1860 by bishop David Moriarty as a boarding and day-school for boys under ...

side that won the Munster Colleges

Corn Uí Mhuirí Corn Uí Mhuirí is the cup presented to the winners of the Munster colleges senior "A" football championship, the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools in Munster. The winners advance to the Hogan Cup, which is the All-Ire ...

and

Hogan Cup The Hogan Cup (), also known as the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior A Football Championship, is the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools (sometimes referred to as colleges) in Ireland. The competition itself is re ...

in 1969.

Underage

In 1970 O'Keeffe was part of the Kerry minor team that won the

Munster Minor Football Championship The Munster Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is ...

after beating

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

in the final. Kerry later qualified for the

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it was replaced by an under ...

, where they lost out to

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

after a replay.

Senior

O'Keeffe was Kerry

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1977 when Kerry lost to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. He was a member of the Kerry four-in-a-row All-Ireland SFC team from 1978 to 1981.

Selector

O'Keeffe was a selector of the senior Kerry team from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2009 until the present. He was also a selector with Jack O'Connor for the Kerry U21 team in 2002 and 2008. He won an All-Ireland Under 21 medal in 1973 and won an All-Ireland Club SFC title with

Austin Stacks Austin Stacks is a hurling and Gaelic football club based in Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. Founded in 1917, the club has more All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and GAA All-Stars than any other Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA ...

in 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okeeffe, Ger 1952 births Living people All Stars Awards winners (football) Austin Stacks Gaelic footballers Austin Stacks hurlers Dual players Gaelic football backs Gaelic football selectors Kerry inter-county Gaelic footballers Munster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Winners of three All-Ireland medals (Gaelic football) 20th-century Irish sportsmen