Kevin Patrick O'Flanagan (10 June 1919 – 26 May 2006) was an Irish sportsman, physician and sports administrator. An outstanding all-rounder, he represented his country at both soccer and

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

. He was also a noted sprinter and

long jumper The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and as a youth played

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 ...

. In his spare time he also played golf and tennis at a decent level. O'Flanagan played soccer for among others,

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, and as an international he played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. O'Flanagan also played rugby union for UCD,

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In 1946 he played rugby for

against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and then played soccer for the IFA XI against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

seven days later. His brother,

Mick O'Flanagan Mick O'Flanagan (29 September 1922 – 13 September 2015) was an Irish sportsman who represented his country at both soccer and rugby union. As a soccer player, O'Flanagan played for, among others, Home Farm, Bohemians and Belfast Celtic. Hi ...

, was also a notable sportsman and also represented Ireland at both soccer and rugby union. On 30 September 1946 both brothers played together for the FAI XI against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. A third brother, Charlie O'Flanagan, also played for Bohs. O'Flanagan subsequently became an Olympic official and served on the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

from 1976 to 1994. On his retirement he was made an honorary lifetime member of IOC. He died in a Dublin hospital in 2006, at the age of 86, after being admitted for

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

problems.

Sporting career

Early years

O'Flanagan attended

Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...

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 ...

where the main sport was

and he was subsequently included on the minor Dublin county panel. The panel also included

Johnny Carey John Joseph Carey (23 February 1919 – 22 August 1995) was an Irish professional footballer and manager. As a player, Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 195 ...

and together they also played soccer with Home Farm. When the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

found out, O'Flanagan, but not Carey was dropped from the panel. He continued to play soccer and joined

, making his first team debut at 16. In the summer of 1937 he played for an

junior team against a Birmingham FA XI at

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

and scored twice in a 4–3 win. His performance resulted in offers from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

and

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

, but his parents insisted that he complete his education.

University years

In 1937 O'Flanagan began studying medicine at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

and it was while there that he developed into an all-round sportsman. He continued to play soccer for

and on 7 November 1937, aged 18, he scored on his senior debut for

against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, in a qualifier for the

1938 FIFA World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the 3rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in France from 4 to 19 June 1938. Italy national ...

. In 1945 he also captained Bohs as they won the Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup, beating

Belfast Celtic Belfast Celtic Football Club was an Irish football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for political reaso ...

3–2 on aggregate in the final. It was while at UCD that O'Flanagan first took up rugby union, playing for the university team, and in 1942 he received his first call up to the

squad. O'Flanagan also emerged as a prominent

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

and was Irish long jump champion in 1939 and the 60 yards and 100 yards champion in 1941. In 1941 he tied with David Guiney for the long jump title, but with only one gold medal available, he insisted his rival accept it as he already had one. Only the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

prevented O'Flanagan representing Ireland at a third sport.

London years

After qualifying as a doctor from UCD in 1945, O'Flanagan was offered a position as a junior GP in

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is a suburb in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London. Prior to 1965 it was in Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. He maintained his interest in sport, however, playing soccer for

and rugby union for

. Despite being good enough to play soccer as a professional, he remained an amateur so he could continue to play rugby union. In his debut season with Arsenal, 1945–46, he scored 11 goals in 18 Football League South appearances, finishing as the club's top scorer; he also played a further two games for Arsenal in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

in a two-legged tie against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

that Arsenal lost 6–1 on aggregate. During the 1946–47 season he made 14

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

appearances and scored 3 goals. He made his first-class league debut against

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

on 4 September 1946. His last appearance for the Arsenal senior team came on 28 December 1946 against

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

. He continued to play for

Arsenal Reserves Arsenal Football Club Academy, metonymically known as Hale End, is the youth system of Arsenal Football Club based in Hale End, London, England. The academy teams play in the Professional Development League, the highest level of youth football ...

until 1948 and later played for both

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...

and

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

before his increasing medical commitments and an ankle injury, forced him to retire as a sportsman in 1949. However O'Flanagan, who was now a specialist in sports medicine, had already embarked on his next career. A chance encounter with FA chairman

Stanley Rous Sir Stanley Ford Rous (25 April 1895 – 18 July 1986) was an English football referee and the List of Presidents of FIFA, 6th President of FIFA, serving from 1961 to 1974. He also served as secretary of the Football Association from 1934 to 196 ...

led to his appointment to the British Olympic Medical Commission and to him becoming team doctor for

Great Britain at the 1948 Summer Olympics United Kingdom, Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed as the host nation for the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. It was the second time that the United Kingdom had hosted the Summer Olympic Games, equallin ...

Irish international

Soccer international

When O'Flanagan began his international soccer career in 1937 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland – based

IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Act ...

and the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

– based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including O'Flanagan, played for both teams. Between 1937 and 1947 O'Flanagan made 10 appearances and scored 3 goals for the FAI XI. He won 7 of these caps while playing for

and made his international debut against

on 7 November 1937, in a qualifier for the

. O'Flanagan scored in the 3–3 draw. His teammates on the day included fellow debutant,

and Jimmy Dunne. The highlight of his international career came when he scored twice in a 2–2 away draw against

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

on 18 May 1939. With Hungary 1–0 up at half-time, O'Flanagan turned the game around with two magnificent goals in the 52nd and 77th minutes. He scored the first with his left foot from twenty five yards and the second with his right foot from a similar distance. Only a very late goal denied the FAI XI victory. In 1939 O'Flanagan also played twice for the

League of Ireland XI The League of Ireland XI, more recently referred to as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative team of the League of Ireland, the national association football league of Ireland. For much of its history, the League ...

, helping them to 2–1 victories against an

Irish League XI The Irish League representative team was the representative side of the Irish Football League, the national league for football in Northern Ireland from 1922 and, prior to that the league for Ireland. The Irish League was suspended from 1941–42 ...

and a

Scottish League XI The Scottish League XI was a representative side of the Scottish Football League. The team regularly played against the (English) Football League and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture be ...

. He won his last three caps for the FAI XI while at

. These included the game against

on 30 September 1946 when his teammates included his brother,

. He made his final appearance for the FAI XI on 4 May 1947 in 2–0 defeat against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. In 1946, while at

, O'Flanagan also played in two

Victory international The term Victory International or Victory Internationals refers to two series of international association football, football matches played by the national football teams of England national football team, England, Scotland national football team ...

s for the IFA XI. On 2 February at

Windsor Park The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (officially the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park for sponsorship reasons), or the National Football Stadium, also known as Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in B ...

he played for the IFA XI in a 3–2 defeat to

. Then on 4 May he helped the IFA XI defeat

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

1–0 at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a association football, football stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovatio ...

Rugby international

In 1942, while playing for UCD, O'Flanagan played for an Ireland XV against a

British Army XV The Army Rugby Union (ARU) is the governing body for rugby union in the British Army and a constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The ARU was formed on 31 December 1906 and marked the fulfilment of Lieutenant J. E. C. "Birdie" Partr ...

at Ravenhill. In 1946, while with

, he played on the wing in an unofficial international against

. In

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

he won his only official cap in a Test against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, a 16–3 defeat at

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Aviva Stadium on ...

Sports administrator and doctor

O'Flanagan returned to

in the 1950s and established a successful practice at Upper Fitzwilliam Street. He briefly revived his soccer career with

and remained involved in sport throughout the rest of his life. During subsequent decades he served on numerous bodies and held various positions in the areas of sports and medicine. These include:

Honours

''Soccer Player'' Bohemians * Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup: 1 **''Winners'' 1945

Footnotes

References

* * * Cotton, Fran (Ed.) (1984) ''The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records'' (Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. ) *''The Boys in Green – The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Ryan *''Soccer at War – 1939 – 45'' (2005): Jack Rollin

External links

Ireland (FAI) stats

Obituary in The Guardian

O'Flanagan at www.arsenal.com

Athletic Association of Ireland

International Olympic Committee

on scrum.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Oflanagan, Kevin 1919 births 2006 deaths Alumni of University College Dublin Association footballers from Dublin (city) Athletes from Dublin (city) Dual Irish men's international footballers Gaelic footballers who switched code Gaelic games players from Dublin (city) Ireland international rugby union players Irish general practitioners Irish International Olympic Committee members Irish male long jumpers Irish rugby union players London Irish players Medical doctors from Dublin (city) Men's association football inside forwards Olympic Federation of Ireland officials Republic of Ireland men's amateur international footballers Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Rugby union players from Dublin (city) Lansdowne Football Club players Leinster Rugby players People educated at Synge Street CBS University College Dublin R.F.C. players Ireland (FAI) men's international footballers Ireland (IFA) men's wartime international footballers League of Ireland XI players Home Farm F.C. players Bohemian F.C. players League of Ireland players Arsenal F.C. players Corinthian-Casuals F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Barnet F.C. players English Football League players