Kevin O'Flanagan

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Kevin O'Flanagan
Personal information
Full name Kevin Patrick O'Flanagan
Date of birth (1919-06-10)10 June 1919
Place of birth Dublin, Ireland
Date of death 26 May 2006(2006-05-26) (aged 86)
Place of death Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Position(s) Inside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Gaelic football
193x–193x Dublin county team
Soccer
193x–1936 Home Farm
1936–1945 Bohemian 145 (95)
1945–1947 Arsenal 14 (3)
1947–1948 Corinthian-Casuals 52 (50)
1948 Barnet
1949–1950 Brentford 6 (0)
Rugby union
193x–194x
UCD
194x–194x
Lansdowne
194x–194x London Irish
194x–194xLeinster
International career
Soccer
1937–1947
Ireland (FAI)
10 (3)
1939 League of Ireland XI 2 (0)
1946
Ireland (IFA)
2 (0)
1949–1950(amateur) 2 (0)
Rugby union
Irish Universities XV
1942–1947 Ireland 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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

IFA XI. O'Flanagan also played rugby union for UCD, London Irish and Ireland
.

In 1946 he played rugby for

FAI XI against England
. A third brother, Charlie O'Flanagan, also played for Bohs.

O'Flanagan subsequently became an Olympic official and served on the International Olympic Committee 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 problems.

Sporting career

Early years

O'Flanagan attended

Ireland junior team against a Birmingham FA XI at West Bromwich and scored twice in a 4–3 win. His performance resulted in offers from Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester United
, but his parents insisted that he complete his education.

University years

In 1937 O'Flanagan began studying medicine at

3–2 on aggregate in the final.

It was while at UCD that O'Flanagan first took up rugby union, playing for the

Second World War
prevented O'Flanagan representing Ireland at a third sport.

London years

After qualifying as a doctor from

Football League South appearances, finishing as the club's top scorer; he also played a further two games for Arsenal in the FA Cup in a two-legged tie against West Ham United
that Arsenal lost 6–1 on aggregate.

During the

Arsenal Reserves until 1948 and later played for both Barnet and Brentford 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 led to his appointment to the British Olympic Medical Commission and to him becoming team doctor for Great Britain at the 1948 Summer Olympics
.

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 and the Irish Free State – 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 Bohemian and made his international debut against Norway on 7 November 1937, in a qualifier for the 1938 FIFA World Cup. O'Flanagan scored in the 3–3 draw. His teammates on the day included fellow debutant, Johnny Carey and Jimmy Dunne. The highlight of his international career came when he scored twice in a 2–2 away draw against Hungary
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

IFA XI. On 2 February at Windsor Park he played for the IFA XI in a 3–2 defeat to Scotland. Then on 4 May he helped the IFA XI defeat Wales 1–0 at Ninian Park
.

Rugby international

In 1942, while playing for

UCD, O'Flanagan played for an Ireland XV against a British Army XV at Ravenhill. In 1946, while with London Irish, he played on the wing in an unofficial international against France. In 1947 he won his only official cap in a Test against Australia, a 16–3 defeat at Lansdowne Road
.

Sports administrator and doctor

O'Flanagan returned to Dublin in the 1950s and established a successful practice at Upper Fitzwilliam Street. He briefly revived his soccer career with Bohemian 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:

  • Vice-president of the
    Olympic Council of Ireland
    :
  • Member of the International Olympic Committee: 1976–1994
    • IOC Drugs Panel: 1977–1999
    • IOC Medical Commission: 1980–1994
    • Olympic Programme Commission: 1993–1994
    • Honorary lifetime member of IOC: 1995
  • Irish Representative on the Sports Medicine Committee of the Council of Europe:
  • President of the Irish Sports Medicine Association:
  • Chairman of the Irish National Rehabilitation Board
    • President of World Congress for Rehabilitation: 1969
  • Council of People for the Handicapped, USA.
  • Chief Medical Officer of Athletic Association of Ireland
  • Chief Medical Officer at Bohemian:196x-197x
  • Chief Medical Officer of Irish Olympic Team: 1960–1976

Honours

Soccer Player

Bohemians

  • Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup
    : 1
    • Winners 1945

Footnotes

  1. ^ Cotton, p82
  2. ^ "Dictionary of Irish Biography - Cambridge University Press". dib.cambridge.org. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  3. Football League South
    are not counted as official first-class matches by statisticians, hence this is considered O'Flanagan's first-class league debut.
  4. ^ "O'Flanagan Dr Kevin Image 1 Arsenal 1946". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 24 December 2018.

References

External links