Teddy McCarthy in pictures: Two All-Irelands in a fortnight... his legend will live on forever
Teddy McCarthy scores a goal against Meath in the All-Ireland final.
THE word legend is thrown around loosely these days but absolutely nobody, inside Rebel county or in the wider Irish sporting community, would quibble with describing Teddy McCarthy as just that.
He was a bonafide GAA legend, an absolute icon of hurling and football in the blood and bandages. He gave everything to the cause whether he had a hurley or a size five O'Neills in his hands.
Teddy Mac, as he was lovingly known in every corner of Cork, came up with big plays and key scores against Cork's great rivals and when it mattered most.
He's the only male GAA player to win All-Irelands in both codes in the same season and his exploits in 1990 secured his status as a Cork great. Denis Walsh was also prominent in '90 but didn't feature in the football victory over Meath, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín came close to matching him in '99, and Rena Buckley and Briege Corkery are among the female Cork stars to deliver in camogie and ladies football. Yet Teddy Mac's double remains unique.
His most notable attribute was his high fielding, soaring into the skies with incredible athleticism for his height, the type of catching that gets the fans off their seats and makes for terrific sports photography.
Teddy Mac was a serial winner. He progressed to the top from Cork minor and U21 outfits that were used to lifting cups and that meant, under Billy Morgan's guidance, the footballers were able to break Kerry's stranglehold on the Munster Championship.
In 1987 they drew with the Kingdom in Páirc Uí Chaoimh but instead of conceding they had missed their opportunity, the Rebels raided Fitzgerald Stadium in the replay and would go on to reach four All-Irelands finals in a row.
They ran into a powerhouse Meath outfit in 1987 and '88 before grabbing Sam Maguire in '89 against Mayo and then retaining against the Royals to seal the double, despite an early red card.
As good a hurler as a footballer, he remarkably made his debut in senior hurling in the 1986 All-Ireland final, having missed the earlier part of the season through injury, beating Galway in Croke Park.
Cork would defeat the Tribe again in 1990 and there was a succession of memorable jousts with Tipperary in that era. Electric clashes which in the old knockout format meant everything to both counties.
Though his All-Ireland winning days were over after going down to Kilkenny in the '92 final, a league title was secured in 1993 after an epic trilogy with Wexford. Later that season the footballers were just edged out by Derry for September glory. Former Irish Examiner staff photographer Des Barry's picture of Teddy soaring as high as any NBA basketballer in the '93 league final is sensational.
McCarthy was a talisman for Glanmire and Sars as well and integral to the Imokilly divisional side that won football counties in the mid-'80s.
While he didn't get to pick up the Seán Óg Murphy Cup as a Sars player, he was a selector in 2008 when the club, featuring his son Cian, bridged a gap to 1957 when they beat Bride Rovers. It was the start of a golden era, with four counties and three more final appearances in eight seasons.
His coaching career was successful a varied, which included a county with Bandon, while also released an autobiography in 2012: .
He was in Semple Stadium to watch the Cork U20 hurlers beat Offaly just two days before his passing. A straight-talker, he wasn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers but did so with a razor-sharp sense of humour.
He was the vice-chairman of Sars, still giving back to the GAA at grassroots level.
Many young players started out using his camáns when he was a hurley-maker for a spell.
Leesiders get a real kick out of using Teddy McCarthy as a marker for Cork's sporting success: some players spent a lifetime trying to land one All-Ireland and he managed two in the space of a couple of weeks.
That achievement will echo through the generations and while he's gone he will never be forgotten.
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