Johnny Clifford

Clifford began his hurling career in the locally-organised North Parish Leagues in the 1940s before later coming to prominence at colleges level with the North Monastery.

After beginning his career at club level with Glen Rovers, Clifford joined the Cork minor team as a 15-year-old in 1950, captaining the team to the All-Ireland Minor Championship in 1951.

Around the same time he joined the hugely successful Glen Rovers minor team that claimed three successive county championships between 1950 and 1952.

Clifford had just turned 16 when he was also drafted onto the Glen Rovers junior hurling that claimed the county championship title after a 4-06 to 3-00 victory over Mallow in the 1950 final.

Clifford first played for Cork as a member of the minor team during the 1950 Munster Championship.

He made his first appearance for the team on 26 June 1950 when he scored three points from left wing-forward in the 3-07 to 2-06 defeat by Waterford.

Still in his second of three years with the minor team, Clifford was promoted to the Glen Rovers senior team in advance of the 1951 County Championship.

He made his debut on 15 April 1951 when he scored five points in an 8-08 to 0-03 first round defeat of Seandún and was also amongst the scorers when Glen Rovers lost the final to Sarsfields.

Clifford was appointed captain of the team in 1951 and claimed a Munster Championship medal after scoring 2-04 in the 5-11 to 1-03 victory over Limerick.

He later won an All-Ireland Championship medal after leading Cork to a 4-05 to 1-08 victory over Galway in the All-Ireland final.

Clifford's minor career ended after a defeat by Tipperary in the 1952 Munster Championship.

He was almost immediately promoted to the Cork senior team and won his first All-Ireland Championship as non-playing substitute in 1953 before claiming a second winners' medal on the field of the play in 1954 after scoring the winning goal in the final.

Clifford was still just 19 years old when he lined out in his second senior final in 1953, ending the game with his first winners' medal after scoring a goal in the 8-05 to 4-03 victory over Sarsfields.

After not being included on the Cork panel for the 1953 Munster Championship, Clifford was drafted onto the team as a substitute for the 1953 All-Ireland final against Galway.

He remained on the bench but ended the game with a winners' medal after the 3-03 to 0-08 victory.

Clifford made his senior debut on 15 November 1953 in a 6-08 to 5-06 defeat by Dublin in the second round of the 1953-54 National League.

Later that season he made his first championship appearance and claimed a Munster Championship medal after scoring three points in the 2-08 to 1-08 victory over Tipperary in the final.

Clifford ended the season by winning a second successive All-Ireland winners' medal after scoring the winning goal in Cork's All-Ireland final victory over Wexford.

After losing back-to-back finals in 1955 and 1956, a series of career-threatening injuries saw Clifford leave the Glen Rovers senior team.

Clifford was an automatic inclusion on the Cork starting fifteen for the 1955 Munster Championship; however, a series of injuries brought his inter-county career to end during the 1955-56 National League.

After the premature ending of his club career, Clifford became involved as a coach and selector at all levels with Glen Rovers but particularly with the senior team.

A severe head injury ended Clifford's inter-county career in 1956, by which time he had also won two Munster Championship medals.

He linked up with the club's intermediate team and secured the complete set of county championship titles after claiming a winners' medal when the Glen defeated Carrigaline in the 1958 intermediate final.

A return to full fitness saw Clifford earn a recall to the Glen Rovers senior team.

His club career ended in 1960; however, in spite of being brief he claimed a full set of available county championship medals including minor, junior, intermediate and three senior triumphs.

After his playing career, Clifford found success as both a club and inter-county coach and selector.

Clifford enjoyed three separate tenures as coach of the Cork senior team, while he also served as a selector in an association that lasted from the 1960s until the 1990s.

He claimed a third senior winners' medal after lining out at right wing-forward in the 3-08 to 1-12 defeat of University College Cork in the 1960 final.

Glen Rovers retained the title after a five-point win over Blackrock in the 1964 final, with Clifford claiming a second successive winners' medal before ending the season by completing the double after winning a county football championship medal with the Glen's sister club St. Nicholas'.

He enjoyed his first success as a mentor when Glen Rovers claimed the 1964 Championship after a defeat of St. Finbarr's, before later beating Mount Sion by six points to win the inaugural Munster Club Championship.

After surrendering their titles the following year, Clifford was again part of the management team that saw Glen Rovers claim the championship titles in 1967 and 1969 after respective defeats of St. Finbarr's and University College Cork.

Clifford claimed a fourth championship title as a selector after a defeat of Youghal in 1972 before later helping the Glen to a second Munster Club Championship title after victory over Roscrea.

He ended the 1972-73 season by helping steer the club to their first All-Ireland Club Championship after a 2-18 to 2-08 defeat of St. Rynagh's in the All-Ireland final.

His association as a mentor with the Glen Rovers senior team spanned three decades and culminated with the winning of All-Ireland Club Championship titles in 1973 and 1977.

After two final defeats over the following three years, Clifford claimed a fifth county championship title in 1976, this time as team trainer with Donie O'Donovan.

He later helped steer the club to a third Munster Club Championship and a second All-Ireland Club Championship after a 2-12 to 0-08 victory over Camross in the All-Ireland final replay.

During that time he was involved in two All-Ireland Championship-winning teams, while he also coached the Cork minor team to the All-Ireland Minor Championship in 1985.

Clifford concentrated on inter-county coaching and management following this victory, however, he remained close to his home club and returned as manager for one last time in 1993.

John Clifford (1934 – 19 October 2007) was an Irish hurler and hurling coach.

After All-Ireland Championship victories as a player and manager during a five-decade association with the Cork senior hurling team, he is regarded as a "Cork legend."