Kevin O'Flanagan

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.

He was also a noted sprinter and long jumper and as a youth played Gaelic football.

In his spare time he also played golf and tennis at a decent level.

O'Flanagan played soccer for among others, Bohemian and Arsenal, 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 and Ireland.

In the summer of 1937 he played for an 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.

In 1937 O'Flanagan began studying medicine at University College Dublin and it was while there that he developed into an all-round sportsman.

He continued to play soccer for Bohemian and on 7 November 1937, aged 18, he scored on his senior debut for Ireland against Norway, in a qualifier for the 1938 FIFA World Cup.

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.

O'Flanagan also emerged as a prominent athlete 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 prevented O'Flanagan representing Ireland at a third sport.

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 Ireland squad.

In 1945 he also captained Bohs as they won the Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup, beating Belfast Celtic 3–2 on aggregate in the final.

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

He maintained his interest in sport, however, playing soccer for Arsenal and rugby union for London Irish.

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 in a two-legged tie against West Ham United that Arsenal lost 6–1 on aggregate.

In 1946 he played rugby for Ireland against France and then played soccer for the IFA XI against Scotland seven days later.

His brother, Mick O'Flanagan, 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.

A third brother, Charlie O'Flanagan, also played for Bohs.

During the 1946–47 season he made 14 First Division appearances and scored 3 goals.

He made his first-class league debut against Blackburn Rovers on 4 September 1946.

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

He continued to play for 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.

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.

O'Flanagan attended Synge Street CBS, Dublin where the main sport was Gaelic football and he was subsequently included on the minor Dublin county panel.

The panel also included Johnny Carey and together they also played soccer with Home Farm.

When the Gaelic Athletic Association found out, O'Flanagan, but not Carey was dropped from the panel.

He continued to play soccer and joined Bohemian, making his first team debut at 16.