Theo English

Thomas English (5 July 1930 – 10 January 2021), known as Theo English, was an Irish hurler and coach. As a player, he was noted as a tactician with "good ball control and excellent stickwork".^[1] English was, at the time of his retirement, the longest-serving midfielder the Tipperary senior hurling team ever had, and has been described as "one of Tipp[erary]'s finest hurlers".^[2][3][4]

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Tipperary senior hurling team rose to become one of the most dominant teams in the sport.^[5][6] English, having won an All-Ireland Junior Championship with Tipperary in 1953, was immediately drafted onto the senior team as a left wing-forward but was later transferred to midfield. It was a position he retained for 14 years. After winning the first of eight National Hurling League titles in his debut season, English won his first All-Ireland Senior Hurling title in the 1958 Championship before claiming four more winners' medals in five seasons between the 1961 season and 1965 season. He was also a seven-time Munster Championship winner. At club level, English spent more than 20 years playing for Marlfield and was involved in all four of the club's South Tipperary Championship-winning teams. With Munster he won four Railway Cup medals. After retiring from inter-county activity in 1967, English became a selector with Tipperary and was part of the All-Ireland Championship-winning management teams in the 1971 and 1989 Championships.

English was honoured with two Cú Chulainn Awards, the precursor to the All-Star, during his playing days. In retirement he came to be regarded as one of Tipperary's greatest-ever players and has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats. In 2000, English was selected on the Tipperary Hurling Team of the Millennium. He was also named as one of hurling's 125 greatest players as part of the GAA 125 celebrations.^[7]