 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Mícheál de Róiste | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Born |
8 October 1943 Carrickbeg, County Tipperary, Ireland | ||
| Died |
7 December 2016 (aged 72) Horse and Jockey, County Tipperary, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Occupation | Company representative | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
St. Molleran's Carrick Davins | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Tipperary titles | 2 | ||
| Munster titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1963–1974 | Tipperary | 27 (1–17) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 5 | ||
| All-Irelands | 3 | ||
| NHL | 3 | ||
| All Stars | 1 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 19:50. 6 September 2014. | |||
Michael Roche (8 October 1943 – 7 December 2016) was an Irish hurler whose league and championship career with the Tipperary senior team spanned twelve seasons from 1963 to 1974. He is regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs of all time, in spite of spending much of playing career in his favoured position of midfield.[1][2][3][4]
Born near Carrickbeg, County Tipperary, Roche was raised in a household that had a strong association with Gaelic games. His father was a founder-member of the Carrick Davins club and had played Gaelic football for Tipperary. He first came to prominence as a hurler as a member of the St. Molleran's minor team that won the county minor championship title with 1959. Roche subsequently joined the Carrick Davins club and went on to win one Munster medal and two county senior championship medals.
After failing to secure a place on the Waterford minor team in 1960, Roche made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he was selected on the Tipperary minor team in 1961. He won a Munster medal that year but was later denied an All-Ireland medal in what was his last game in the minor grade. A successful year with the Tipperary intermediate hurlers culminated in the winning of an All-Ireland medal in 1963, before claiming an All-Ireland medal with the under-21 team in 1964. By this stage he had also joined the Tipperary senior panel, first lining out during the 1963 championship. Over the course of the next twelve seasons, Roche won three All-Ireland medals, beginning with back-to-back triumphs in 1964 and 1965, and ending with a final title in 1971. He was an All-Ireland runner-up as captain in 1967 and 1968. Roche also won five Munster medals and three National Hurling League medals. He played his last game for Tipperary in July 1974.
After being chosen at midfield on the Munster inter-provincial team in 1965, Roche was an automatic choice on the starting fifteen for much of his playing career. He won a total of three Railway Cup medals.
Roche is widely regarded as one of the great centre-backs of his era and as one of the greatest Tipperary players of all time. During his career he was honoured with three Cú Chulainn awards, while he was also chosen on the inaugural All-Star team. In 2000 Roche was named at midfield on the Tipperary Team of the Century, while he was later chosen as one of the 125 greatest hurlers of all-time in a 2009 poll.[5]
- ^ "Tipperary hurling legend Mick Roche has passed away aged 73". Irish Independent. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Tipperary hurling legend Mick Roche dies". Irish Examiner. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Death of Tipperary hurling legend Mick Roche from Carrick Davins". The Nationalist. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Tipp bid farewell to hurling legend Mick Roche". Hogan Stand. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "The 125 greatest stars of the GAA:51-75". Irish Independent. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2014.