Despite the untimely death of his mother Sheila yesterday, Jack O'Connor from the Dromid Pearses club in South Kerry is expected to be ratified by the delegates at tonight's Kerry County Board meeting to take over the Kerry senior football team from Westmeath-bound Páidí Ó Sé.
O'Connor, 42 and a teacher of maths and Irish at Coláiste na Sceilge, may not have the high profile of the Ventry icon but his football pedigree is impressive, and he will step up from a two-year stint in charge of the under-21 side to take up one of the most demanding jobs in football. The two selectors he has chosen are believed to be former Kerry greats Johnny Culloty from the Legion club and Ger O'Keeffe from Austin Stacks.
It is also probable that former Irish sprint champion and IT Tralee Sigerson Cup trainer Pat Flanagan will help with the physical preparation of the team.
O'Connor first came to prominence when he trained the Kerry Vocational Schools side to All-Ireland glory in 1992 and 1993.
He served as a senior selector with Ó Sé as team boss when Kerry gained All-Ireland glory in 1997 and he was again part of the management team in 2000, when Kerry won the Millennium title.
He trained two All-Ireland under-21 winning sides, in 1996 and 1998, and has enjoyed unprecedented success at schools and colleges level with Scoil Uí Chonaill and Coláiste na Sceilge.
Kerry's loss to Waterford in this year's Munster under-21 final may have been a blot on his copybook, but he has widespread support in taking over the senior side and county board chairman Seán Walsh is entitled to hope O'Connor's ability to get on with players and media will help to usher in a new dawn for Kerry football and erase the memories of a year of turmoil.
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