The county teams of Kerry and Armagh competed in the game, which was a rematch of the 1953 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. Kerry were hoping to win their 33rd All-Ireland at the time, while Armagh, appearing in a final for the third time, were attempting to win the title for the first time. The match was played on September 23, with Kerry winning by 3-6 to 1-5.
Kerry's three-point victory meant that they went into retirement with their all-time great Joe Kerry as the most successful captain in the history of the championship. The 'Chieftain' had led his team to success in 31 championships up to that point. He finished with 62 victories from 82 games he started. Joe's brother Pat also starred for Kerry during this era, helping them to five more titles before he retired after the 1957 championship. He ended up with 70 wins from 87 games he started.
Pat's brother Mike also won an All-Ireland medal with Kerry in 1953. He was one of four Kerry brothers on the field that day - Joe, Pat and Mickey - who contributed towards Kerry's victory. They scored two goals and set up another two in what was a very productive game for them. Mickey later became the first player to be sent off in an All-Ireland final when he received a second yellow card late in the game for kicking the ball away following a free kick against him.
Dublin won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship by a single point, their first since 1995. This was the first final between Kerry and Dublin since 1985. The winning point was scored by a goalkeeper, Stephen Cluxton of Dublin, which was the first time this had ever happened in a final.
The match was played on 4 September at Croke Park in Dublin. It was the culmination of what has been called "the greatest season in the history of modern Gaelic football" - featuring many all-time great matches - and one of the greatest seasons in sports history in general. Twelve teams from across Ireland met in the championship, with the two highest ranked teams - Dublin and Kerry - going into a semi-final stage where they were joined by the other ten teams. The winners of these ties went on to meet in the final.
After losing their opening game against Derry, Kerry bounced back to beat Armagh by a score of 2-14 to 0-8. They then faced Dublin in the semi-finals, who had already beaten Down by 3-6 to 1-3. In one of the most exciting games of the year, Dublin came from behind twice to win by 2-10 to 3-8. This gave them their third title in four years - after also winning in 2004 and 2007 - and meant that they had now won more All-Ireland titles than any other county.
Kerry, on the other hand, began the competition as the reigning champions. However, in the All-Ireland semi-final, they were beaten by Galway. Dublin won the title on September 22, 1963, after defeating Galway in the All-Ireland final 1-9 to 0-10. This was their 17th All-Ireland championship, and their first in five years. The "Dubs" were led out by Paddy O'Connell, who scored four goals. Jack McCaffrey was the captain.
This year's All-Ireland final was the most exciting so far in the history of the championship. It was a close game from start to finish; however, at the end of normal time Kerry were leading by just one point, 1-8 to 0-11. In extra time, Dublin scored three goals while Kerry only managed one. This is your winner by two points - Dublin!
Here are some facts about this year's All-Ireland final: it was the first time in nine years that two southern teams had met in an All-Ireland final; it was also the first time that Kerry had ever lost back-to-back championships. Finally, this was the first time that Dublin had won the title since 1959. After winning just one game all season long, they showed great character to win such a huge final.
Dublin won the Leinster Senior Football Championship by defeating Laois, Kildare, and Wexford. They won the All Ireland Quarter Final against Tyrone and the Semi Final against Donegal. Prior to the final, the Donegal against Dublin football semi-final had the highest attendance of the season (81,436). The final was watched by a record television audience of almost 3 million people.
The Dublin team that year was considered one of the best ever to play the game. They won their first five games before losing to Kerry in mid-September. By this stage, they were already assured of going straight through to the final. Dublin then went on a four match winning streak which included victories over reigning champions Kilkenny and Galway. In the process, they set a new record for the longest unbeaten run in Irish football history - 13 games. The last game of this run was decided by just 1 point against Derry.
In the final, Dublin got off to a flying start when Damien Martin scored after just three seconds. He added another goal just a few minutes later. This is still the fastest ever opening of an Irish football final. Laois fought back with two goals of their own but it was not enough to prevent a 3rd title for Dublin. The side from the capital city went through to face Offaly in the All-Ireland Final.
That game too was a classic with Dublin coming out on top by 2 points.
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was held for the 42nd time in 1928, and it was Ireland's highest Gaelic football knock-out championship. Kildare came out on top. For the first time since 1916, Cork won the Munster title. Sligo won the Connacht championship for the first time in their history. Kildare has won the All Ireland title for the second year in a row. They were followed by Kerry, Roscommon and Dublin.
These are the five counties who compete at the end of each season for the prestigious Frank O'Connor Award for the most promising young player in the country. The award is named after the former Kerry captain who died in action during World War I. Each year, his family chooses the winner from among the most promising players who are judged on their performances during the previous season. The prize includes a trip to America where the player will play in a series of games against American colleges.
The Irish team that went to America that year was managed by Joe Houghton, who had been appointed as manager on a temporary basis following the death of Andy Keating. The team included three brothers: Paddy (Cork), Tommy (Kerry) and Jimmy (Dublin). Another brother, John, was also selected but he never played because of injury. The fourth brother, Mike, had not yet turned professional and so he decided not to go to America.
The championship was started in 1887 by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
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