JACK O’Connor has hailed Johnny Culloty as a ‘father-figure’ to him during his early days with Kerry.
The former dual star, 88, died on Monday.
He helped his county lift Sam Maguire five times as a player, including captaining the Kingdom in 1969.
The Killarney Legion clubman also attained All-Ireland success as a hurler since he was part of their junior title-winning side of 1961.
Prior to Mick O’Dwyer’s reign, he served as Kerry manager and guided the Kingdom to Munster SFC glory in 1972 and back-to-back National League titles.
Culloty was part of O’Connor’s backroom team when they claimed the All-Ireland in 2004 and 2006.
Speaking to The Kerryman, the 64-year-old praised: “Johnny was a like a father-figure to me, he was a great friend and he will be sadly missed.
“We worked together with the under-21s in 1998 and 1999, winning the All-Ireland the first year, and he was a selector with me from 2004 when I took over the senior team.
“He was a great man, he had fantastic experience, and had a huge knowledge of the game.
“He made me very aware of the traditions of Kerry football, he always wanted Kerry to play football in the right way, with a bit of style, almost regardless of the results.
“He was a link back to Dr Eamonn O’Sullivan – he would have played under Dr Eamonn – and a lot of the stuff Dr Eamonn believed in Johnny would have passed that on to the next generation.
“Johnny was a very understated, unassuming man, but he was very intelligent and he was a great judge of a footballer.
“I used to say that Johnny was as good a judge of a footballer as Vincent O’Brien was of a racehorse.”
Sadly, Culloty’s death hasn’t been the only high-profile loss suffered across the GAA fraternity in that region this week.
Former Cork hurler Ray Ryan, brother of Cork senior manager Pat, died on Tuesday at the age of just 43.
His local club Sarsfields led the tributes, with Ryan having been part of teams that won county titles in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014.
‘HEAVY HEARTS’
The club said: “It is with heavy hearts that we at Sarsfields Hurling Club must share the heartbreaking news of the unexpected passing of our Minor Manager and club stalwart, Ray Ryan.
“His loss has left an immense void not only within our club, but also within Glanmire Football Club and the wider Glanmire community.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Aisling, his beautiful children, the Ryan family and friends during this incredibly difficult time.
“Ray’s unwavering dedication and passion for the game, as well as his kindness and commitment to our club will forever be remembered.”
After helping Sarsfields to the 2008 county honours, Ryan joined the Cork senior hurling panel in the absence of the existing panel that withdrew their services.
He remained part of the panel when they returned and made his championship debut in the 2010 Munster semi-final win over Limerick.
