Given the huge Irish diaspora in the US, there is little surprise that Irish emigrants have influenced American sports. From successful former players to Super Bowl-winning coaches, there are a plethora of notable Irish Americans in the history of the NFL.
Ireland is a proud sporting nation, and Irish people take this pride with them wherever they go. Those that have emigrated to the US are no different, and many people of Irish descent have been major players of all American sports.
With the Super Bowl this weekend between Patrick Mahomes’s Kansas City Chiefs and the Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles, we take a look at seven of the most notable Irish Americans in the history of the NFL.
7. Pete Carroll – one of the oldest champion coaches
A former New York Jets and New England Patriots head coach, Carroll was the first manager to win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014.
At the age of 62, Carroll became one of the three oldest coaches to win a Super Bowl ring. He follows Tom Coughlin who won Super Bowl XLVI at 65 years old and Dick Vermeil who led the St. Louis Rams to victory at 63 in Super Bowl XXXIV.
He was the grandson of two Irish emigrants and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
6. Sean Payton – named after a priest
Current Denver Broncos manager and former New Orleans Saints head coach, Patrick Sean Payton, was named after the Irish “Rosary Priest” Father Patrick Peyton. He didn’t need the Rosary, though, as his Saints team pulled off a biblical performance to win the Super Bowl in 2009.
During his playing career, Payton moved closer to his native Ireland. In 1988, he played for the Leicester Panthers of the professional UK Budweiser National League. Payton landed the starting QB position role for the Panthers.
His stint in the UK finished with an 8-5 regular season record before crashing out at the quarter-final stage of the BAFA National Leagues play offs, eventually losing to the London Olympians.
5. Matt Ryan – the quarterback who dreams of being a half-back
“Matty Ice,” current quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, brought the Atlanta Falcons to the verge of the Super Bowl in 2012, but lost to San Francisco in the NFC title game at home. He grew up to an Irish family in Philadelphia and was a star performer at Boston College in his college days.
Matt Ryan has expressed many times his want to turn to GAA after his career in the NFL finishes. We think he might be in for a shock however when he takes a hit without the American Football pads!
4. Colin Kaepernick – a Black Lives Matter activist
Though he was adopted, Kaepernick is the biological grandson of Cork woman, Margaret Anne Curran. Touted as the successor to legendary quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Kaepernick’s ideological differences with the NFL saw him walk away from the league.
Since leaving the NFL, Kaepernick worked as a narrator on the Netflix series Colin in Black & White. His sponsorhip deal with Nike remains on going, and he was the face of the company’s “Just Do It” campaign for their 30th anniversary.
3. Neil O’Donoghue – a notable Irish American in the NFL
The Dublin-born Neil O’Donoghue made a name for himself with the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St Louis Cardinals. He is also remembered as the tallest kicker in NFL history.
O’Donoghue graced the league from 1977-1985 and is the most recent Irish-born American Footballer to play in the NFL.
He also could have had a flourishing career in GAA had he chose to stay in Ireland. Playing for his local GAA club, Round Towers (Clondalkin, Co.Dublin), he was described as one of the best juvenile players they produced.
As if American and Gaelic football weren’t enough, O’Donoghue very successfullly played under-13 association football at the tender age of eight.
2. Pat Bowlen – an Irish-Canadian oil baron
The legendary former owner of the Denver Broncos was born into an Irish-Canadian oil family. He oversaw the Broncos become one of the biggest franchises in the NFL. His decision to sign Peyton Manning will long rank as an incredibly one of the league’s most legendary coups.
Bowlen was also a member of the American Ireland Fund Dinner Committee for 22 years and a Trustee for the Irish Community Centre for 11 before passing away in 2019, aged 75.
1. Tom Brady – one of the all-time great Irish Americans in the NFL
No list of notable Irish Americans in the history of the NFL would be complete without “Tom Terrific”. The legendary quarterback has won seven Super Bowl titles and was MVP of the big game four times.
What many do not know however, is that he has roots in County Cavan. That explains his fiery Irish temperament and never say die attitude.
Brady is undoubtedly among the NFL’s all-time greats and recently announced his retirement. He will be a great miss to the sport and has sure done Ireland proud!
Even the most knowledgeable sports fans might not have known about these players’ Irish links, but these are undeniably some of the NFL’s all-time greats. And they’re lucky enough to have Irish roots, too!
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