ONE of the great personalities in the GAA in Kerry has passed away.
Leo Griffin, who was a popular mentor with the great Golden Years team during the glory years, died in hospital after an illness. He was 75.
Mr Griffin devoted most of his life to the GAA and he also had a great love for basketball.
A native of Tralee, his father hailed from Lixnaw and his mother was from Kilflynn and he had a brother and two sisters. He was educated in Tralee CBS and the old technical school in the town and later worked for several years in O’Callaghan’s leather shop.
A proud John Mitchels clubman, he derived immense satisfaction from their historic five-in-a-row championship success between 1959 and 1963 and he was a constant on the sideline during that remarkable run.
Leo attended his first All-Ireland final in 1959, travelling to Dublin on the ghost train but ending up in the dug-out and he established a great rapport with the players of that era.
He was the Kerry kitman during Mick O’Dwyer’s time at the helm, from 1975 to 1986, and he was responsible for the jerseys, the playing gear and the balls at training sessions and on match days.
Leo said Kerry’s unexpected victory over Dublin in 1975 was the greatest of them all and the biggest disappointment he experienced was when Seamus Darby ended the Kingdom’s five-in-a-row dream with a last gasp goal in 1982.
He was great friends with all of the Kerry squad but listed Jack O’Shea and Mick O’Connell as the greatest player he had seen.
Leo was also very actively involved with Comhaltas Ceolteori Eireann and travelled the world for concerts, including several visits to America. He had a keen interest in local history and he was a regular at Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society gatherings and local lectures.
In a tribute tonight, Diaspora Minister Jimmy Deenihan, remarked: “Leo was a great servant of Kerry football.
“As the kit man for the Kerry team he was part of the gel that bound together what was an extraordinary sporting outfit. He was an extremely popular individual with everyone involved with Kerry football.”
The minister added: “I have known Leo for 45 years, from when I began playing for Kerry as a minor. He is a man I am proud to have called a personal friend”.
