Daly pays tribute to late Wexford ‘colossus’ Rackard

CORK hurling legend Willie John Daly last night described the late Wexford great Billy Rackard, who died aged 79 on Monday, as a “colossus”.

“All that Wexford teams of the 50’s were great men but the three Rackard brothers Nicky, Bobby and Billy stood out by the proverbial mile.

“Billy was a very stylish hurler. He was a terrific and very skilful defender, but first and foremost he was an exemplary sportsman.

“We had some great tussles with Wexford in the All-Ireland finals of 1954 and 1956. We both won one each but the great thing is that we remained life-long friends.

“There was a fabulous sporting rivalry between the two counties. The 1954 final attracted an attendance of over 84,000, the biggest ever, while the 1956 decider drew a crowd of over 83,000.

“Believe it or not, I had the honour of marking Billy in the Gaelic Grounds in New York when both Wexford and Cork were invited over to play in a tournament game.

“He was a tremendous athlete. Rangy and tough with a great first touch, and like his two brothers there was not a bad drop of blood in his body.

“I remember well that after they beat us in the 1956 final, four of them carried Christy Ring shoulder high off the field. That was a fantastic, spontaneous act of sportsmanship that was typical of that Wexford team and the three peerless Rackard brothers,” said Daly.

A native of Killanne, who played club hurling with Rathnure, Billy Rackard won three All-Ireland medals in 1955, 1956 and 1960 and in total played in six All-Ireland finals, including the first one ever contested by the Model County in 1951.

He also won four Railway Cup medals and three National Hurling League medals.

In a tribute, GAA president Nicky Brennan said that the GAA and hurling in particular had lost one of its true icons.

Brennan said: “He made an enormous contribution to the Association and of course to his native Wexford in what was a golden era for hurling in the county. Over the course of a top level career that spanned 14 years, he appeared in more than 40 championship matches.

“Along with his brothers Bobby and Nicky, he also thrived in the Rathnure jersey and his passing will be mourned by all of those who were lucky to witness first hand his undoubted skills and indeed by younger hurling fans raised on stories of his achievements.”

Sports Minister Martin Cullen joined in the tributes paid to the outstanding Wexford defender.

Cullen said: “Billy Rackard will be especially remembered as a member of one of Wexford’s greatest-ever sporting clans.”