Dry balls and stolen boots: Michael ‘Babs’ Keating relives finest hour in Tipperary jersey

In Tipperary: Game of my Life, the new book by Stephen Gleeson, 35 Tipp hurlers choose the standout match from their careers. In this extract, Michael ‘Babs’ Keating recalls his most satisfying hour — the 1971 ‘colour’ final win over Kilkenny, when Babs played much of the second half in his bare feet

Michael ‘Babs’ Keating in 2006 during his second stint as Tipperary manager. Keating won two All-Irelands as a player and later as manager led the Premier to two titles. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Perhaps because the All-Ireland final was being televised in colour for the first time, the 1971 meeting of Tipperary and Kilkenny saw the smallest crowd in Croke Park on the first Sunday in September for the first time since 1958.

The attendance totalled 61,393 for the first 80-minute final, and those sitting at home did not get to fully savour a game for the ages.