1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 100th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 18 May and ended on 21 September 1986.

1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Championship details
Dates	18 May – 21 September 1986
Teams	32
All-Ireland Champions
Winning team	Kerry (30th win)
Captain	Tommy Doyle
Manager	Mick O'Dwyer
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing team	Tyrone
Captain	Eugene McKenna
Manager	Art McRory
Provincial Champions
Munster	Kerry
Leinster	Meath
Ulster	Tyrone
Connacht	Galway
Championship statistics
No. matches played	31
Top Scorer	Brendan Mason (3-18)
Player of the Year	Pat Spillane
← 1985 1987 →

Kerry entered the championship as the defending champions.

On 21 September, Kerry won the championship following a 2–15 to 1–10 defeat of first-time finalists Tyrone in the All-Ireland final. This was their 30th All-Ireland title and their third championship in succession.

Down's Brendan Mason was the championship's top scorer with 3-18. Kerry's Pat Spillane was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year.

Results

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Sligo v Galway

1 June 1986 Quarter-final	Sligo	3-5 – 2-13	Galway	Markievicz Park, Sligo
	D McDonagh 0-5, R Henneberry 2-0, J Kent 1-0.		R Fahy 1-6, B O'Donnell 1-0, M Brennan 0-3, V Daly 0-2, B Talty 0-1, G McManus 0-1.	Referee: PJ McGrath (Mayo)

London v Mayo

1 June 1986 Quarter-final	London	0-4 – 3-14	Mayo	Emerald GAA Grounds, Ruislip
	M Finnaran 0-2, L Lacey 0-1, F McHale 0-1.		J O'Boyle 1-3, M Butler 1-2, T Reilly 1-1, TJ Kilgallon 0-3, N Durkan 0-2, L McHale 0-1, WJ Padden 0-1, J Burke 0-1.	Referee: S Prior (Leitrim)

Semi-finals

Mayo v Roscommon

15 June 1986 Semi-final	Mayo	0-12 – 1-11	Roscommon	McHale Park, Castlebar
	P Brogan 0-8, WJ Padden 0-1, J Maughan 0-1, K McStay 0-1, N Durcan 0-1.		T McManus 1-3, P Earley 0-3, A Garvey 0-3, E McManus Snr. 0-2.	Referee: M Kearins (Sligo)

Galway v Leitrim

22 June 1986 Semi-final	Galway	2-15 – 2-8	Leitrim	Pearse Stadium, Galway
	B O'Donnell 1-3, B Brennan 1-2, P Kelly 0-5, G McManus 0-4, M Brennan 0-1.		M Martin 2-3, B Breen 0-3, S Mulhern 0-1, C Lynch 0-1.	Referee: S Mullaney (Roscommon)

Final

Roscommon v Galway

13 July 1986 Final	Roscommon	1-5 – 1-8	Galway	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	P Earley 1-0, T Óg O'Brien 0-2, J Kelly 0-1, P MacNeill 0-1, A Garvey 0-1.		S Joyce 1-0, P Kelly 0-2, T Tierney 0-1, B Talty 0-1, R Fahy 0-1, G McManus 0-1, B O'Donnell 0-1, M Brennan 0-1.	Attendance: 13,000 Referee: P Gorman (Sligo)

	Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
	Galway		2-13
	Sligo		3-05			Galway		2-15
						Leitrim		2-05
											Galway		1-08
	Mayo		3-14								Roscommon		1-05
	London		0-04			Roscommon		1-11
						Mayo		0-12

Leinster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Wexford v Kildare

18 May 1986 Preliminary round	Wexford	1-11 – 1-8	Kildare	Wexford Park, Wexford
	M Hanrick 1-7, P Barden 0-2, S Fitzhenry 0-1, J McGovern 0-1.		J Crofton 1-1, P Farrell 0-2, B Donovan 0-2, A McLoughlin 0-1, S Dowling 0-1, S Ryan 0-1.	Referee: T Jordan (Dublin)

Louth v Longford

18 May 1986 Preliminary round	Louth	2-11 – 1-5	Longford	Drogheda Park, Drogheda
	S Reid 1-2, Johnny McDonnell 1-0, Jimmy McDonnell 0-3, D McDonnell 0-3, P Matthews 0-1, S Melia 0-1, R Culhane 0-1.		K O'Rourke 1-2, D Rowley 0-2, M O'Hara 0-1.	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: P Kavanagh (Meath)

Wicklow v Westmeath

25 May 1986 Preliminary round	Wicklow	0-15 – 1-5	Westmeath	Aughrim Park, Aughrim
	R McHugh 0-8, P Baker 0-2, A O'Sullivan 0-2, K O'Brien 0-1, C Murphy 0-1, S Morris 0-1.		P McWade 1-1, M Fagan 0-2, P Walsh 0-1, S Hynes 0-1.	Referee: C Buckley (Offaly)

Quarter-finals

Dublin v Wexford

8 June 1986 Quarter-final	Dublin	0-17 – 3-3	Wexford	Croke Park, Dublin
	B Rock 0-6, T Carr 0-2, S Kearns 0-2, J McNally 0-2, K Duff 0-1, C Redmond 0-1, N McCaffrey 0-1, D Synnott 0-1, D Sheehan 0-1.		M Hanrick 1-2, G Byrne 1-0, S Fitzhenry 1-0, J McGovern 0-1.	Attendance: 12,085 Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Louth v Offaly

8 June 1986 Quarter-final	Louth	2-8 – 1-13	Offaly	Drogheda Park, Drogheda
	A Wiseman 1-2, S White 1-1, J McDonnell 0-2, D Callaqghan 0-1, D McDonnell 0-1, K Dawe 0-1.		B Lowry 0-5, P Mollen 1-0, K Dunne 0-2, P Brady 0-2, J Mooney 0-2, R Connor 0-1, P Spollen 0-1.	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: P Kavanagh (Meath)

Carlow v Meath

15 June 1986 Quarter-final	Carlow	1-12 – 1-15	Meath	Dr Cullen Park, Carlow
	P Kenny 0-5, P Browne 1-1, W Doyle 0-2, J Hayden 0-1, L Molloy 0-1, L Kearns 0-1, P Quirke 0-1.		D Beggy 1-2, F Murtagh 0-5, C O'Rourke 0-2, B Stafford 0-2, B Flynn 0-1, L Hayes 0-2, J Cassells 0-1.	Attendance: 4,500 Referee: T Jordan (Dublin)

Wicklow v Laois

15 June 1986 Quarter-final	Wicklow	2-10 – 1-9	Laois	Aughrim Park, Aughrim
	K O'Brien 2-3, R McHugh 0-3, C Murphy 0-2, P Baker 0-1, P O'Toole 0-1.		E Whelan 1-3, L Irwin 0-3, T Prendergast 0-1, W Brennan 0-1, G Browne 0-1.	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: C Buckley (Offaly)

Semi-finals

Dublin v Offaly

29 June 1986 Semi-final	Dublin	1-10 – 0-7	Offaly	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
	C Redmond 1-3, B Rock 0-3, T Carr 0-2, L Close 0-1, T Conroy 0-1.		B Lowry 0-4, J Guinan 0-1, P Brady 0-1, J Mooney 0-1.	Attendance: 13,793 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Meath v Wicklow

6 July 1986 Semi-final	Meath	1-17 – 0-11	Wicklow	St. Conleth's Park, Newbridge
	L Hayes 0-5, B Stafford 0-4, PJ Gillick 1-0, B Flynn 0-3, F Murtagh 0-2, D Beggy 0-2, C O'Rourke 0-1.		R McHugh 0-5, P Baker 0-3, C Murphy 0-1, K O'Brien 0-1, S Morris 0-1.	Referee: S Aldridge (Kildare)

Final

Meath v Dublin

27 July 1986 Final	Meath	0-9 – 0-7	Dublin	Croke Park, Dublin
	Finian Murtagh (0-1f) and Colm O'Rourke 0-3 each, Liam Hayes (0-1f), David Beggy, Bernard Flynn (0-1f) 0-1 each		Barney Rock 0-3 (0-2f, 1 '45), Kieran Duff (0-1f) and Charlie Redmond (0-1f) 0-2 each	Attendance: 43,763 Referee: Seamus Aldridge (Kildare)

	Preliminary Round					Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
						Meath		1-15
						Carlow		1-12
											Meath		1-17
	Wicklow		0-15								Wicklow		0-11
	Westmeath		1-05			Wicklow		2-10
						Laois		1-09
																Meath		0-09
	Wexford		1-11													Dublin		0-07
	Kildare		1-08			Wexford		3-03
						Dublin		0-17
											Offaly		0-07
	Louth		2-11								Dublin		1-10
	Longford		1-05			Offaly		1-13
						Louth		2-08

Munster Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Clare v Waterford

18 May 1986 Quarter-final	Clare	1-10 – 0-9	Waterford	Cusack Park, Ennis
	A McDermott 1-0, K Kelleher 0-2, G Killeen 0-2, P Burke 0-2, T Tubridy 0-1, F Griffin 0-1, G Fitzpatrick 0-1, P Vaughan 0-1.		E O'Brien 0-3, L Power 0-2, M Reid 0-1, M Walsh 0-1, S Power 0-1, J Maher 0-1.	Referee: T Sugrue (Kerry)

Tipperary v Limerick

18 May 1986 Quarter-final	Tipperary	2-14 – 1-4	Limerick	Ned Hall Park, Clonmel
	F Kelly 1-6, P McGrath 1-0, J O'Mara 0-3, G McGrath 0-2, L Stokes 0-1, P Dooley 0-1, M Leahy 0-1.		T O'Connor 1-0, L Keane 0-2, L Long 0-1, F Ryan 0-1.	Referee: T Meagher (Waterford)

Semi-finals

Cork v Clare

15 June 1986 Semi-final	Cork	1-12 – 0-9	Clare	Páirc Mac Gearailt, Fermoy
	B Coffey 1-1, D Barry 0-4, R Swaine 0-3, C O'Neill 0-3, J O'Driscoll 0-1.		P Burke 0-3, P Vaughan 0-2, M Downes 0-1, N Normoyle 0-1, J McGrath 0-1, G Killeen 0-1.	Referee: T Sugrue (Kerry)

Tipperary v Kerry

15 June 1986 Semi-final	Tipperary	0-12 – 5-9	Kerry	Ned Hall Park, Clonmel
	F Kelly 0-5, L Stokes 0-2, D Foley 0-2, J O'Meara 0-1, J Owens 0-1, G McGrath 0-1.		E Liston 2-2, P Spillane 1-2, J O'Shea 1-1, G Power 1-0, J Kennedy 0-2, M Sheehy 0-1, G Lynch 0-1.	Referee: P Lane (Limerick)

Final

Kerry v Cork

6 July 1986 Final	Kerry	0-12 – 0-8	Cork	Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
	J Kennedy 0-4, M Sheehy 0-4, J O'Shea 0-2, T O'Dowd 0-1, T Doyle 0-1.		D Barry 0-4, C O'Neill 0-3, J O'Driscoll 0-1.	Attendance: 33,198 Referee: R Moloney (Limerick)

	Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
	Clare		1-10
	Waterford		0-09			Cork		1-12
						Clare		0-09
											Kerry		0-12
	Tipperary		2-14								Cork		0-08
	Limerick		1-04			Kerry		5-09
						Tipperary		0-12

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Down v Donegal

18 May 1986 Preliminary round	Down	2-8 – 1-10	Donegal	St. Patrick's Park, Newcastle
	J Treanor 1-2, F McKibben 1-0, B Mason 0-3, A Rodgers 0-1, G Blaney 0-1, L Austin 0-1.		L McGettigan 1-1, M McHugh 0-3, J McMullan 0-3, M Carlin 0-2, A Molloy 0-1.	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: J Gough (Antrim)

Quarter-finals

Antrim v Cavan

25 May 1986 Quarter-final	Antrim	0-7 – 1-8	Cavan	Casement Park, Belfast
	L Harbinson 0-2, A McQuillan 0-1, D Graham 0-1, R McGuckin 0-1, E Prenter 0-1, G Mulvenna 0-1,		R Carolan 0-4, D McDonnell 1-0, G Smyth 0-2, P McNamee 0-1, N O'Donnell 0-1.	Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Tyrone v Derry

1 June 1986 Quarter-final	Tyrone	2-6 – 1-7	Derry	Healy Park, Omagh
	S Rice 1-1, N McGinn 1-0, S Conway 0-4, S McNally 0-1.		D Cassidy 1-0, D Barton 0-2, E Gormley 0-2, E Young 0-1, J McGuirk 0-1, C McKee 0-1.

Fermanagh v Armagh

8 June 1986 Quarter-final	Fermanagh	0-7 – 1-11	Armagh	St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown
	E Greene 0-3, J Rahill 0-1, P McGinnity 0-1, D Corrigan 0-1, G McElroy 0-1.		D Seeley 0-6, N McCabe 1-0, M Toye 0-1, G Houlihan 0-1, S SKelton 0-1, J Kernan 0-1, J McCorry 0-1.	Attendance: 3,000 Referee: M Greenan (Cavan)

Monaghan v Down

15 June 1986 Quarter-final	Monaghan	0-13 – 1-10	Down	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	E Hughes 0-4, E McEneaney 0-4, R McCarron 0-4, K Carragher 0-1.		B Mason 1-3, A Rodgers 0-2, John McCartan 0-2, L Austin 0-1, G Blaney 0-1, T McArdle 0-1.	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: D Campbell (Fermanagh)

Monaghan v Down

22 June 1986 Quarter-final replay	Monaghan	0-11 – 2-11	Down	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	R McCarron 0-6, E Hughes 0-2, E Murphy 0-1, E McEneaney 0-1, B Murray 0-1.		B Mason 0-4, T McCardle 1-0, B Conlon 1-0, John McCartan 0-3, J Treanor 0-2, M Linden 0-1, L Austin 0-1.	Referee: M Greenan (Cavan)

Semi-finals

Tyrone v Cavan

22 June 1986 Semi-final	Tyrone	2-16 – 1-12	Cavan	St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown
	S Rice 2-0, D O'Hagan 0-6, N McClure 0-3, N Mallon 0-5, K McCabe 0-1, E McKenna 0-1.		R Carolan 0-4, D McDonnell 1-0, M Faulkner 0-3, J Dillon 0-2, N O'Donnell 0-1, J Reilly 0-1, S King 0-1.	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: J Gough (Antrim)

Down v Armagh

29 June 1986 Semi-final	Down	3-7 – 0-12	Armagh	St. Mary's Park, Castleblayney
	B Mason 2-4, G Blaney 1-1, R Carr 0-2.		S SKelton 0-4, C Harney 0-3, M Toye 0-3, N Smyth 0-1, G Houlihan 0-1.	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: S Murray (Monaghan)

Final

Tyrone v Down

20 July 1986 Final	Tyrone	1-11 – 0-10	Down	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	M McClure 0-4, P Donaghy 1-0, M Mahon 0-3, D O'Hagan 0-2, E McKenna 0-1, S McNally 0-1.		B Mason 0-4, G Blaney 0-3, J Treanor 0-2, T McArdle 0-1.	Attendance: 18,000

	Preliminary Round					Quarter-finals					Semi-finals					Final
	Down		2-08
	Donegal		1-10			Down		1-10 2-11
						Monaghan		0-13 0-11
											Down		3-07
											Armagh		0-12
						Armagh		1-11
						Fermanagh		0-07
																Tyrone		1-11
																Down		0-10
						Derry		1-07
						Tyrone		2-06
											Cavan		1-12
											Tyrone		2-16
						Cavan		1-08
						Antrim		0-7

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Tyrone v Galway

17 August 1986 Semi-final	Tyrone	1-12 – 1-9	Galway	Croke Park, Dublin
	K McCabe 1-0, E McKenna 0-3, D O'Hagan 0-3, P Donaghy 0-1, S McNally 0-1, M Mallon 0-1, S Conway 0-1, P Quinn 0-1, N McGinn 0-1.		B O'Donnell 1-0, G McManus 0-3, S Joyce 0-2, P Kelly 0-1, M Brennan 0-1, V Daly 0-1, T Tierney 0-1.	Attendance: 26,644 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Meath v Kerry

24 August 1986 Semi-Final	Meath	0-12 – 2-13	Kerry	Croke Park, Dublin
	B Flynn 0-5, C O'Rourke 0-2, L Hayes 0-2, F Murtagh 0-1, T Ferguson 0-1, M O'Connell 0-1.		W Maher 1-1, M Sheehy 0-4, G Power 1-0, E Liston 0-3, P Spillane 0-2, T Doyle 0-1, J O'Shea 0-1, D Moran 0-1.	Attendance: 45,405 Referee: M Greenan (Cavan)

Final

Kerry v Tyrone

21 September 1986 Final	Kerry	2-15 – 1-10	Tyrone	Croke Park, Dublin
	P Spillane 1-4, M Sheehy 1-4, E Liston 0-2, D Moran 0-2, T O'Dowd 0-2, G Power 0-1.		P Quinn 1-1, M Mallon 0-4, S McNally 0-2, M McClure 0-1, K McCabe 0-1, D O'Hagan 0-1.	Attendance: 65,628 Referee: J Dennigan (Cork)

Main article: 1986 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final

Championship statistics

Scoring

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Brendan Mason	Down	3-18	27	5	5.40
2	Mikey Sheehy	Kerry	1-13	16	4	4.00
	Robert McHugh	Wicklow	0-16	16	3	5.33
4	Martin Hanrick	Wexford	2-9	15	2	7.50
5	Pat Spillane	Kerry	2-8	14	4	3.50
	Franny Kelly	Tipperary	1-11	14	2	7.00
7	Brian O'Donnell	Galway	3-4	13	4	3.25
	Eoin Liston	Kerry	2-7	13	4	3.25
9	Damien O'Hagan	Tyrone	0-12	12	5	2.40
10	Kevin O'Brien	Wicklow	2-5	11	3	3.66

Top scorers in a single game

Rank	Player	Team	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Brendan Mason	Down	2-4	10	Armagh
	Martin Hanrick	Wexford	1-7	10	Kildare
3	Kevin O'Brien	Wicklow	2-3	9	Laois
	Michael Martin	Leitrim	2-3	9	Galway
	Franny Kelly	Tipperary	1-6	9	Limerick
	R. Fahy	Galway	1-6	9	London
7	Eoin Liston	Kerry	2-2	8	Clare
	Robert McHugh	Wicklow	0-8	8	Westmeath
	Pádraig Brogan	Mayo	0-8	8	Roscommon
10	Pat Spillane	Kerry	1-4	7	Tyrone
	Mikey Sheehy	Kerry	1-4	7	Tyrone

Miscellaneous

• Meath win their first Leinster football title since 1970.
• After facing defeat in four previous All-Ireland semi-finals (1956, 1957, 1973, 1984), Tyrone's defeat of Galway at the penultimate stage allows the team to qualify for their very first All-Ireland final.
• Kerry's Pat Spillane, Páidí Ó Sé and Denis "Ógie" Moran became the first players in the history of the championship to win eight All-Ireland medals on the field of play. Mikey Sheehy also won an eighth All-Ireland medal, however, he missed the 1984 All-Ireland final through injury.
• The All Ireland final was the first meeting between Kerry and Tyrone.