(Nicholas) "Nicky" Rackard (1922-1976) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling for Wexford in the 1950s and is regarded as one of the all-time greatest players of the game. April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Map of Ireland. ... The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cummann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Wexford. ... The Vodafone GAA All Stars is a Gaelic Games award given annually to the best Gaelic footballers and hurlers in Ireland. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... Map of Ireland. ... The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cummann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Wexford. ...

Nicky Rackard was born in Killane, County Wexford on April 28, 1922. The eldest of five boys his father Bob had planned for him to play cricket but his talent was for Gaelic football and hurling. Rackard was educated at St. Kieran's college in Kilkenny, a virtual hurling academy. It was here that his hurling skills were noticed, however, it seemed that his greatest chance for success would be as a footballer as Wexford's hurling was in the doldrums when Rackard made his debut. He made his senior hurling debut as a midfielder and centre forward but later moved to full forward where he became something of a scoring machine. To this day Rackard holds the record for the highest score in a game of hurling when in the 1954 All-Ireland semi-final he scored 7 goals and 7 points against Antrim. Earlier in that year's championship he had scored a credible 5-5 against Dublin in the Leinster Final. County Wexford (Contae Loch Garman in Irish) is a maritime county in the southeast of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... GAA teams Offaly and Louth in action Gaelic football (Irish: peil ghaelach) is a form of football played mainly in Ireland. ... Map of Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County: County Kilkenny Area: 3. ... The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cummann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Wexford. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Aontroma) or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Antrim. ... The Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Irish: Cummann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae Ath Cliath) or Dublin GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Dublin. ... The Gaelic Athletic Association The Leinster Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness Leinster Championship) is the premier knockout competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. ...

Unlike modern hurling, where the emphasis is on point scoring, past hurling match’s were higher scoring in terms of goals due to inferior pitch quality and equipment, as often the case the sliotar would be bundled over the line during a goal mouth melee. Rackard was also the highest scorer in the 1955 and 1956 hurling seasons, notching up a huge 35 goals and 50 points in 1956. He was 32 when Wexford lost the 1954 All-Ireland final to Cork and it was felt he would retire from the game. Rackard, however, stayed on and collected two precious All-Ireland medals in 1955 and 1956, along with his brothers Bobby, Billy and Jimmy. After remaining on the team it was fitting that Rackard scored the winning goal in the 1956 final, confirming his status as one of the greatest players of all-time. 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (or Cork GAA) is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Cork. ... The Gaelic Athletic Association The Liam McCarthy Cup, the greatest hurling prize of all The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness Hurling Championship) is the premier knockout competition in the game of hurling played in Ireland. ... Bobby Rackard (born January 6, 1927) was an Irish hurler. ... Billy Rackard (born 1930) was an Irish hurler. ...

Rackards' personal life away from the hurling pitch was a deeply troubled one, marred by excessive drinking. His problems with alcohol began while he was studying to be a vet in Dublin, which took him over eight years to complete, due to his sporting committments. In 1951 he suddenly 'took the pledge' after a priest friend died. When Wexford celebrated All-Ireland success in 1955 and 1956 Rackard was a non-drinler. During a visit to New York in 1957, however, Rackard began drinking again and the habit grew progressively worse over the next 12 years. In 1965, then a serious alcoholic, he spent his first stint in hospital to treat the illness. At that stage he was drinking daily, however, the treatment didn't work. He finally quit by 1970 after joining Alcoholics Anonymous. When Rackard quit drink for the final time he was practically broke. He pieced his life together again, rebuilt his veterinary practice, and indulged his passion for horses, enjoying wins in point-to-points and other major race events. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

With the AA he travelled the country helping people who were troubled by alcohol. In February, 1974 Rackard noticed lumps on his neck which he had later removed. Later that year he was told he needed another operation and was said to be making good progress. In 1975 he spoke out in the Irish Press newspaper about his alcoholism, becoming one of the first people to break the taboo of alcholism in Ireland. Shortly after this it was revealed that the cancer that had previously troubled him had unfortunately not been dealt and returned. Rackard died at St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin in 1976. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The Irish Press was an Irish newspaper published by Irish Press plc between 1931 and 1995. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

Nicky Rackard is generally regarded as perhaps one of the greatest hurlers of all-time. He was honoured by being named on the GAA's "Hurling Team of the Century" and the "Hurling Team of the Millennium." His scoring peowess has also earned Rackard a place on the top ten list o all-time scoring greats. In 2005 the GAA further honoured Rackard by naming the "Nicky Rackard Cup" in his honour. GAA redirects here. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nicky Rackard Cup is in effect a competition for the Division 3 hurling teams, the so-called teams in Ireland that would not be considered traditional hurling teams. ...

See also

• List of people on stamps of Ireland