Nicky Rackard

Nicky Rackard, christened Nicholas, was an Irish hurler born in Killanne, County Wexford, in 1922, whose career with the Wexford senior team ran for seventeen years from 1940 to 1957. Educated at St Kieran's College in Kilkenny and University College Dublin, where he trained as a veterinary surgeon, he played club hurling for Rathnure and became the championship's all-time top goal-scorer with 59 goals. He won two All-Ireland medals in the Wexford breakthrough of 1955 and 1956, four Leinster medals, a National League medal and a Railway Cup medal with Leinster in 1956. After a struggle with alcoholism he joined Alcoholics Anonymous in 1970, spoke openly about it, and died in 1976. He was named on the Hurling Team of the Century, and a cup is named in his honour.