1973 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The 1973 All-Ireland Football Championship was the 87th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 13 May 1973 and ended on 23 September 1973.

Offaly were the defending champions but were defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.

On 23 September 1973, Cork won the championship following a 3–17 to 2–13 defeat of Galway in the All-Ireland final. This was their 4th All-Ireland title, their first in 28 championship seasons.

Offaly's Tony McTague was the championship's top scorer with 1–25. Cork's Billy Morgan was the choice for Texaco Footballer of the Year.

Results

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-final

10 June 1973 Quarter-final	Galway	3–6 – 1–9	Sligo	Tuam Stadium, Tuam
	M Rooney 1–1, J Coughlan 1–1, L Sammon 1–0, J Tobin 0–3, M Burke 0–1.		M Kearins 0–5, PJ Brennan 1–0, D Pugh 0–2, J Stenson 0–1, P Kearins 0–1.	Attendance: 15,000 Referee: P Devlin (Tyrone)

Semi-finals

17 June 1973 Semi-final	Leitrim	0–3 – 7–6	Mayo	Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon
	B Wrynne 0–2, S Flanagan 0–1.		W McGee 3–0, T O'Malley 2–2, J Gibbons 1–1, M Gannon 1–0, S Gilbride 0–2, J Morley 0–1.	Referee: J Lee (Sligo)

24 June 1973 Semi-final	Roscommon	1–8 – 1–13	Galway	Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon
	M Freyne 1–2, T Heneghan 0–4, J O'Gara 0–1, J Kelly 0–1.		J Tobin 0–5, J Caughlan 1–1, L Sammon 0–4, W Joyce 0–1, L O'Neill 0–1, J Duggan 0–1.	Referee: P Devlin (Tyrone)

Final

8 July 1973 Final	Mayo	2–12 – 1–17	Galway	MacHale Park, Castlebar
	S Gilbride 0–5, J Morley 1–0, M Gannon 1–0, J Corcoran 0–3, T O'Malley 0–2, F Burns 0–1, W McGee 0–1,		M Rooney 1–2, J Tobin 0–5, M Burke 0–3, T Naughten 0–3, L Sammon 0–2, J Caughlan 0–2.	Attendance: 30,000 Referee: P Devlin (Tyrone)

Leinster Senior Football Championship

First round

13 May 1973 First round	Louth	0–14 – 1–3	Carlow	Drogheda Park, Drogheda
	S Mulroy 0–4, D Reid 0–4, J McLoughlin 0–1, E Sheelan 0–1, A Hoey 0–2, R Brennan 0–1, B Gaughran 0–1.		P Connolly 1–0, B McNally 0–1, JJ Canavan 0–1, B Hughes 0–1.	Attendance: 3,000 Referee: R Barry (Meath)

20 May 1973 First round	Dublin	3–11 – 0–5	Wexford	Wexford Park, Wexford
	F Murray 2–1, G Wilson 1–1, S Rooney 0–4, J Keaveney 0–2, R Doyle 0–2, A Larkin 0–1.		D Noonan 0–2, D Asple 0–1, G Howlin 0–1, M Quigley 0–1.	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: B Hayden (Carlow)

Second round

27 May 1973 Second round	Louth	1–9 – 2–6	Dublin	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
	A Hoey 1–1, S Mulroy 0–3, B Faulkner 0–2, D Reid 0–2, R Brennan 0–1.		F Murray 1–1, P O'Brien 1–1, S Rooney 0–3, R Doyle 0–1.	Referee: P Cullen (Westmeath)

10 June 1973 Second round replay	Louth	1–8 – 0–9	Dublin	Páirc Tailteann, Navan
	D Reid 0–6, E Sheelan 1–0, R Brennan 0–1, L Leech 0–1.		R Doyle 0–4, D Hickey 0–2, S Rooney 0–1, E Brady 0–1, F Murray 0–1.	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: P Collins (Westmeath)

Quarter-finals

3 June 1973 Quarter-final	Westmeath	0–8 – 1–6	Meath	Cusack Park, Mullingar
	M Carley 0–4, D Murtagh 0–2, L Eggerton 0–1, V Murray 0–1.		M Kerrigan 1–0, T Brennan 0–3, B Murray 0–2, P Cromwell 0–1.	Referee: G Hoey (Louth)

3 June 1973 Quarter-final	Wicklow	0–14 – 3–15	Laois	Aughrim Park, Aughrim
	P Clarke 0–9, A Norton 0–1, L O'Loughlin 0–1, B Carthy 0–1, J Darcy 0–1, J Doyle 0–1.		B Miller 0–5, Willie Brennan 0–5, S Allen 1–1, H Mulhaire 1–1, B Lalor 1–0, M Buggy 0–2, J Lalor 0–1.	Referee: B Hayden (Carlow)

10 June 1973 Quarter-final	Kildare	0–13 – 0–8	Longford	Geraldine Park, Athy
	J Donnelly 0–7, P Dunny 0–2, R O'Doherty 0–2, T Carew 0–1, R Flanagan 0–1,		J Hanniffy 0–3, P Bradley 0–2, F Farrell 0–1, B Smyth 0–1, S Mulvihill 0–1.	Referee: P Kelly (Dublin)

17 June 1973 Quarter-final	Offaly	1–8 – 0–8	Louth	Croke Park, Dublin
	W Bryan 1–0, T McTague 0–3, S Cooney 0–1, M Wright 0–1, J Smith 0–1, P Fleming 0–1, K Kilmurray 0–1.		J McLoughlin 0–2, D Reid 0–2, R Barry 0–2, S Mulroy 0–1, D Nugent 0–1.	Referee: R Barry (Meath)

Semi-finals

17 June 1973 Semi-final	Meath	2–17 – 2–11	Laois	Croke Park, Dublin
	O O'Brien 1–4, Matt Kerrigan 1–2, T Brennan 0–3, O Geraghty 0–2, K Rennicks 0–2, P Cromwell 0–2, G Farrelly 0–1, B Murray 0–1.		W Brennan 0–5, M Fennell 1–1, S Allen 1–0, M Buggy 0–2, J Lawlor 0–2, B Lawlor 0–1.	Referee: P Kelly (Dublin)

1 July 1973 Semi-final	Offaly	1–15 – 2–6	Kildare	Croke Park, Dublin
	T McTague 0–8, S Cooney 1–4, K Kilmurray 0–2, S Evans 0–1.		T Carew 1–0, K Kelly 1–0, P Dunny 0–2, J Donnelly 0–2, B O'Doherty 0–1, H Hyland 0–1.	Referee: B Hayden (Carlow)

Final

22 July 1973 Final	Offaly	3–21 – 2–12	Meath	Croke Park, Dublin
	Tony McTague 0–11 (0-8f), Sean Cooney 2–2, Kevin Kilmurray 1–2, Kieran Claffey 0–3, Willie Bryan 0–2, Paddy Fenning 0–1		Ollie O'Brien 1–4 (0-3f), Mick Fay 1–0, Ken Rennicks 0–3, Gerry Farrelly 0–2, Tony Brennan 0-2f, Ollie Geraghty 0–1.	Attendance: 35,990 Referee: Brendan Hayden (Carlow)

Munster Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

3 June 1973 Quarter-final	Clare	0–18 – 1–5	Waterford	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	M Keogh 0–6, B O'Reilly 0–4, M Greene 0–3, D Donnellan 0–2, S Maloney 0–2, K McGann 0–1.		J Flynn 1–2, V Kirwan 0–2, J Larkin 0–1.	Referee: T Woulfe (Limerick)

3 June 1973 Quarter-final	Limerick	1–7 – 4–13	Tipperary	Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
	T Fitzgibbon 1–0, P Aherne 0–7.		P Blythe 3–3, J Cummins 0–7, M Keating 1–1, C O'Flaherty 0–2.	Referee: N Dalton (Waterford)

Semi-finals

17 June 1973 Semi-final	Cork	2–14 – 0–3	Clare	Cork Athletic Grounds, Cork
	B Field 1–8, J Barrett 1–2, R Cummins 0–2, D Hunt 0–1, D Barron 0–1.		S Maloney 0–1, B O'Reilly 0–1, P Dillon 0–1.	Referee: S Maloney (Tipperary)

17 June 1973 Semi-final	Kerry	3–11 – 0–5	Tipperary	Austin Stack Park, Tralee
	M O'Dwyer 1–6, M O'Sullivan 2–1, J Egan 0–1, D Kavanagh 0–1, J O'Keeffe 0–1, B Lynch 0–1.		J Cummins 0–2, J Kehoe 0–2, C O'Flaherty 0–1.	Referee: F Halbert (Cork)

Final

15 July 1973 Final	Cork	5–12 – 1–15	Kerry	Cork Athletic Grounds, Cork
	Billy Field 1–6 (1–0 pen, 0-5f), Jimmy Barrett 2–2, Ray Cummins 0–4, Declan Barron and Jimmy Barry-Murphy 1–0 each		Mick O'Dwyer 0-6f, Donal Kavanagh 1–0, Brendan Lynch and John Egan 0–3 each, John O'Keeffe, Éamonn O'Donoghue, Jackie Walsh 0–1 each	Attendance: 28,859 Referee: J Moloney (Tipperary)

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

10 June 1973 Preliminary round	Down	2–10 – 2–9	Armagh	Páirc Esler, Newry
	S O'Neill 0–6, M Cole 1–1, C McAlarney 1–0, P Rooney 0–2, E Cole 0–1.		L Kerins 2–2, P Loughran 0–5, D Mackin 0–1, S O'Hagan 0–1.	Referee: H McPolin (Armagh)

Quarter-finals

3 June 1973 Quarter-final	Monaghan	0–5 – 1–7	Derry	St. Mary's Park, Castleblaney
	B Brady 0–2, P McCarthy 0–2, K Traynor 0–1.		F O'Loane 0–4, J O'Leary 1–0, G O'Loughlin 0–1, T McGuinness 0–1, F Moran 0–1.	Referee: P Devlin (Tyrone)

17 June 1973 Quarter-final	Fermanagh	3–9 – 4–4	Antrim	St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown
	E McPartlan 3–0, P McGannity 0–6, A Campbell 0–2, T Henderson 0–1.		G McCann 3–0, V Magee 1–0, P Armstrong 0–2, A McCallin 0–2.	Referee: P Tierney (Cavan)

24 June 1973 Quarter-final	Donegal	1–7 – 0–12	Tyrone	MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey
	K Keeney 1–0, N Gallagher 0–2, J Winston 0–2, S Granaghan 0–1, T Quinn 0–1, F McFeeley 0–1.		P Hetherington 0–6, AR McMahon 0–2, S Donaghy 0–1, K Teague 0–1, B Donnelly 0–1, F McGulgan 0–1.	Referee: M McPolin (Antrim)

24 June 1973 Quarter-final	Down	1–7 – 0–8	Cavan	Páirc Esler, Newry
	S O'Neill 1–2, M Cole 0–2, C Davey 0–1, P Hamill 0–1, C McAlarney 0–1.		O O'Keeffe 0–2, M Greenan 0–2, H McInerney 0–2, JJ Martin 0–1, R Carolan 0–1.	Referee: T Johnston (Fermanagh)

Semi-finals

8 July 1973 Semi-final	Tyrone	1–15 – 0–11	Fermanagh	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	S Donaghy 1–2, P Hetherington 0–5, F McGuigan 0–3, A McMahon 0–2, J McElroy 0–1, P McMahon 0–1, P Haig 0–1.		F Sherry 0–5, F McGinnity 0–2, PJ Treacy 0–2, E McPartland 0–1, S McGrath 0–1.	Referee: A McPollan (Antrim)

15 July 1973 Semi-final	Down	1–12 – 0–9	Derry	The Playing Fields, Lurgan
	M Cole 0–5, E Cole 1–1, W Walsh 0–3, P Rooney 0–2, C McAlarney 0–1.		P Doherty 0–3, J O'Leary 0–2, T McGuinness 0–2, T Moran 0–1, S Donaghy 0–1.	Referee: P Devlin (Tyrone)

Final

29 July 1973 Final	Tyrone	3–13 – 1–11	Down	St. Tiernach's Park, Clones
	S McElhattion 2–1, P Hetherington 0–6, K Teague 1–1, B Donnelly 0–3, S Donaghy 0–1, P McGuigan 0–1.		S O'Neill 0–6, D McCartan 1–0, J Murphy 0–2, P Rooney 0–2, E Cole 0–1.	Referee: H McPolin (Antrim)

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

12 August 1973 Semi-final	Galway	0–16 – 2–8	Offaly	Croke Park, Dublin
	J Tobin 0–8, M Burke 0–2, L Sammon 0–2, M Rooney 0–1, M Hughes 0–1, T Naughton 0–1, J Duggan 0–1.		T McTague 1–3, S Evans 1–2, W Bryan 0–2, K Claffey 0–1.	Attendance: 36,705 Referee: J Moloney (Tipperary)

19 August 1973 Semi-final	Cork	5–10 – 2–4	Tyrone	Croke Park, Dublin
	D Barron 1–4, J Barry-Murphy 2–0, R Cummins 1–1, S Coughlan 1–1, J Barrett 0–2, D Long 0–1, E Kirby 0–1.		P King 1–0, J Early 1–0, K Teague 0–1, P Hetherington 0–1, S Donaghy 0–1, F McGuigan 0–1.	Attendance: 28,997 Referee: M Loftus (Mayo)

Final

23 September 1973 Final	Cork	3–17 – 2–13	Galway	Croke Park, Dublin
	R Cummins 0–8, J Barry-Murphy 2–1, J Barrett 1–2, D Long 0–3, E Kirby 0–1, D Coughlan 0–1, D Barron 0–1.		M Hughes 0–7, T Naughton 1–0, J Hughes 1–0, M Burke 0–2, J Duggan 0–2, TJ Gilmore 0–1, L Sammon 0–1.	Attendance: 73,309 Referee: J Moloney (Tipperary)

Championship statistics

Miscellaneous

Tyrone won their first Ulster title since 1957.
Offaly win the Leinster title for the third year in succession. It is the first time in their history that they claim the coveted "three-in-a-row". It is the first time since Laois in 1938 that a team claimed three successive Leinster titles.
The All Ireland semi-final between Cork and Tyrone was the first championship meeting between the teams.
Cork end their second longest drought without the All Ireland title of 28 years.

Top scorers

Overall

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Tony McTague	Offaly	1–25	28	4	7.00
2	John Tobin	Galway	0–21	21	4	5.25
3	Billy Field	Cork	2–14	20	3	6.66
Jimmy Barrett	Cork	4–8	20	4	5.00
5	Patsy Hetherington	Tyrone	0–18	18	4	4.50
Ray Cummins	Cork	0–18	18	4	4.50
7	Seán O'Neill	Down	1–14	17	3	5.66
8	Mick O'Dwyer	Kerry	1–12	15	2	7.50
9	Jimmy Barry-Murphy	Cork	5–1	15	3	5.00
10	Damian Reid	Louth	0–14	14	4	3.50

Single game

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total	Opposition
1	Billy Field	Cork	1–8	11	Clare
Tony McTague	Offaly	0–11	11	Meath
3	Willie McGee	Mayo	3–0	9	Meath
Éamonn McPartland	Fermanagh	3–0	9	Antrim
Gerry McCann	Antrim	3–0	9	Fermanagh
Mick O'Dwyer	Kerry	1–6	9	Tipperary
Billy Field	Cork	1–6	9	Kerry
8	Tommy O'Malley	Mayo	2–2	8	Antrim
John Cooney	Offaly	2–2	8	Meath
Jimmy Barrett	Cork	2–2	8	Kerry
Larry Kerins	Armagh	2–2	8	Down
Tony McTague	Offaly	0–8	8	Kildare
John Tobin	Galway	0–8	8	Offaly
Ray Cummins	Cork	0–8	8	Galway