SET A PRESIDENT

As Gavin eyes high office away from the GAA, we take a look at some other stars of sport who have made a mark before him

- BY PAT NOLAN

JIM GAVIN'S tilt at the presidency is a departure from the norm given that he stands largely on the back of his sporting achievements.

While those that have bid for the Áras in the last number of presidential elections have come from increasingly diverse backgrounds, none have been synonymous with sport - much less the GAA.

Granted, arguably the most towering figure to hold the office, Éamon de Valera, was a more than useful rugby player who represented Munster.

But that was an irrelevance in the context of his political portfolio when he successfully ran for president in 1959.

There have though been many notable sportspeople who have held high office, both at home and abroad. Here are some of the highest achievers in both the sporting and political realm.

Jack Lynch

THE Corkman won six senior All-Irelands in succession from 1941-46 (five hurling, one football) and was the only man to hold that distinction until a bunch of Dublin footballers formerly managed by Gavin emulated him in 2020. Decades after he had stopped playing, Lynch was chosen on the Team of the Century (1984) and Team of the Millennium (2000) in hurling, cementing his place as an all-time great.