Tom O'Connor (Gaelic footballer)

{{Infobox Gaelic games player

| code= Football

| sport = Gaelic football

| image =

| name = Tom "Gega" O'Connor

| irish = Tomás Ó Conchubhair

| fullname =

| feet = 5

| inches = 9

| nickname = Gega

| occupation = Publican

| county = Kerry

| province = Munster

| club = Dingle

| cposition =

| clubs =

| clyears =

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty = 6

| clprovince=

| clallireland =

| counties = Kerry

| icposition = Centre-forward

| icyears = 1937-1948

| icapps(points) = 37 (7-47)

| icprovince = 8

| icallireland = 5

| nfl = 0

| allstars =

| clupdate =

| icupdate = 17:18, 18 June 2020

| birth_date = 3 November 1918

| birth_place = Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland

| death_date = 26 February 1997 (aged 78)

| death_place = Rockaway, New York, United States

}}

Thomas O'Connor (3 November 1918 – 26 February 1997) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level he played with Dingle GAA club and was an All-Ireland Championship-winning captain with the Kerry senior football team.

Playing career

Born in Dingle, O'Connor first enjoyed footballing success at provincial level as a student with Dingle CBS. He progressed to inter-county level as captain of the Kerry minor football team that lost to Louth in the 1936 All-Ireland final. O'Connor was a late addition to the Kerry senior team the following year and claimed his first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal after coming on as a substitute in the replay defeat of Cavan. He claimed a second All-Ireland winners' medal as Kerry's team captain in the 1939 All-Ireland championship, the first of three successive final victories. O'Connor won a fifth and final championship in the 1946 competition. During his 11-year inter-county career, he claimed eight Munster Championship medals. O'Connor was also involved in all six of Dingle's county senior championship victories, and was a two-time Railway Cup-winner with Munster.{{cite web |last= |first= |date=14 May 2008 |title=Dingle days at the start of Kerry's golden era |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/dingle-days-at-the-start-of-kerry-s-golden-era-1.924332 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523022957/https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/dingle-days-at-the-start-of-kerry-s-golden-era-1.924332 |archive-date=23 May 2021 |accessdate=18 June 2020 |publisher=Irish Times}}{{cite web |last=Ó Muircheartaigh |first=Joe |date=27 August 2019 |title=How Kerry won an All-Ireland in an old set of Cork jerseys |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/gaa/how-kerry-won-an-all-ireland-in-an-old-set-of-cork-jerseys-946607.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250505055539/https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-30946607.html |archive-date=5 May 2025 |accessdate=17 June 2020 |publisher=Irish Examiner}}