The legend of Tom Cheasty, Iron Mike Tyson and me
Waterford team that won the 1959 All-Ireland final replay against Kilkenny.
As a young lad, I took a summer job in Snowcream, a local milk distributor in Waterford. After a couple of days on the premises, I met Mr. Leo Dunne, who hired staff for the company.
Leo covered all aspects of football in Waterford for the News & Star. He reported on Waterford FC games across Ireland and Europe, and he also covered local games such as Junior League football, Pub’s League and Factory League games.
I was born in Griffith Place at the top of the town, one hundred yards away from my house were the grounds of Tycor AFC, a stone's throw from there was the home of Bohemians FC in Marion Park, from our back window we could see the whole field of Walsh Park, the home of Waterford hurling so all our family were sports mad.
One evening, Mr. Dunne invited me to join him in Ozier Park as he reported on a Factory League game between the Builders and Clover Meats. After that, I was bitten by the bug of match reporting; sometime later, I won the Factory League with Snowcream and the Pubs League with The Showboat. From there, I joined Bohemians FC Premier League and won many honours with the famous Red & Blacks, however, illness got in the way and my football days as a player came to an abrupt end.
I took up a course in computing at WIT and began looking for sporting legends to write about. Back to Leo Dunne, who suggested I start with Waterford hurling legend Tom Cheasty. After a couple of enquiries, I got in touch with Tom, who invited me out to his farm in Killure, Co. Waterford. Now, I knew a little bit about Tom. I knew he was highly regarded not only in Waterford but also across the island of Ireland. I also knew he was a tough and skilful hurler, and he had a very successful career in hurling, but I also wanted to know about his sporting life. What other sports did he like and who were his heroes? Tom greeted me at his front door: ‘ Come in, young man and take a seat, it's only the two of us, so you won't be getting any tea and biscuits.’
Tom Cheasty was never one to embrace the limelight, yet it was his ability and skill at centre forward that opened up opportunities for his teammates to take the vital scores. Tom won an All-Ireland medal with Waterford, five Railway Cup medals with Munster, three Munster Championship Cup medals and one National League medal with Waterford.
He also has five Waterford Senior Championships with Ballyduff and Portlaw where he won his last Senior Championship in 1977 at the age of 47. He then went on to win a Junior medal with Ballyduff Lower, just shy of his 50th birthday. In other sports, Mike Tyson was a hero of Tom Cheasty, and Tyson was the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion from 1987 to 1990. Born in New York City on June 30th, his record read total fights 59, won 50, with 44 by knockout.
Tom takes up the story. “I started playing hurling in 1949 at a serious level at the age of 15, with the Ballyduff School. The Principal of the school was a man called Michael Criagh, and he encouraged all the boys to take up the game.
“We would play games against other schools, and after a couple of games, I began to feel comfortable with a hurley in my hand. It was a wonderful time to live in Waterford, and the game took off as Waterford had just won the All-Ireland, and the whole County went hurling mad.
“In 1950, I played for the Waterford minors against Tipperary; also on the team were Martin Og Morrissey and John O’Shea, and we won after a reply. On that Tipperary team was Billy Quinn, whose son Niall went on to play for Ireland in the 1990 World Cup.
“Then in 1954, I was selected for the Waterford senior team. I was only a spectator at Walsh Park when a couple of players went down sick. Tom Pickard, who was on the medical staff, jumped the wall and asked me if I had my boots with me.
“I lined up at half forward, and my senior hurling career had begun. I played well enough to stay in the team for the next game against Cork, to be honest, I was a bit star-struck as some of my heroes were in that Waterford side. John Keane of Mount Sion was a big hero of mine, and his presence on the field would give the opposition the jitters, and his team talk in the dressing room also ran shivers down my spine.
“Another player on that team was Mick Hickey of Portlaw, a natural hurler who was a wonderful striker of the ball. Mick Lyons of Butlerstown was another top player on that team; his composure when under pressure was something I added to my own game in the following years.
“I was lucky to play with and against some of the finest hurlers in the game in my career. As a forward, you always looked to score goals, but when you played Kilkenny, you had to take the points as their goalkeeper Ollie Walsh would save any goal attempts.
“Jimmy Duggan of Galway was one of the most skilful players I played against. He had everything; speed and skill were only two of his many attributes he possessed. Christy Ring was another excellent player.
“For nearly all my career with Waterford, I was selected at centre forward, this is a position that you spend all the game with your back to the goal. So the opposition would play their strongest player at centre back, Tipperary would play Tony Wall to mark me, we had some hectic battles, but I would like to think I came out on top most of the time.
“Playing with Philly Grimes, Frankie Walsh, and Martin Og Morrissey was always a pleasure for me, indeed every Waterford player I played with for Waterford had my utmost admiration.”
Remembering the memorable moment, Tom added: ‘Winning the All-Ireland with Waterford in 1959 will always be my number one; beating Kilkenny that day in Croke Park was a magical moment. The first game was drawn, thanks to a late goal by Seamus Power.
“In the replay, I scored 2-2 points from play, but it was the outstanding displays from Frankie Walsh and Mick Flannery that got us over the line. Also beating Cork in two Munster finals in 1957 and '59 was very high on my list. Another memorable moment came in 1984, the All-Ireland final was played between Cork and Offaly; however, the Waterford winning All-Ireland team from 1959 was introduced to the crowd that day.
“It was a very proud moment for all of us that day, and the GAA were also celebrating its Centenary year, so it made it an occasion never to be forgotten. The whole squad of Waterford players were presented with a special award from The Nationwide Building Society for our achievements that year as we beat Limerick, Tipperary, Cork and Kilkenny on our way to winning the All-Ireland of 1959.”
There were low points as well as Tom remembered: “Winning an All-Ireland is the biggest thrill a player can achieve in hurling, but to lose in the final is one of the worst feelings in the world. Unfortunately for me and my Waterford teammates, we lost two. In 1957, we lost to Kilkenny, and that was a hard pill to swallow as we lost to a late goal by Eddie Keher; we were the better side on the day so that defeat was hard to take.
“However, we knew we were an up-and-coming team and it wouldn't be long before we returned to Croke Park. We returned in 1963 a better, fitter, a mature side, and we were confident of winning the game. We scored 6-8 against Kilkenny that day, but we somehow managed to lose the match. For years, I couldn't get that loss out of my mind. After that defeat, that great Waterford team broke up with a lot of senior players retiring from championship hurling.”
During his illustrious career, Tom met some great sporting heroes: “When you play in the All-Ireland final, you get to meet the President of Ireland, and I was lucky to meet him three times.
“In 1960, Waterford were invited out to the USA against a New York selection at Gaelic Park in The Bronx. After meeting the Mayor of New York, we headed downtown and onto Broadway. We were escorted into a local bar owned by the one and only former World Champion boxer, Jack Dempsey.
“When I was a young lad, this man was a boxing legend, and to meet somebody you admired for years left me speechless. Philly Grimes and I stayed on for a while after the rest of the team went back to the hotel.
“We got photographers taken with the great man and then decided to go back to the hotel. Outside the hotel, a big sign read, ‘STRICT DRESS CODE ONLY’ and we were wearing jeans. ‘Sorry, boys, ye can't go in dressed like that', said the two big bouncers on the door.
“Philly and I went into a huddle to see what we were going to do. Philly said: ‘You take one on the right and I will take the other one’, as we turned back to face the bouncers, who was standing between them, only Pat Fanning, Chairman of the Waterford County Board, with two tuxedos in his hand. I don't know who was more relieved, me and Philly or the two bouncers!”
Long after the hurling days were over, Tom turned to a love of watching boxing. “As a complete Sky Sports nut and in my retirement years, I love nothing more than to watch sport on my TV.
“Any sport is okay with me as long as it's competitive and at a high level. Boxing was always one of my favourites. When I met Jack Dempsey, he told us to look out for a young lad called Cassius Clay who was due to box in the Olympic Games.
“I followed Clay’s career on to when he became Mohommed Ali and saw all his fights, but when he retired I started to lose interest in boxing. Then in the 80’s, a young man from New York City called Mike Tyson burst onto the boxing scene, and I couldn't take my eyes off him.
“Every time he stepped into the ring, the atmosphere went through the roof, everybody wanted to see him knock out his opponent, and on 44 occasions, he obliged. Tyson was box office; the excitement he generated inside and outside the ring was mind-blowing.
“He would be in the news every day for one reason or another. Boxing fans loved him. He won his first 19 professional fights, 12 of them by knockout in the first round. At 20 years of age, he became the youngest ever Heavyweight Champion of the World. Tyson was the first boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles.
“A wonderful boxer that gave me great pleasure over the years, like many top sportsmen, the fame caught up with him in the end, and he was unable to conduct himself in real life. However, as a boxer, he was brilliant, and I loved watching him in action.”
Tom Cheasty was nicknamed ‘The Iron Man’. He was known for his toughness, skill and leadership. Former Waterford hurler Jim Irish once described him as ‘the greatest centre forward I ever played with or saw in Waterford’.
He made a huge impact on Waterford hurling, and his career spanned three decades both on and off the field of play. He was a true sporting legend and was known throughout Ireland. He was a symbol of grit, brilliance, and his pride of playing for Waterford elevated him to a superstar across the whole country.
Tom Cheasty was a central figure in Waterford’s golden era, helping Waterford win its second All-Ireland title in 1959. His performance in the final, especially his late point that sparked the comeback, is still referred to as ‘Cheasty’s Point’ - a moment etched in hurling folklore.
Known for his explosive runs and fearless play, Tom's ability to weave through tight defences created panic among opponents and joy among fans. He was the kind of Player that his teammates looked to when the chips were down; his determination often inspired others to raise their game.
Tom Cheasty didn't just play hurling; he embodied it. His legacy lives on in Waterford sporting culture, his name still evokes pride and passion, and people still talk about his greatness to this very day.
A great man and a Déise legend.
