The Philips Sports Manager of the Year is an award for the person considered the most outstanding Irish sports manager or coach of a particular year.
The award is contested by the twelve winners of the year's Philips Sports Manager of the Month Awards, which are open to Irish sports managers, trainers or coaches, or overseas-born managers of Irish teams.
Because the annual ceremony is traditionally held in early December each year, the December winner from the previous year is eligible to compete.
Unusually, the award was instigated not by a sporting body or journalists' association, but by the event sponsors themselves, Philips in 1982.
There have been joint-winners twice. First in 1990, as the achievement of Cork GAA winning the first All-Ireland hurling and football double in exactly 100 years saw respective managers Fr. Michael O'Brien and Billy Morgan honoured. It happened again in 2015 when Irish soccer manager Martin O'Neill and Northern Irish soccer manager Michael O'Neill shared the award for qualifying their respective sides for the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship.
Jack Charlton is the most honoured manager since the award's inception, having won it four times during his tenure as Ireland soccer manager. Declan Kidney is the only person to have won the award for achievements with two different teams at different levels, while Brian Kerr was honoured for success with three different Irish national soccer teams. Joining Charlton, Kidney and Kerr as multi-award winners are Kilkenny hurling supremo Brian Cody and Dublin football supremo Jim Gavin.
Winners Year Winner Team Sport1982 Pat Henderson Kilkenny Hurling1983 Brendan Edwards Irish men's amateur golf Golf1984 Mick O'Dwyer Kerry Gaelic football1985 Mick Doyle Ireland Rugby Union1986 Jim McLaughlin Shamrock Rovers Association football1987 Jack Charlton Republic of Ireland Association football1988 Jack Charlton Republic of Ireland Association football1989 Jack Charlton Republic of Ireland Association football1990 Billy Morgan and Fr. Michael O'Brien Cork Gaelic football and hurling1991 Pete McGrath Down Gaelic football1992 Brian McEniff Donegal Gaelic football1993 Jack CharltonRepublic of Ireland Association football1994 Eddie JordanJordan GP Formula One1995 Ger LoughnaneClare Hurling1996 Liam GriffinWexford Hurling1997 Brian KerrRepublic of Ireland U20 Association football1998 Brian KerrRepublic of Ireland U16 & U18 Association football1999 Seán BoylanMeath Gaelic football2000 John OxxSinndar's trainer Horse racing2001 Mick McCarthyRepublic of Ireland Association football2002 Joe KernanArmagh Gaelic football2003 Brian CodyKilkenny Hurling2004 Eddie O'SullivanIreland Rugby Union2005 Mickey HarteTyrone Gaelic football2006 Declan KidneyMunster Rugby Union2007 Paul DoolinDrogheda United Association football2008 Declan KidneyMunster Rugby Union2009 Declan KidneyIreland Rugby Union2010 Liam SheedyTipperary Hurling2011 Giovanni TrapattoniRepublic of Ireland Association football2012 Billy Walsh and Pete TaylorIreland Boxing2013 Jim GavinDublin Gaelic football2014 Joe SchmidtIreland Rugby Union 2015 Martin O'Neill and Michael O'NeillRepublic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Association football2016 Stephen KennyDundalk Association football2017 Micheál DonoghueGalway Hurling2018 Joe SchmidtIreland Rugby Union 2019 Jim GavinDublin Gaelic football
Multiple winners RankManagerWins1stJack Charlton42ndDeclan Kidney33rdBrian Kerr Joe Schmidt Jim Gavin2
Winners by sport SportWinsAssociation football12Gaelic football8Hurling7Rugby Union7Boxing1Formula One1Golf1
References