Michael Jacob Senior is widely regarded as one of Wexford’s greatest ever hurlers. His career with Wexford lasted from 1967 until 1984 and but for an eye injury, he may have continued. Jacob was also the first Wexford man to be given the honour of an All-Star in 1972 at centre back. He saw it almost as more of an achievement for his club Oulart-The Ballagh than an individual award. Speaking to “The Hurling Podcast” his passion for the game and love for the club were very evident.
“I suppose it was the next best thing after an All-Ireland Medal, it put the Oulart-The Ballagh club in the top”, Jacob said. “To have someone from the club being picked as an All-Star. It was a great achievement for the parish and the people of the parish. We came from a very low place within the club, we were trying to win Junior, win Intermediate, it took us an awful long time.
“At that time Wexford didn’t recognise Oulart as a real hurling force, by winning the All-Star in ‘72 it put the Oulart-The Ballagh club on a perch. Maybe a lot of people said by god Oulart are producing an All-Star, so we better watch out for bigger things to come, because we were on a low base at the time.
“To get the award was a great achievement. It boils down to hard work, being dedicated to the whole thing and putting in so many hours. You don‘t get those thing’s by not putting in 100%. I always put in 100% and I’d train on my own, it was nice to get something like that.”
Jacob also won two further All-Stars in ‘76 and ‘77. Unfortunately these came after losing both All-Ireland finals to Cork.
“You’d always like to get the medal but it was something for all the effort and the slog. To get two then, it was a big addition when we didn’t win the All-Ireland. If we had won one, I think we would have won two. To try and make the breakthrough at that time, It took its toll not winning one of those. I’d rather win the All-Ireland, but others got All-Stars that year and it was nice to see that happening.”
There wasn’t much celebrating the All-Star back in Oulart. But he did enjoy the trips that accompanied the awards. Jacob was on six All-Star tours and one ended up being his honeymoon.
“Just come home and have the trophy and that would be it. There’s no such thing as celebrating, people would be happy for you. All those nights up there (All-Star Banquet) were great really, ‘72, ‘76 ‘77, and then I was a replacement for three years as well. So I was in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, all those places. I was captain in 1978 with the All-Stars.
“In ‘78 I was over on my honeymoon as well, it was kind of a special time for myself and for Breda. To get over there and see different parts of the world it was wonderful. She was into hurling a lot as well. When I got an All-star in ‘77, we were heading off in May. We got married on 12th May and we were heading off the next day. That’s how it happened, that we were going to have the honeymoon and the All-Stars (trip) together, so it was a great occasion for myself and Breda.
“You’re meeting different players from different counties, You’re playing maybe Cork or Kilkenny so you’re meeting up with those lads, and having great nights out and all that craic. I’m not a drinker or smoker but I’d have great craic.
“It’s great to meet up with some of those, you’d only be hurling against them, but you never meet up to talk to them and they’re all great fellas, most of those people are very good and you’d have a good old craic with them and they’d be out for a good term. I think it’s great that way really, the outlet to meet different players from different counties, they have different ideas and I think it’s great altogether, I loved it.”
Throughout the podcast, his love and passion for the game shone through.
“I always loved training, I always loved running, I always loved playing. Whether it was Junior, (even) Junior B. I used to love going down to the field and playing on the like on John Stamp or Peadar Murphy and all those fellas, it would be the very same as an All-Ireland. They’d be saying to themselves ‘I’m not going to let this Mick Jacob lad hurl me out of the field’. It kept me really psyched up and kept them going as well.
“I could have played longer but I suppose it was nearly time I finished up at 54. I loved every minute, I got every second and every minute out of my hurling career, I loved it, whether winning or losing, getting out and competing, playing Senior and playing Junior. Junior meant every bit as much to me as Senior. I loved every minute, I loved every second.
“I wouldn’t swap it for the world, I’d love to be back, with Davy Fitzgerald hurling again with Wexford.”
The Hurling Podcast 