For the actor, see Delaney Williams

Delaney Williams

Delaney Williams is an American actor from Washington, D.C. He appears on the HBO drama The Wire as a recurring guest star playing homicide sergeant Jay Landsman. He also had a small role on HBO's mini-series The Corner which brought him to the attention of the producers, who worked on The prior to...

For the 19th-century baseball player, see Bill Delaney (baseball)

Bill Delaney (baseball)

William L. Delaney was a second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cleveland Spiders of the National League in .-Sources:...

Bill Delaney (died 2000) was a famous Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 player for Laois GAA

Laois GAA

The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...

. His sudden death in July 2000 brought great sadness to the entire county but rekindled memories of a glorious career in the Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 as a player, referee and administrator.

Career

From a famous footballing family he illuminated a glorious period for football at club, county and provincial level during the 1930s and 1940s and was regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Bill played for Laois in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship

The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for under-18 competitors of the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...

 final of 1932 and when he made his senior debut at the age of 18 the following year he commenced an inter-county career that saw him play in 18 successive championships.

He won four Leinster Senior Football Championship

Leinster Senior Football Championship

The GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...

 titles with Laois during a glorious period that saw them go so close to a taking the elusive All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...

 title.

Bill also won five Railway Cup medals and captained the side in 1929 when the team also included his three brothers Jack, Mick and Chris.

The big Stradbally man also refereed two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...

 finals and was a member of the powerful Central Council for a period that spanned four decades.

In recognition of his skills and long-running contribution to the sport, Delaney was awarded the 1994 All-time all-star award

GAA All-Time All-Star Award (Football)

The GAA All-Time All-Star Award in Football was an award given on an annual basis to a sportsperson who had made a long-running and considerable contribution to the sport of Gaelic football in Ireland...

 as no GAA All Stars Awards

GAA All Stars Awards

The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...

 were being issued at the time of his playing career.

External links

• Obituary from Irish Independent