quitting drinking completely in 1970, Rackard travelled the country as a counsellor with Alcoholics Anonymous. In an interview in the Irish Press in 1975, he detailed his life as a recovering alcoholic and became one of the first sportspeople to break the taboo of alcoholism in Ireland. Rackard's death from cancer in April 1976 saw a huge outpouring of grief amongst the hurling community. He was posthumously honoured by being named on the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984, however, he was sensationally omitted from the Hurling Team of the Millennium in favour of Ray Cummins. Early life Nickey Rackard was born in Killanne, County Wexford in 1922. The eldest son in a family of five boys and four girls. His parents were Robert (Bob) Rackard and Anastasia Doran, who had been married in 1918. He was born into a family that was mildly interested in sport. His granduncle had played with the famous Wexford football team that captured four All-Ireland titles in-a-row between 1915 and 1918. Rackard's father Bob had planned that his son would play cricket, however, young Rackard was much more interested in Gaelic games. He was educated locally and later attended St. Kierans College, Kilkenny, a virtual academy for young hurling talent. Rackard later attended University College Dublin where he studied to be a veterinary surgeon. In all, his studies took eight years to complete because of his huge commitment to his sporting exploits. Playing career Club Rackard played his club hurling with his local Rathnure club and enjoyed much success. He won his first senior county title in 1948. It was Rathnure's first ever championship triumph. Two years later in 1950 Rackard captured a second county title, a victory which allowed him to take over the captaincy of the county senior team for the following year. He won his third and final county medal in 1955. Inter-county Rackard's early successes on the inter-county scene were as a footballer with the Wexford team. At the time the county's hurling team was in the doldrums, however, things were about to change. Rackard made his debut for the county team in 1940 and spent much of the decade at midfield. By the start of the 1950s he had moved into the forward lines and it was here that he captured his first Leinster title in 1951. Wexford later faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final, a team that