Dermot Earley , Snr Lieutenant - General Dermot Earley DSM ( 24 February 1948 – 23 June 2010 ) was an Irish army officer and sportsman . He played Gaelic football with his local clubs Michael Glavey ' s and Sarsfield ' s and was a member of the Roscommon senior inter - county team from 1965 until 1985 . Earley is regarded as one of the greatest players never to have won an All - Ireland Senior Football Championship medal . Earley ' s status as one of the all - time greats is self - evident . In a senior inter - county career that lasted for twenty years he won five Connacht titles , one National League , two All - Star awards , however , the ultimate honour of an All - Ireland medal at senior level eluded him . In retirement Earley served as manager of both the Roscommon and Kildare senior inter - county teams . Earley also served as a high - ranking military official in Ireland and with the United Nations . He was the Irish Defence Forces Chief of Staff from 2007 until his retirement in 2010 . Early life and education . Earley was born in Gortaganny , County Roscommon in 1948 . He was educated at the local national school and later attended St . Nathy ' s College in Ballaghaderreen . Army career . After completing his Leaving Certificate in 1965 Earley joined the defence forces as a cadet and was commissioned in 1967 . His first posting was as a platoon commander in the Recruit Training Depot at the Curragh and in 1969 he was appointed an Instructor at the Army School of Physical Culture ( ASPC ) . Two years later in 1971 Earley obtained a specialist diploma in physical education at St . Mary ' s College , Twickenham . Early ' s service record included overseas service with UNTSO in 1975 , Adjutant to the 52nd Infantry Battalion UNIFIL , from 1987 to 1991 he served as deputy military adviser to UN secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar and Battalion Commander of the 81st Infantry Battalion UNIFIL in 1997 . While serving with the UN up to 1991 he was a member of negotiating teams dealing with the Iraqis and Kuwaitis , and was a key adviser during the setting up of the UN ' s mission in Kuwait – Unikom . He was involved in negotiating an end to the Angolan civil war . He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies , London ( 2001 ) and holds a Master of Arts ( Hons ) in peace and development studies from the University of Limerick ( 1999 ) . He undertook the Ranger Course in the Defence Forces , which led to the establishment of special operations training and the establishment of the Army Ranger Wing ( ARW ) . He was the last serving member of that course . Earley was appointed School Commandant of the ASPC . In 1991 he was appointed an instructor at the Command and Staff School of the Military College and in 1994 / 95 he helped establish the United Nations Training School Ireland ( UNTSI ) in the Military College . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1995 . He commanded the 27 Infantry Battalion on the Irish border . He was promoted to Colonel in 2001 . In December 2003 he was made Brigadier General and was appopinted Major General in March 2004 when he received his final appointment . He replaced Lieutenant General James Sreenan . He became chief of staff in April 2007 , leading the Army , Air Corps and Naval Service . On 18 April 2010 Dermot Earley indicated he would retire from the Defence Forces due to ill health . Lt Gen Earley was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal with Honour from An Taoiseach Brian Cowen His resignation was accepted on 9 June 2010 and one of his previous deputies , Major General Sean McCann , was appointed Chief of Staff . Lt Gen Dermot Earley died of Creutzfeldt - Jakob disease ( CJD ) on 23 June 2010 . His Newbridge funeral on 24 June 2010 was attended by An Taoiseach Brian Cowen , Irish government ministers and leading GAA figures , while former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave issued a statement calling him " one of the great figures of this country " . Football career . Minor and under - 21 . Earley first came to prominence on the inter - county scene as a member of the Roscommon minor football team in 1963 . He was only fifteen years - old at the time , however , in spite of his young age he quickly became a key component of the team . A Connacht minor final appearance that year saw Earley ' s side take on Mayo . Goals were the difference as Mayo won the game by 3 – 5 to 1 – 5 . Two years later in 1965 Earley lined out in a second Connacht minor decider . Five - in - a - row hopefuls Mayo provided the opposition ; however , their great run of success was brought to an abrupt halt . Roscommon won by 2 – 10 to 1 – 10 , giving Earley a coveted Connacht title in the minor grade . Unfortunately , Roscommon were later defeated in the All - Ireland semi - final . In 1966 Roscommon faced Mayo in the provincial minor decider for the third time in four years . A close game developed ; however , Mayo ' s goal - scoring ability put some daylight between the two teams . A 1 – 9 to 0 – 7 score line resulted in defeat for Earley ' s side . That same year Earley was also a member of his native county ' s under - 21 team as Roscommon and Mayo renewed their rivalry in this grade in the Connacht final . Earley ' s side ran away with the game and triumphed on a score line of 1 – 15 to 0 – 9 . It was his first Connacht under - 21 winners ' medal . Roscommon later qualified for the All - Ireland final where reigning champions Kildare provided the opposition . An exciting hour of football ensued , with the result remaining in doubt until the final whistle . When the game was over ' the Rossies ' were the champions by 2 – 10 to 1 – 12 and Earley collected a coveted All - Ireland winners ' medal in the under - 21 grade . 1967 saw Roscommon set out to retain their All - Ireland title . The Connacht series provided few obstacles until the provincial decider when Mayo triumphed by 3 – 11 to 2 – 8 . Both sides met again at the same stage of the championship the following year , however , the result was similar . Mayo defeated their old enemies by 1 – 13 to 2 – 3 . Earley was eligible for the under - 21 grade again in 1969 and , furthermore , he was appointed captain for the year . The provincial decider that year saw Roscommon face Galway in the provincial decider . A close game developed with both sides finishing level . The subsequent replay was much more conclusive with Roscommon taking the title by 1 – 10 to 2 – 3 . It was Earley ' s second Connacht under - 21 title . ' The Rossies ' later qualified for a second All - Ireland final in four years , with Antrim providing the opposition . The game was an extremely tense affair with the result remaining in doubt until the long whistle . Victory , however , narrowly went to the Ulstermen on a score line of 1 – 8 to 0 – 10 . Earley also played Under 21 hurling with Rsocommon . In 1969 he playing in the All Ireland Under 21 C final were Roscommon faced Kildare , how ever Kildare ran out 8 – 05 to 4 – 05 winners on the day . Senior . Earley was only seventeen years - old when he made his senior debut for Roscommon in 1965 . After back - to - back provincial titles in this grade in the early part of the decade , ' the Rossies ' were now going through a slump . In 1970 Earley lined out in his first senior provincial decider . Galway provided the opposition on that occasion and proceeded to wallop Roscommon by 2 – 15 to 1 – 8 . It was a rude awakening to the world of senior football for Earley . Two years later in 1972 Roscommon were back in the Connacht final . Mayo , a team who Earley was more than familiar with at underage levels , were the opponents . An eight - goal thriller had supporters on the edge of their seats as Roscommon took their first provincial title in ten years on a score line of 5 – 8 to 3 – 10 . It was Earley ' s first Connacht senior title . Roscommon ' s next game was an All - Ireland semi - final meeting with football kingpins Kerry . That game turned into a rout as the men from ' the Kingdom ' won easily by 1 – 22 to 1 – 12 . After surrendering their provincial title in 1973 , Roscommon faced Galway in the provincial decider a year later . Earley was one of the few players to shine as his team were absolutely trounced by 2 – 14 to 0 – 8 . His efforts were later rewarded when he was presented with his first All - Star award . Two years later Earley ' s side indicated that they were a team on an upward curve . A thrilling provincial decider with Galway ended in a draw , however , Galway made no mistake in the replay and inflicted an eight - point defeat on ' the Rossies ' . In 1977 a new - look Roscommon team took the provincial championship by storm . After some embarrassing defeats in recent years , Earley ' s side finally triumphed over Galway . The narrow 1 – 12 to 2 – 8 victory gave him a second Connacht winners ' medal . Roscommon subsequently faced Armagh in an All - Ireland semi - final . Like a lot of Roscommon ' s other games in previous years , a close contest developed over the seventy minutes . In the end , both sides finished level and a replay was required . That second game was also extremely close , however , Armagh emerged by just a single point . The Connacht series of games provided little difficulty for Earley ' s side again in 1978 . Galway once again provided the opposition , however , Roscommon triumphed by 2 – 7 to 0 – 9 . It was Earley ' s third Connacht title . The subsequent All - Ireland semi - final pitted ' the Rossies ' against reigning champions Kerry . That game turned into a rout as the Munstermen won by 3 – 11 to 0 – 8 . Roscommon made it three Connacht titles in - a - row in 1979 as Mayo were accounted for on a score line of 3 – 15 to 2 – 10 . It was Earley ' s fourth provincial winners ' medal . For the third year in - a - row ' the Rossies ' embarked on the All - Ireland series in the hope of finally making the final . Dublin were the opponents , however , Early and his teammates faced heartbreak once again as they were defeated by a single point . In spite of failing to make the leap into the All - Ireland final , Earley was later presented with a second All - Star award . 1980 was a pivotal year for Earley ' s Roscommon team . A fourth Connacht title in succession was claimed following a 3 – 13 to 0 – 8 trouncing of Mayo . It was a fifth provincial winners ' medal for Earley . The subsequent All - Ireland semi - final saw Roscommon finally triumph and , after that defeat of Armagh , Earley lined out in the All - Ireland final against Kerry . The Connacht champions shocked Kerry and took a five - point lead inside the first twelve minutes . Mikey Sheehy popped up to score the decisive goal for ' the Kingdom ' , as Kerry went on to claim a 1 – 9 to 1 – 6 victory in a game that contained sixty - four frees . It was a bitterly disappointing defeat for Earley ' s side while Kerry took their third consecutive All - Ireland title . This defeat seemed to take the wind out of Roscommon ' s sails . The early 1980s was an uhappy period for the team as they failed to even reach a provincial decider . In 1985 Earley sustained a fractured jaw in the Connacht semi - final against Galway . When he was leaving the field the entire 12 , 000 spectators gave him a standing ovation as many thought that would be his farewll to football . Earley confounded everybody and lined out in the Connacht final agsinst Mayo two weeks later . In spite of kicking six points , Mayo still triumphed by 2 – 11 to 0 – 8 . At the age of thirty - seven he decided to retire from inter - county football . Personal life . Earley was married with six children . They live in Kildare . His younger brother , Paul Earley , was also a gaelic footballer , and his son Dermot Earley Junior still plays for Kildare .