Horan’s unlikely American college football influence

THE rough and tumble of county board politics is often considered good grounding for those who have ambitions of one day getting to Leinster House and that is the path Offaly’s games development administrator John Leahy is taking. The Kilcormac native has held the role for 14 years but he is taking a two-year leave of absence as he has been selected as leader of Renua. From trying to revive the fortunes of the Faithful County to reviving the new political party after their disastrous general election results, it might be a case of Leahy going from the frying pan into the fire. JAMES HORAN has become much more comfortable in the media spotlight as he has stepped away from the Mayo job. In Croke Park last Friday, he outlined one of the men that influenced him as a manager — and it came a little from leftfield. Horan (right) mentioned that Nick Saban, the legendary college football coach, as someone that he would follow closely. Saban, who is currently coaching Alabama Crimson Tide, is one of only two coaches in history to have won the SEC championship with two different colleges and has been called ‘the most powerful coach in American sports’. He did spend two seasons as head coach of the Miami Dolphins in the mid2000s but it was in college football that he made his name. ‘I follow Nick Saban quite a lot and I remember him being interviewed in the middle of the field, in 2012. They had just won and he was being interviewed in the middle of the pitch, players still around it and the crowd going mad. He said: “Yeah, we will enjoy it but in 24 hours, it starts again.” ‘There was something in that for me. I think it is important that you plant trees pretty quickly for the next year.’