Cornelius Joseph Dennis O'Donoghue was born on 18 January 1953 and is an Irish-born former professional football placekicker, who played nine seasons in the National Football League.
24 Facts About Neil O'Donoghue
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Neil O'Donoghue played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft.
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Neil O'Donoghue was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the St Louis Cardinals.
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From 1987 to 2023, until Daniel Whelan was selected as punter for the Green Bay Packers, Neil O'Donoghue had been the most recent Irish-born American to have played in the NFL.
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Neil O'Donoghue was born on 18 January 1953 in Dublin, the second son of Michael and Mary Neil O'Donoghue.
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Neil O'Donoghue was named after his maternal uncle, a member of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who died fighting in the Second World War.
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Neil O'Donoghue's mother worked as a nurse and joined the war effort, as part of the Queen Alexandra's.
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Neil O'Donoghue's family moved to Clondalkin, where his father became the sports administrator of Round Towers.
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Neil O'Donoghue was described as one of the best juvenile players that Round Towers had produced.
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Neil O'Donoghue played U13 Football at the age of eight and won an U13 League Final against St Pats Palmerstown in 1965.
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On 17 October 1971, Neil O'Donoghue made his debut for Shamrock Rovers against Sligo Rovers, coming on as a substitute for Damien Richardson.
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Neil O'Donoghue made a total of 16 appearances, including two each in the Texaco Cup and the FAI Cup, scoring 3 goals.
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Neil O'Donoghue was offered a soccer scholarship at Saint Bernard College, but declined as he was studying architecture in Ireland.
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However, he did suggest that Neil O'Donoghue should take the scholarship instead.
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Neil O'Donoghue was working part-time for CIE as a ticket inspector, and with his mother returning to her nursing job, he decided to visit the campus where he became the first Irish person to be awarded a soccer scholarship.
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Neil O'Donoghue had previously been to Auburn before, attending as a spectator for the Iron Bowl match.
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Neil O'Donoghue was selected in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills, but was cut five games into the 1977 season, despite ending a fourteen match losing streak by scoring the sole field goal against the Atlanta Falcons.
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Neil O'Donoghue joined the St Louis Cardinals, just prior to the 1980 season.
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Little made nine out of 16 attempts, while Neil O'Donoghue made fourteen, resulting in him becoming the team's starting kicker.
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The next day, he ran into Little, who offered him out for a drink, but Neil O'Donoghue declined as he felt he too was rusty and had to practice before the season opener against the Washington Redskins.
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Neil O'Donoghue married his first wife Laura, during his stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Neil O'Donoghue remarried shortly after to his second wife Monica, and currently resides in Clearwater, Florida.
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Neil O'Donoghue was the only member of his family to emigrate to the United States and become an American citizen.
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Neil O'Donoghue's older brother, Coli, is a partner at an architectural firm based out of Dublin.