Corkman Darragh O’Neill punts his way onto Colorado University football team

Could it be possibly just 3-4 years before we see a Cork boy punting in the NFL? This may not be as crazy a thought as it seems. Colorado University turned a few heads when they announced their starting punter for the 2011 season would be Darragh O’Neill. Born in Cork, Ireland, he is the son of Colm O’Neill, owner of Boulder’s popular Irish bar-restaurant, Conor O’Neill’s. Darragh moved to the States aged three when his Father moved over for work.

He started kicking just six months before the start of the season. He took the sport up after going to watch a few Colorado games, instantly falling for what he described as ‘the buzz’ coming from the 50,000 plus crowd and the general game day atmosphere. Darragh’s strong leg comes from a background playing soccer, and he is also an accomplished basketball player too, excelling at high school level.

In the below excellent audio interview Darragh describes his path to NCAA Football. His accent is a fantastic mix of Irish American, as he appears to be just about clinging to the last remains of his Cork lilt!

Best of luck on the season to the young man