Pierce O'Leary
Pierce O'Leary (born 5 November 1959) is an Irish former professional footballer. Pierce is the brother of former Arsenal star and fellow Irish international David O'Leary. Playing career Born in Dublin, O'Leary signed for Shamrock Rovers in 1977 under Johnny Giles and made his debut in October and went on to win the FAI Cup in 1978. A week after the Cup Final he signed for Philadelphia Fury where he spent three months. In 1981, he signed for Vancouver Whitecaps before joining Celtic in November 1984. O'Leary earned youth caps and 7 Republic of Ireland national team caps while at Milltown, five Ireland U21 caps and made three appearances for Rovers in European competition. The tall centre-half made his Celtic debut in a 2–1 Scottish Cup victory at Hamilton Accies on 30 January 1985. He came on as substitute in the 1985 Scottish Cup Final as Celtic came from behind to defeat Dundee United 2–1. He then made enough appearances to claim a League Championship medal after Celtic pipped Hearts for the title on the final day of the 1985–86 season. He was forced to retire in 1988 due to recurring pelvic trouble. Pierce's son Ryan O'Leary is also now a professional footballer and played with Kilmarnock. Post-playing career Prior to retiring from football in 1988, O'Leary had set up an industrial cleaning business in Glasgow in partnership with Packie Bonner. Bonner's involvement only lasted a few years, but under O'Leary the business secured numerous contracts with offices, shops and hospitals. However, O'Leary went bankrupt in March 2013 and a new business has since been set up with his wife as director. Honours Shamrock Rovers FAI Cup: 1978 Celtic Scottish League: 1985–86 Scottish Cup: 1985 References Sources The Hoops by Paul Doolan and Robert Goggins () External links 1959 births Living people Celtic F.C. players Scottish Football League players Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Men's association football defenders League of Ireland players Irish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Irish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Association footballers from Dublin (city) Philadelphia Fury (1978–1980) players Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players Stella Maris F.C. players