He played hurling with his local club Glenmore and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1945 until 1953.
He joined the Kilkenny senior team in 1945 and was at right wing-back in that year's All-Ireland final defeat to Tipperary.
[2] He played in his fourth All-Ireland final in 1950, lining out at corner-forward against Tipperary, but Kilkenny were beaten by a point.
Heffernan retired from inter-county hurling in 1953, by which time he had also claimed five Leinster Championships.
At club level he began his career with Geraldine O'Hanrahan's before joining the senior ranks with Mullinavat in 1943.