Maurice Raymond "Ray" Cummins (born 9 November 1948) is an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer whose dual league and championship career with the Cork senior teams spanned fifteen years from 1967 to 1982.
He developed his skills at Coláiste Chríost Rí while simultaneously coming to prominence at underage levels with the Blackrock club, before later playing with University College Cork.
Over the course of the next fifteen years, he used his physical attributes to telling effect by punching many fine points in football and "catching high" and delivering many winning scores in hurling.
Cummins's grandfather, William 'Bowler' Walsh, played hurling with the Cork senior team in the early part of the century.
He attended Coláiste Chríost Rí where, along with his brothers Brendan and Kevin, he became part of the sporting success of the school.
After progressing through the juvenile ranks with Blackrock, Cummins was just seventeen years old when he experienced his first major success by winning a county minor championship medal in 1966.
In 1970 Cummins was at full-forward as University College Cork qualified for a second successive county hurling final.
A torrential downpour before the game made conditions very difficult and tempers boiled over with Simon Murphy and Charlie Cullinane being sent to the line.
Charlie McCarthy completed his hat-trick to give St. Finbarr's the lead early in the second half, however, Blackrock had a younger and fitter side.
After missing Blackrock's subsequent defeat of Moyne-Templetuohy in the provincial decider, Cummins was back on the starting fifteen for the All-Ireland final meeting with rathnure on 14 May 1972.
Reigning champions Glen Rovers provided the opposition and, after dominating the first half, held a 1-8 to 0-6 interval lead.
Blackrock held out for a narrow 1-13 to 0-14 victory and Cummins collected a first Munster winners' medal on the field of play.
A ten-minute period of dominance by Blackrock yielded only three points, while Quigley completed his hat-trick with a goal from a 21-yards free to give Rathnure a one-point lead.
The first half saw a number of unsavoury incidents, with John O'Halloran (Blackrock) and Mick Mooney (Rathnure) becoming the first players ever to be sent off in an All-Ireland club final.
The half-back line of Frank Cummins, John Horgan and Dermot McCurtain closed down the Glen attack and contributed greatly to the 4-11 to 0-10 victory.
Blackrock entered the All-Ireland final on 14 March 1976 and got off to a great start as Éamonn O'Donoghue scored a goal inside the first minute.
James Stephens was transformed in the second half with their full-back and half-back lines repelling the Blackrock attack.
Once again the Rockies stormed through the provincial championship and defeated Newmarket-on-Fergus by 3-8 to 1-8 in the decider, giving Cummins a third Munster medal.
The first half was completely dominated by the Rockies who opened the scoring with a goal from a 21-yards free by Pat Moylan in the first minute.
Blackrock appeared to have the game wrapped up when Tom Lyons whipped through a goal to leave them 14 points ahead with just a quarter of an hour left to play.
Cummins's skill as an all-round hurling and football star was acknowledged at the end of 1971 when he was picked on both inaugural All-Star teams.
[13] The success continued later that year as Cork trounced Clare by 6–18 to 2–8, giving Cummins a third Munster winners' medal.
In 1973 Cummins turned his attentions back to football, winning a second Munster title following a 5–12 to 1–15 victory over great rivals Kerry.
Cork had a reasonably comfortable 3–17 to 2–13 victory and Cummins became only the tenth player in the history of Gaelic games to win senior All-Ireland medals in both hurling and football.
[16] In 1974 the Cork hurling team bounced back somewhat with Cummins capturing a second National League winners' medal after a defeat of Limerick.
Cummins captured a fourth Munster winners' medal that year following the provincial final trouncing of Limerick.
A Seánie O'Leary goal, together with some brilliant saves by goalkeeper Martin Coleman helped Cork to a 1–17 to 3–8 victory.
Cork were never really troubled over the course of the seventy minutes and a Jimmy Barry-Murphy goal helped the team to a 1–15 to 2–8 victory over their age-old rivals.
After this game, it looked likely that Cork were set for a fourth consecutive appearance in the All-Ireland final and the chance to equal the seemingly unbeatable record of four championships in a row.
His inclusion as full-forward on the national Team of the Millennium, at the expense of Nicky Rackard, cemented his reputation as the greatest number fourteen of all time.