As a player, he lined out with Lucan Sarsfields, Navan O'Mahonys and the Dublin senior football team.
Crean first played Gaelic football at juvenile and underage levels with the Lucan Sarsfields club.
[1] Crean later transferred to the Navan O'Mahonys club and won four successive Meath SFC titles.
[3] Crean was heavily involved in coaching at all levels with the Lucan Sarsfields club and guided the team to the Dublin IFC title in 1995.
[5] Crean also enjoyed a stint as a selector under Jack Sheedy with the Longford senior football team.