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Ollie Campbell

b. 1954

Irish rugby union player

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About Ollie Campbell

Born 1954. Ollie Campbell is an Irish rugby union player.

Seamus Oliver Campbell (born 5 March 1954) is an Irish former rugby union player. He played flyhalf for Ireland from 1976 to 1984 and represented the British Lions on two tours. He helped orchestrate Ireland's Triple Crown victory at the 1982 Five Nations Championship, breaking a drought of over 30 years. Writing in the Irish Times in 2004, Gerry Thornley described Campbell as "possibly the most complete Irish outhalf since Jackie Kyle".

Old Belvedere's sports ground on Anglesea Road in Dublin was renamed Ollie Campbell Park in his honour in 2019.

Youth and club rugby Campbell was educated at Belvedere College, a famous rugby school in Dublin, where he was on the teams that won the Leinster Schools Senior Cup in 1971 and 1972. He toured twice with Ireland, to Australia in 1979 and to South Africa in 1981.

Campbell won his first cap for Ireland at the age of 21 against Australia in 1976 but did not secure another cap with Ireland until 1979. Campbell had to battle for the No.10 jersey with Tony Ward, European player of the year in 1978 and 1979. Campbell's next cap was during Ireland's 1979 tour to Australia. He set an Irish record on the 1979 tour to Australia when he scored 60 points, 19 of them in Brisbane which was an Irish record for points in a match against .

The defining moment in Campbell's career came in 1982, with Campbell as the architect-in-chief of Ireland’s 1982 Triple Crown victory, Ireland's first since 1949. Campbell played his last match for Ireland in 1984 against Wales.

Campbell was also capped seven times for the British Lions. He earned three caps during the 1980 Lions tour to South Africa, where he was the Lions' leading scorer in the last two tests with six and five points. He earned another four caps on the 1983 Lions tour to New Zealand, where he was the Lions' leading scorer in the four test matches with 15 points. He scored 184 points in total for the Lions.

Retirement Campbell retired from rugby in 1986 following two years of struggles with hamstring injuries.

In 2007, he was presented with the Newbridge RFC Legend in Rugby Award along with the Irish Rugby Squad which won the 1982 Triple Crown and was elected an Honorary Life Member of Newbridge RFC.

Campbell has worked in the family clothing business since retirement from rugby in 1984.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Belvedere College
Also known as
Seamus Oliver Campbell

People in Ollie Campbell's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ollie Campbell's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ollie Campbell?

Irish rugby union player

When was Ollie Campbell born?

Ollie Campbell was born on 5 March 1954 in Dublin.

What is Ollie Campbell's occupation?

Ollie Campbell is a rugby union player.

What nationality is Ollie Campbell?

Ollie Campbell is Irish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ollie Campbell

· Wikidata: Q3351501

· DBpedia: Ollie Campbell

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ollie Campbell. https://biography.guide/ollie-campbell/

MLA: "Ollie Campbell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ollie-campbell/.

Chicago: "Ollie Campbell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ollie-campbell/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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