During the 1950’s and early 1960’s Frankie Maxwell was an iconic figure in the hurling scene of passage and indeed in the environs of the South-East and City divisions.
His powerful stature, his prodigious puck outs and clearances and his no-nonsense style of play ensured that he was a player that could never be ignored.
For a player who was always associated with the full back position, Frankie played his first match for Cork junior hurlers at centre-field against Waterford in 1953.
As Passage hurlers were going through a lean period at that time Frankie was not afforded the opportunity to display his undoubted defensive qualities. However when the Cork junior hurlers went on to claim the All-Ireland title in 1958 an ever present in their six championship games was one F. Maxwell (Passage).
1960 was a big year for Frankie as he was full-back on the Seandún team that beat the renowned Barrs in the senior hurling championship where he was joined on the team by his young brother John and two other clubmates John Barry and Martin O’Donoghue.
It was felt, for many years, within City Division circles that the absence of Frankie from the Seandún team for the third round match against U.C.C. cost the team the game and a possible county title. Frankie’s absence was due to the fact that he was getting married on that weekend.
In that year also he once again filled the No. 3 jersey in the Cork junior team which reached the All-Ireland final only to lose surprisingly to Carlow.
September 1960, however, saw the highlight of his playing career when he was once again a key figure on the passage intermediate hurling team which claimed a historic county title at the expense of St. Vincent’s at Riverstick.
In 1961, when the Intermediate grade was introduced to the inter-county scene for the first time, in their three championship games in their Munster campaign the full-back slot on the Cork team was again filled by the powerful Passage defender.
Frankie Maxwell started his adult career with Passage when the club were competing in junior grade and when he finished in the early 1960’s the club was mixing it with the elite of Cork hurling in the senior grade.