When you think of Tyrone football you think of Mickey Harte and the heady scenes of him leading his hometown to three All-Ireland titles.
Hart is to Tyrone what Sir Alex Ferguson was to Manchester United. He coached for more than thirty years in white and red, winning All-Ireland titles at every level.
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During an 18-year dynasty with the senior side, he guided the county to its greatest triumphs, the pinnacle of which was their first All-Ireland title in 2003, followed by repeat victories in 2005 and 2008.
In addition to six Ulster titles and one league win, Hart bowed out in November 2020 after Tyrone lost to Donegal in the Ulster quarter-finals, a game played behind closed doors during the coronavirus pandemic.
It was a low-key end to a period that transformed Tyrone football, firmly establishing their place in the top flight.
Hart will take charge in his hometown for the first time since leaving home on Saturday, with the Red Hands playing their first game since April 2011 at O’Neill Park in Dungannon.
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Errigal Serran was in the dugout that day as his team beat Kildare in League Two.
This isn’t Hart’s first time against Tyrone, as he guided Derry to a league win over his hometown side at Celtic Park in 2024.
“No, I don’t like playing against my own county but that happens sometimes when you manage other people and you find yourself in the same division,” Hart told BBC Sport NI.
The hard edges of life in Division 2
Hart left Tyrone in 2020 after 18 years coaching the senior team [Getty Images]
Hart did not miss inter-county competition for too long. He joined forces with Louth before the 2021 season and led “Wei County” to consecutive promotions to the second division.
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Hart’s upward trajectory continued when he made a shock move to Tyrone neighbors and football rivals Derry, where he guided Oakleaf County to the Division One title later that spring but left in the summer after a poor showing at the title.
None of this could slake Hart’s thirst and he found himself in charge of County Offaly in 2025, guiding the county to an improbable third-tier title with co-manager Declan Kelly.
The scale of County Faithful’s task in the second tier was starkly on display at Celtic Park as they were beaten 2-25 to 0-8 by Derry, leaving them bottom of the table with a fourth straight defeat and -42 points behind them.
“It was a long, hard night for us and probably everyone knew long before halftime that the result was a foregone conclusion, so that happened,” Hart said.
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“I’ve been in that place once or twice before. It’s not easy to watch, but sometimes you find you have to deal with those things.
“You’ve got a higher level team than we’ve had before and we’re missing a ton of players. We were missing about seven starters last year and we didn’t have the depth to deal with that. The lads there are doing their best.”
“They’re getting experience. It’s going to be a tough experience for a lot of them, but at least they’re going to learn from it. It’s not good for us at the moment, but I think it’s going to be good for the players in the long run.”
Malachi O’Rourke is now in charge of Tyrone and his side are embroiled in a relegation battle at the start of the season and are favorites to return to the top flight immediately.
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The Red Hands have taken just three points from their first four games, one point above the relegation zone, and a defeat at Louth dealt a major blow to their promotion hopes.
Tyrone’s match against Offaly will be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app on Saturday 28 February, with a throw-in at 18:00 GMT.