Twenty years on and five finals in between, Mayo are back in a final again since that chastening All-Ireland decider loss to Meath over two games.
While there is often talk of a "curse", as many rightly point out, the Connacht county just haven't performed close to their potential in their final defeats since.
But 1996 was the one that truly got away. It's the first All-Ireland final(s) I remember watching as a youngster and who could forget the infamous brawl (or schmozzle, to use another term) in the replay?
Sunday Game pundit Pat Spillane put it under the analysis microscope at the time and some of the descriptions of the "action" still catch the ear to this day...
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
