Club career: In 1979, O'Keefe joined Everton from non-league Mossley and stayed two-and-a-half years at Goodison Park before moving on to Wigan, Port Vale and Blackpool, where he picked up a knee injury that forced him to retire. In August 1987 he was appointed player-manager of Cork City, leading them to the Munster Senior Cup and Irish League Cup, when they beat Shamrock Rovers in the final. After a poor start to the 1988-89 season O'Keefe returned to England where he had a brief spell with Chester, before his second, and final, retirement from the game in October 1990.

International career: Successfully fought a FIFA ruling that claimed he was ineligible to play for the Republic because he had represented England's semi-pros while he was at Mossley, and went on to win five senior caps between 1981 and 1985. Partnered Don Givens up front on his debut against Wales, in a 3-1 home defeat, scored his only international goal against China in the 1984 Japan Cup and made his final appearance in a 2-1 defeat by England at Wembley in March 1985.

Where is he now? After retiring from the game, O'Keefe worked for a time as a van driver for the Manchester Evening News but, now settled in Chester, for the past four years he has been employed by Cheshire Social Services, where he works with handicapped children.