Cribbin was born in County Laois in May 1963. He moved to Kildare when he was 12, and it was as player-manager of Clane that he made his mark, guiding them to two county titles in four years. In 2002, after his spell with Laois had ended, he managed the Kildare county minor team, as well as having spells in charge of Edenderry and a return to his home club, Clane.[citation needed] He is classed as a Kildare manager.[4]
He was appointed Offaly manager in February 2009, resigning in 2011.[7][8]
He was appointed Westmeath manager in November 2014.[9] He led Westmeath to victory against neighbour Meath and then to consecutive Leinster SFC finals in 2015 and 2016 (a first in the team's history), also winning the 2017 National Football League Division 4 title before he stepped down at the conclusion of the 2017 season.[10]
At the end of 2021, Clane announced Cribbin as its manager.[11]
^Foley, Cliona (24 February 2009). "Cribbin era to get under way in Offaly". Irish Independent. Offaly's senior footballers, who ousted previous manager Richie Connor earlier this month, will have their first training session with their new boss Tom Cribbin tonight. Cribbin was appointed last Friday for the remainder of this season but local club matches at the weekend meant he could not convene the squad until tonight. At present Tom Coffey, Vinny Claffey and Phil O'Reilly, the three men who stepped into the breach temporarily when Connor stepped aside and were part of the sub-committee to find his replacement, are working with him, but Cribbin's backroom team has not yet been officially confirmed.
