Tyrone took their second All-Ireland football title in three years with a 1-16 to 2-10 victory packed with passion, intensity and self-belief at Croke Park.
2004 champions Kerry put up a massive fight, but in the end just fell short of the intensity which the Ulstermen brought to the game.
In a gripping finish, the Red Hands held on heroically to win by three points.
It was a hard-won title, with Tyrone taking the Sam Maguire Cup after an unprecedented ten game run, including three replays, before the final.
A crowd of 82,112 witnessed a captivating contest, and some sparkling football from both sides.
Sam had seemed destined for a trip to the Kingdom as Jack O'Connor's men tore into Tyrone in the opening stages of the match. When Paul Galvin delivered the high ball for Colm Cooper to send Dara Ó Cinnéide in for a sixth minute goal.
At 1-2 to 0-2, Tyrone looked off the pace while Kerry were performing with confidence. Their support play was a joy to watch and Tomás Ó Sé and Marc Ó Sé provided outlets and options pressing forward from the back.
They were perfectly placed to press home the advantage, but Tyrone dug in and got their defensive act together.
Colm 'Gooch' Cooper seemed to have the measure of Ryan McMenamin in the early stages, but after less than ten minutes he seemed to have received a finger in the eye and dropped to the ground, clearly in some distress.
After that, the diminutive Kerryman enjoyed none of the dominance that he had shown in previous championship matches and finished the game with just five points, two from the placed ball.
Kerry, however, became increasingly frustrated at their failure to break down Tyrone's tigerish and stubborn resistance and Ryan Mellon's two long range points gave the Red Hand men belief and conviction.
Gradually they took control and the final 15 minutes of the first-half belonged to Mickley Harte's men.
The comeback started when Brian McGuigan tagged on a couple of points to edge Tyrone closer to parity.
Then, as the half slipped into stoppage time, Peter Canavan stamped his class on the game, taking an Owen Mulligan lay-off to blast low to the corner of the net.
Tyrone led by 1-8 to 1-5 at the break, but scores from Cooper and Ó Cinnéide soon had Kerry's challenge back on track.
In the second-half Stephen O'Neill began to find some space and knocked over a couple of points and a Mulligan free made it 1-12 to 1-8 midway through the half.
But a 56th minute goal, blasted home by Tomas Ó Sé after Brosnan's shot had been blocked, had Kerry right back in it.
But Tyrone's vast experience had taught them how to close out a game and Canavan, O'Neill, McGuigan and defender Philip Jordan hit the points which sent the title back north.
Kerry: D Murphy; M Ó Sé, M McCarthy, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé (1-00), S Moynihan, A O'Mahony; D Ó Sé (0-02), W Kirby; P Galvin, E Brosnan (0-02), L Hassett; C Cooper (0-05, 2 f), D O'Sullivan, D Ó Cinnéide (1-01, 1f).
Subs: MF Russell for Hassett, D O'Sullivan for Ó Cinnéide, E Fitzmaurice for Moynihan, B Sheehan for Galvin.
Tyrone: P McConnell; R McMenamin, J McMahon, M McGee; D Harte, C Gormley, P Jordan (0-01); E McGinley, S Cavanagh; B Dooher (0-01), B McGuigan (0-03), R Mellon (0-02); P Canavan (1-01), S O'Neill (0-03, 2 frees), O Mulligan (0-05, 2 frees).
Subs: C Holmes for Canavan, C Lawn for McMahon, Canavan for McGinley
Referee: M Monahan Kildare
