Born in Holycross, County Tipperary, Doyle first played competitive hurling whilst at school in Thurles CBS. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Tipperary minor team, before later joining the under-21 team. He joined the senior panel during the 1976 championship. Doyle went on to play a key part for Tipperary during a largely barren era for the team, and won one Munster medal and one National Hurling League medal.