- Neil Fox (rugby league)
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Neil Fox Personal information Born 4 May 1939
Sharlston, Wakefield, Yorkshire, EnglandPlaying information Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight 13 st 7 lb (85 kg) Position Centre Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1956–69 Wakefield Trinity 441 238 1442 0 3558 1969–70 Bradford Northern 27 4 11 0 34 1970–74 Wakefield Trinity 133 34 394 0 890 1974–75 Hull K. R. 59 16 212 2 470 1976 York 13 2 42 0 90 1976–77 Bramley 23 6 73 0 164 1977–78 Huddersfield 23 6 73 1 164 1978–79 Bradford Northern 43 8 74 1 171 Total 762 314 2321 4 5541 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P ?–? Yorkshire 17 9 60 0 147 1962 England 1 1 3 0 9 1959–69 Great Britain 29 14 93 0 228 Neil Fox MBE (born 4 May 1939 in Sharlston,[1] West Yorkshire) is an English former rugby league footballer and player-coach of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. A goal-kicking Centre, he is one of the most prominent figures in the history of the sport because he holds the all-time points record, scoring 6,220 points during his career.[2] The brother of fellow rugby league players, Peter and Don Fox, Neil played for Yorkshire sides such as; Wakefield Trinity (twice), Bradford Northern (twice), Hull KR, York, Bramley and Huddersfield.
Neil Fox was selected for Yorkshire County XIII whilst at Wakefield Trinity during the 1958/59 and 1959/60 seasons.[3]
Neil Fox played Left-Centre, i.e. number 4, and scored twenty points (two tries and seven goals) in Wakefield Trinity’s 38-5 victory over Hull F.C. in the 1959–60 Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium on 14 May 1960, setting a new record for most points in a Challenge Cup Final. This feat was equalled by Iestyn Harris (1-try and 8-goals) in Leeds Rhinos' victory over the London Broncos in the 1999 Challenge Cup Final.
Neil Fox played Left-Centre, i.e. number 4, and scored two tries and two goals in Wakefield Trinity’s 16-10 victory over Huddersfield in the 1960–61 Yorkshire Cup final at Headingley Stadium, Leeds on 29 October 1960.[4]
Fox scored a try and three goals in the 12-6 victory over Huddersfield in the 1961–62 Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium on 12 May 1962, and was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for his man-of-the-match performance. He scored five goals in the 25-10 victory over Wigan in the 1962–63 Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium on 11 May 1963.[4]
Neil Fox played Left-Centre, i.e. number 4, and scored three goals in the 21-9 victory over St. Helens in the 1966-67 Rugby Football League Championship final at Station Road, Swinton on 10 May 1967, scored a try and two goals the 17-10 victory over Hull in the 1967-68 Rugby Football League Championship final at Headingley Stadium on 4 May 1968.[4]
Neil Fox and Alex Murphy are the only British rugby league footballers to have had two Testimonial matches. Neil Fox’s were both at Wakefield Trinity in 1966, and 1979. Alex Murphy’s were at St Helens in 1965, and at Warrington in 1976.
Circa-1968 Neil Fox owned a Turf accountant's business in Goldthorpe. He was player - coach of Underbank Rangers and achieved a Holliday Cup and promotion double in 1981/82.
Fox retired with the record for most points scored in Anglo-Australian test match history until overtaken by Mal Meninga in 1992.[5]
He was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame in 1989. On 30 August 2005 Fox, along with former rugby league greats Billy Boston and Mick Sullivan, opened the Rugby League Heritage Centre.
Arriva Yorkshire honoured 13 rugby league footballers on Thursday 20 August 2009, at a ceremony at The Jungle, the home of the Castleford Tigers. A fleet of new buses were named after the 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team'. Members of the public nominated the best ever rugby league footballers to have played in West Yorkshire, supported by local rugby league journalists; James Deighton from BBC Leeds, and Tim Butcher, editor of Rugby League World. The 'Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team' is; Trevor Foster MBE, Neil Fox MBE, Albert Goldthorpe, Alan Hardisty, Stan Kielty, Lewis Jones, Roger Millward MBE, Malcolm Reilly, Garry Schofield, Keith Senior, David Topliss, Dave Valentine, and Adrian Vowles.[6]
Sources
- ^ "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2010. http://www2.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?scan=1&r=177378848&d=bmd_1310461961. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "Rugby League Hall of Fame - Neil Fox". RLHallofFame.org.uk. 25 October 2007. http://www.rlhalloffame.org.uk/fox.htm.
- ^ Lindley, John (1960). Dreadnoughts - A HISTORY OF Wakefield Trinity F. C. 1873 - 1960 [Page118]. John Lindley Son & Co Ltd. ISBN n/a
- ^ a b c Hoole, Les (2004). Wakefield Trinity RLFC - FIFTY GREAT GAMES. Breedon Books. ISBN 1 85983 429 9
- ^ Gallaway, Jack (2003). Origin: Rugby League's Greatest Contest 1980 - 2002. Australia: University of Queensland Press. pp. 177–78. ISBN 0 7022 3383 8. http://books.google.com/books?id=3nDbsx3Hk7QC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ "Arriva Yorkshire Rugby League Dream Team". Arriva Yorkshire. 20 August 2009. http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/content.aspx?id=7044. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
External links
- International Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
- Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org
- Neil Fox at rugbyleaguehistory.com
- Neil Fox at narlvi.co.uk
- Aussies win in London
- RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL 1962
- RUGBY LEAGUE FINAL 1963
British Rugby League Hall of Fame Inductees 1988 Billy Batten • Brian Bevan • Billy Boston • Alex Murphy • Jonty Parkin • Gus Risman • Albert Rosenfeld • Jim Sullivan • Harold Wagstaff1989 Neil Fox2000 2005 Lance Todd Trophy winners 1946 Billy Stott • 1947 Willie Davies • 1948 Frank Whitcombe • 1949 Ernest Ward • 1950 Gerry Helme • 1951 Cecil Mountford • 1952 Billy Ivison • 1953 Peter Ramsden • 1954 Gerry Helme • 1955 John "Jack" Grundy • 1956 Alan Prescott • 1957 Jeff Stevenson • 1958 Rees Thomas • 1959 Brian McTigue • 1960 Tommy Harris • 1961 Dick Huddart • 1962 Neil Fox • 1963 Harold Poynton • 1964 Frank Collier • 1965 Ray Ashby & Brian Gabbitas • 1966 Len Killeen • 1967 Carl Dooler • 1968 Don Fox • 1969 Mal Reilly • 1970 Bill Kirkbride • 1971 Alex Murphy • 1972 Kel Coslett • 1973 Steve Nash • 1974 Derek Whitehead • 1975 Ray Dutton • 1976 Geoff Pimblett • 1977 Steve Pitchford • 1978 George Nicholls • 1979 David Topliss • 1980 Brian Lockwood • 1981 Mick Burke • 1982 Eddie Cunningham • 1983 David Hobbs • 1984 Joe Lydon • 1985 Brett Kenny • 1986 Bob Beardmore • 1987 Graham Eadie • 1988 Andy Gregory • 1989 Ellery Hanley • 1990 Andy Gregory • 1991 Denis Betts • 1992 Martin Offiah • 1993 Dean Bell • 1994 Martin Offiah • 1995 Jason Robinson • 1996 Robbie Paul • 1997 Tommy Martyn • 1998 Mark Aston • 1999 Leroy Rivett • 2000 Henry Paul • 2001 Sean Long • 2002 Kris Radlinski • 2003 Gary Connolly • 2004 Sean Long • 2005 Kevin Sinfield • 2006 Sean Long • 2007 Paul Wellens & Leon Pryce • 2008 Paul Wellens • 2009 Michael Monaghan • 2010 Lee Briers • 2011 Jeff Lima
Categories:- 1939 births
- Bradford Bulls players
- Bramley Buffaloes players
- England national rugby league team players
- English rugby league coaches
- English rugby league players
- Great Britain national rugby league team players
- Huddersfield Giants players
- Hull Kingston Rovers players
- Living people
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- People from Sharlston
- Rugby league centres
- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats coaches
- Wakefield Trinity Wildcats players
- York City Knights players
- Yorkshire rugby league team players
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