David Whelan

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David Whelan born in Bradford on 24 November 1936, is a former professional footballer with Blackburn Rovers and the current owner of Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic. Additionally, he owns the JJB Sports Sportswear chain and the JJB Stadium where both teams play. He is regarded as Wigan's only Plutocrat.

Whelan was a member of Blackburn Rover's 1960 F A cup final team, which lost heavily 0-3 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Whelan himself did not complete the match, breaking a leg during the first half. Whelan's injury is one of a catalogue of serious injuries suffered by players in the 1950-60 era and was known as the Wembley hoodoo.

He bought Wigan Athletic in 1995 when they were an unfashionable Division Three side. Since then the club has made huge progress. This rise began with the Division Three title in 1997, Division Two title in 2003 and promotion to the Premiership as Championship runners-up in 2005. He has appointed five managers during his time at Wigan: John Deehan (1995-98), John Benson (1998-2000), Bruce Rioch (2000-01), Steve Bruce (March-May 2001) and Paul Jewell (2001-present). Thanks to Whelan's resources, Wigan, who were tipped to be relegated from the Premier League in their first season, managed to stay up, and claimed a high league position, They also got to their first Cup final in 2006 when they reached the League Cup Final.