John William Whiteley MBE (born October→December 1930 (age 81–82) in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire[1]) is an English former professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer and coach. A Great Britain international representative forward, and later coach, he played his entire club football with Hull.
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Whiteley grew up during the 2nd World War in Hull; his house was hit by the biggest bomb to land in Hull during the war. He attended Gordon Street Junior School and Westbourne Street. He left school at 14.
At age 15, he joined Boulevard Police Boys Club and was made prop. Shortly afterwards he moved to Hull Boys Club and played for the Hull under-16 representative team. At the age of 18, Johnny joined the Military Police, 14 months of which were spent in Vienna.
He signed for Hull in 1950 for £100. He played 15 seasons for Hull making 417 appearances and scoring 156 tries and 2 goals for at total of 472 Points. In his time with Hull, he was never dropped.
Johnny Whiteley was selected for Great Britain Squad while at Hull for the 1954 Rugby League World Cup in France. However he did not participate in any of the four matches, with Dave Valentine playing as Loose forward/Lock in all four matches.
He captained Hull from 1956 and that year the side won the league championship when Colin Hutton kicked a last-minute penalty in the final against Halifax at Maine Road.
Hull won the European Club championship in 1957. Johnny was a member of the 1958 Great Britain touring squad that retained The Ashes, and he scored a try in the 40-17 third Test success in Sydney.
In 1958 Hull won the play-offs again, against Workington. They lost in the cup final at Wembley in 1959.
Whiteley was a member of the last Great Britain team to beat Australia on home soil in the 1959 test series, scoring the try that beat the Aussies that year.
Again Hull reached the cup final 1960. He scored a match-winning try against the Aussies in the last few minutes which gave Great Britain the 1960 Ashes.
He was a member of the 1962 Great Britain team which won the Ashes in Australia.
Whiteley became player coach in October 1963.
Whiteley carried on coaching at Hull after his last appearance as a player. When Roy Francis retired as Hull coach in 1965, Whiteley, now himself retired with an injured shoulder, took over, though he resigned in 1970. He then moved to Warrington on 6th February 1965 until the end of the 1969/70 season.
Whiteley moved across the river to Hull Kingston Rovers as coach in 1970 and stayed until 1972 when he was sacked.[2]
He coached the G.B. squad that toured Australia in 1970 and they were the last to win the Ashes in Australia. He left Hull on his return to coach Hull Kingston Rovers until leaving them in 1972. He then carried on coaching the Yorkshire origin side for 12 years.
He was then recalled to coach Great Britain in 1980 for two years.
After his career finished, he ran a gym in west Hull. He later set up the West Hull amateur rugby league club.
He joined the Rugby Football League Roll of Honour in November 2004 having been nominated by both Hull and Hull Kingston Rovers.[3] He was made an MBE for services to rugby league and the community in the 2005 New year's honours list.[4]
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