Joe Egan (rugby league)

Joe Egan
Personal information
Born 26 March 1919
Died 11 November 2012 (age 93)
Playing information
Position Hooker
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1938–50 Wigan 362 24 11 0 94
1950–55 Leigh 104
Total 466 24 11 0 94
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1943–50 England 21 1 0 0 3
1946–50 Great Britain 14 0 0 0 0
1945–50 Lancashire 10
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1950–56 Leigh
1956–61 Wigan
Widnes
1968–70 Warrington
Blackpool Borough
Total 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]

Joe Egan (1919-2012) was an English professional rugby league footballer of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, and coach of the 1950s and '60s, playing at representative level for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Wigan from 1938 to 1950,[2] and Leigh, as a Hooker, or Second-row, i.e. number 9, or, 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums. Egan is a Wigan Hall of Fame inductee, and was a life member at Wigan.[3]

Playing career

Wigan

Egan played at hooker for a Rugby League XIII against Northern Command XIII at Thrum Hall, Halifax on Saturday 21 March 1942.[4] In the 1948 Challenge Cup final Wigan defeated Bradford Northern 8-3 and Egan was the first captain to receive the trophy from a reigning monarch, King George VI. On the same day former prop forward with Egan on the indomitables tour Frank Whitcombe of Bradford Northern, was the first man to win the Lance Todd trophy on the losing side. Joe Egan, Frank Whitcombe & Ken Gee formed a formidable front row in the first two test which the Australians feared on the tour to Australia in 1946, he later became the oldest surviving member. He also won two Championships with Wigan, in 1946 and 1947. He accompanied the Great Britain test team as hooker on their tour of Australia in 1946[5] and 1948.[6]

County Cup final appearances

Joe Egan played Hooker in Wigan's 10-7 victory over Salford in the 1938 Lancashire Cup final during the 1938–39 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 22 October 1938,[7] played Hooker in the 3-7 defeat by Widnes in the 1945 Lancashire Cup final during the 1945–46 season at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 27 October 1945, played Hooker in the 9-3 victory over Belle Vue Rangers in the 1946 Lancashire Cup final during the 1946–47 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 26 October 1946,[8] played Hooker in the 10-7 victory over Belle Vue Rangers in the 1947 Lancashire Cup final during the 1947–48 season at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 1 November 1947,[9] played Hooker in the 14-8 victory over Warrington in the 1948 Lancashire Cup final during the 1948–49 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 13 November 1948,[10] and played Hooker in the 20-7 victory over Leigh in the 1949 Lancashire Cup final during the 1949–5 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 29 October 1949.[11]

Leigh

[12]

County Cup final appearances

Joe Egan played Hooker in Leigh's 6-14 defeat by Wigan in the 1951 Lancashire Cup final during the 1951–52 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 27 October 1951.[13]

Post playing

Egan remained with the Leigh club purely as coach and the team was once again successful in his final season, finishing 11th but winning the Lancashire Cup for a second time with a resounding 26-9 success over Widnes. Egan later became coach of Wigan, taking them to championship success in the 1959–60 season and Challenge Cup finals in 1958, '59 and '61. Egan later coached the Warrington club. After a disastrous start to the 1970–71 season, coach Joe Egan decided to stand down. He was replaced by Peter Harvey.

County Cup final appearances

Joe Egan was coach in Warrington's 2-2 draw with St. Helens in the 1951 Lancashire Cup final during the 1951–52 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 7 October 1967, and the 10-13 defeat by St. Helens in the 1951 Lancashire Cup final replay during the 1951–52 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 2 December 1967

Egan died on 11 November 2012, aged 93.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Morris, Graham (2005). Wigan Rugby League Football Club: 100 Greats. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. pp. 46–7. ISBN 978-0-7524-3470-4.
  2. ↑ Joe Egan at wiganwarriors.com
  3. ↑ "Club Personnel - Life Members". wiganwarriors.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "inside programme, Northern Command v. A Rugby League XIII, 1942". rugbyleagueoralhistory.co.uk. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Joe Egan at wigan.rlfans.com
  6. ↑ "Englishmen at Orange". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 June 1946. p. 9. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
  7. ↑ "1938-1939 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "1946-1947 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "1947-1948 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "1948-1949 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "1949-1950 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "1951-1952 Lancashire Cup Final". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Andy Wilson (11 November 2012). "Joe Egan, the great Wigan hooker, has died at the age of 93 | Sport | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2012.

External links

Achievements
Preceded by
Albert Naughton		 Rugby League Transfer Record
Wigan to Leigh
1950-1952 		Succeeded by
Lewis Jones