View source for Don Fox

{{short description|GB & England international rugby league footballer and coach}}
{{other people|Donald Fox}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox rugby league biography
|name                = Don Fox
|fullname            = Donald Fox
|image               =
|imagesize           =
|caption             =
|birth_date          = {{birth date|df=yes|1935|10|15}}
|birth_place         = [[Sharlston]], [[Wakefield]], England
|death_date          = {{death date and age|df=yes|2008|8|21|1935|10|15}}
|death_place         = [[Wakefield]], England
|height              = 
|weight              =
|position            = {{rlp|SH|PR|LF}}
|club1               = {{nowrap|[[Featherstone Rovers]]}}
|year1start          = 1953
|year1end            = 65
|appearances1        = 368
|tries1              = 162
|goals1              = 503
|fieldgoals1         = 0
|points1             = 1492
|club2               = [[Wakefield Trinity]]
|year2start          = 1965
|year2end            = 70
|appearances2        = 117
|tries2              = 18
|goals2              = 84
|fieldgoals2         = 0
|points2             = 222
|club3               = [[Batley Bulldogs|Batley]]
|year3start          = 
|year3end            = 
|teamA               = [[Yorkshire rugby league team|Yorkshire]]
|yearAstart          = 1956
|yearAend            = 58
|appearancesA        = 3
|triesA              = 2
|goalsA              = 0
|fieldgoalsA         = 0
|pointsA             = 6
|teamB               = [[England national rugby league team|England]]
|yearBstart          = 1956
|yearBend            = 
|appearancesB        = 1
|triesB              = 0
|goalsB              = 0
|fieldgoalsB         = 0
|pointsB             = 0
|teamC               = [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain]]
|yearCstart          = 1956
|yearCend            = 63
|appearancesC        = 2
|triesC              = 3
|goalsC              = 2
|fieldgoalsC         = 0
|pointsC             = 13
|coachteam1          = [[Batley Bulldogs|Batley]]
|coachyear1start     = 1972
|coachyear1end       = 74
|coachgames1         = 
|coachwins1          = 
|coachdraws1         = 
|coachlosses1        = 
|retired             = yes
|source              = <ref name="Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/don-fox/summary.html|title=Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2011|access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/coaches/don-fox/summary.html|title=Coach Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org|publisher=rugbyleagueproject.org|date=31 December 2011|access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Rugby league records |id=8890 |title=Don Fox |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>
| module    = {{infobox person
| embed     = yes
| father            = [[Tom Fox (rugby league)|Tom Fox]]
| mother    = 
| relatives = [[Neil Fox (rugby league)|Neil Fox]] (brother)<br>[[Peter Fox (rugby league, born 1933)|Peter Fox]] (brother)
| children  = 
}}
}}

'''Donald Fox''' (15 October 1935 – 21 August 2008), was an English [[rugby league]] footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and [[Coach (sport)|coach]]ed in the 1970s. He played at representative level for [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain]], [[England national rugby league team|England]] and [[Yorkshire rugby league team|Yorkshire]], and at club level for [[Featherstone Rovers]] ([[Captain (sports)|captain]]) and [[Wakefield Trinity]], as a right-footed goal-kicking {{rlp|sh|pr}} or {{rlp|lf}}, and coached at club level for [[Batley Bulldogs|Batley]].

==Background==
Don Fox was born in [[Sharlston]], near [[Wakefield]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], [[England]]. He was the younger brother of [[Peter Fox (rugby league, born 1933)|Peter]], and the older brother of [[Neil Fox (rugby league)|Neil Fox]], and together they formed one of the legendary rugby league families.

==Club career==
===Featherstone Rovers===
Don Fox earned his début for Featherstone Rovers as a {{rlp|sh}} on Wednesday 9 September 1953. A gifted player, he broke Featherstone Rovers' record points scored in a season, the next winter and was called up for England's game against France. He was an outstanding kicker, scoring 12 goals in a [[Challenge Cup]] victory against [[Stanningley ARLFC]] in 1964.

Don Fox played {{rlp|sh}}, and scored a [[Try (rugby)|try]] in [[Featherstone Rovers]]' 15–14 victory over [[Hull F.C.]] in the [[1959–60 Yorkshire Cup]] Final during the [[1959–60 Northern Rugby Football League season|1959–60 season]] at [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley]], [[Leeds]] on Saturday 31 October 1959, and played {{rlp|sh}} in [[Featherstone Rovers]]' 0–10 defeat by [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]] in the [[1963–64 Yorkshire Cup]] Final during the [[1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season|1963–64 season]] at [[Belle Vue (Wakefield)|Belle Vue]], [[Wakefield]] on Saturday 2 November 1963.

Don Fox's [[Benefit (sports)|benefit]] [[Benefit season|season]]/[[testimonial match]] at [[Featherstone Rovers]] took place during the [[1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season|1963–64 season]].

Don holds Featherstone Rovers record for tries scored (162) and is third on their all-time goal-kicking charts with 503 in 369 appearances, itself the 7th most in Featherstone Rovers' history,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~rovers/donfox.htm|title=Btinternet.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318224029/http://www.btinternet.com/~rovers/donfox.htm|archive-date=18 March 2005}}</ref> having enjoyed 13 years at [[Featherstone Rovers]].<ref name="Bailey, Ron 1956">Bailey, Ron (1956). ''The Official History Of Featherstone Rovers R.L.F.C.''. Wakefield Express. ASIN: B00O1TLDPC</ref> Don Fox is a Featherstone Rovers Hall of Fame inductee.<ref name="Featherstone Rovers legends added to Hall of Fame">{{cite web|url=http://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk/news/featherstone-rovers-legends-added-to-hall-of-fame-1-8214653|title=Featherstone Rovers legends added to Hall of Fame|publisher=pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk|date=5 November 2016|access-date=1 January 2017}}</ref>

===Wakefield Trinity===
He joined Wakefield in 1965 for a fee of £3,000,<ref name="Sporting Bygones: Golden days of the Sixties when Wakefield ruled the roost…">{{cite news|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/wakefield-trinity/sporting_bygones_golden_days_of_the_sixties_when_wakefield_ruled_the_roost_before_loyal_trinity_fans_rallied_round_in_support_of_forlorn_finalist_fox_1_3612905|title=Sporting Bygones: Golden days of the Sixties when Wakefield ruled the roost…|work=Yorkshire Post|date=25 July 2011|access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref> linking up with his younger brother Neil, where they enjoyed great success with Wakefield Trinity. After he retired from playing in 1970, he [[Coach (sport)|coach]]ed [[Batley Bulldogs|Batley]] from November 1972 to October 1974, before becoming a safety-[[joiner]] in the [[South Yorkshire]] coalfield. He died in a hospital in [[Wakefield]], [[West Yorkshire]], England.<ref name="GB and Wakefield legend Fox dies">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7574470.stm|title=GB and Wakefield legend Fox dies|publisher=bbc.co.uk|date=31 December 2011|access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref>

Fox played {{rlp|lf}} in [[Wakefield Trinity]]'s 21–9 victory over [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] in the [[Rugby Football League Championship|Championship]] Final [[replay (sports)|replay]] during the [[1966–67 Northern Rugby Football League season|1966–67 season]] at [[Station Road, Swinton]] on Wednesday 10 May 1967, and played at {{rlp|pr}}, and scored a [[Try (rugby)|goal]] in the 17–10 victory over [[Hull Kingston Rovers]] in the [[Rugby Football League Championship|Championship]] Final during the [[1967–68 Northern Rugby Football League season|1967–68 season]] at [[Headingley Rugby Stadium|Headingley]], [[Leeds]] on Saturday 4 May 1968.<ref name="Hoole, Les 2004">Hoole, Les (2004). ''Wakefield Trinity RLFC – FIFTY GREAT GAMES''. Breedon Books. {{ISBN|1-85983-429-9}}</ref>

====1968 Challenge Cup Final====
Don Fox played at {{rlp|pr}}, and scored two [[Try (rugby)|conversion]]s in [[Wakefield Trinity]]'s 10–11 defeat by [[Leeds Rhinos|Leeds]] in the [[1967–68 Challenge Cup]] "Watersplash" Final during the [[1967–68 Northern Rugby Football League season#Challenge Cup|1967–68 season]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], [[London]] on Saturday 11 May 1968, in front of a crowd of 87,100.<ref name="Hoole, Les 2004"/> The match was played on a [[Waterlogging (agriculture)|waterlogged]] pitch and the score was 11–7 to Leeds when [[Kenneth Hirst|Ken Hirst]] scored a [[Try (rugby)|try]] under the posts for Wakefield Trinity with the final play of the game. Tries were worth three points at that time, making the score 11–10, but a simple 2-point [[Try (rugby)|conversion]] was all that was needed to give Wakefield an unassailable one-point lead, and win the game. Wakefield Trinity fans were jubilant as the conversion from in front of the posts is by far the easiest kick in rugby league. Fox had already scored two more difficult [[Try (rugby)|conversion]]s in the game, and he was such a prolific kicker that it realistically should have presented no problem. However, the [[Waterlogging (agriculture)|waterlogged]] state of the pitch made this a more difficult proposition, and Fox lost his footing and sliced the ball wide of the posts. The final whistle was blown immediately afterwards, giving Leeds a dramatic one-point victory. Commentator [[Eddie Waring]] said of Fox, 'He's a poor lad', a remark which became a widely quoted piece of commentary.<ref>{{cite news |title=The 10 greatest bits of commentary ever |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2002/oct/06/sixnations2008.features |accessdate=6 July 2020 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Fox had already been chosen to win the [[Lance Todd Trophy]] for his performance in the match, but he was disconsolate and trudged off the pitch. Interviewed by [[David Coleman]] on television later, he was asked if the trophy was any consolation and replied "not really, no".<ref>[http://theredcauldron.blogspot.com/2006_05_21_archive.html Blogspot.com]</ref> The boots he was wearing during the game are now on display at [[Wakefield Museum]].

==International honours==
===Great Britain===
Fox represented [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain]] while at Featherstone Rovers in 1956 against France (1 non-[[Test match (rugby league)|Test]] match),<ref>Edgar, Harry (2007). ''Rugby League Journal Annual 2008'' Page-110. Rugby League Journal Publishing. {{ISBN|0-9548355-3-0}}</ref> and he was selected for [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain]] while at Featherstone Rovers for the [[Great Britain national rugby league team#1960s|1962 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand]].<ref name="Representative Players">{{cite web|url=http://www.featherstonerovers.net/page.php?id=1098|title=Representative Players|publisher=featherstonerovers.net|date=31 December 2011|access-date=1 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515165945/http://www.featherstonerovers.net/page.php?id=1098|archive-date=15 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Don Fox was understudy to [[Alex Murphy (rugby league)|Alex Murphy]] on the 1962 Lions tour. He later moved to {{rlp|lf}}, where he earned his sole Test [[Cap (sport)|cap]] for Great Britain against Australia in 1963, scoring one try and two goals in a 16–5 win.<ref name="Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org"/>

===England===
Fox won one cap for [[England national rugby league team|England]], during the [[1955-56 European Rugby League Championship]], v [[France national rugby league team|France]] on 10 May 1956; France won 23–9.

===County honours===
Don Fox won [[Cap (sport)|cap]]s for [[Yorkshire rugby league team|Yorkshire]] while at [[Featherstone Rovers]]; during the [[1956–57 Northern Rugby Football League season|1956–57 season]] against [[Cumberland rugby league team|Cumberland]] and [[Lancashire rugby league team|Lancashire]], and during the [[1958–59 Northern Rugby Football League season|1958–59 season]] against and Lancashire, he also won a [[Cap (sport)|cap]](s) for Yorkshire while at Wakefield Trinity.

==References==
{{Reflist|40em}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082505/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/sport/article229193.ece SportsFile: Caught in Time: Leeds win the Challenge Cup, 1968]
*[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2598460/Don-Fox.html Obituary in ''The Telegraph'']
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100523195135/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4601519.ece Obituary in ''The Times'']
*[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/don-fox-rugby-league-player-famed-for-a-missed-kick-in-the-wembley-mud-908521.html Obituary in ''The Independent'']
*[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/aug/29/rugbyleague Obituary in ''The Guardian'']
*[https://www.britishpathe.com/video/rugby-cup-final/query/Rugby+League+Final Rugby Cup Final 1968]

{{Featherstone Rovers - 1959–60 Yorkshire Cup Final winners}}
{{Wakefield Trinity - 1966–67 Championship Final winners}}
{{Wakefield Trinity - 1967–68 Championship Final winners}}
{{Great Britain squad – 1962 Tour}}
{{Batley Bulldogs coaches}}
{{Lance Todd Trophy winners}}
{{Wakefield Trinity Hall of Fame 1873-1973}}
{{Featherstone Rovers Hall of Fame Inductees}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Don}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Batley Bulldogs coaches]]
[[Category:Batley Bulldogs players]]
[[Category:England national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:English rugby league coaches]]
[[Category:English rugby league players]]
[[Category:Featherstone Rovers captains]]
[[Category:Featherstone Rovers players]]
[[Category:Great Britain national rugby league team players]]
[[Category:Lance Todd Trophy winners]]
[[Category:People from Sharlston]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the City of Wakefield]]
[[Category:Rugby league players from Wakefield]]
[[Category:Rugby league halfbacks]]
[[Category:Rugby league locks]]
[[Category:Wakefield Trinity players]]
[[Category:Yorkshire rugby league team players]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]