Dennis Trotter (1 January 1950 – 2 August 2003) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at club level for Bradford Northern, as a .

Early life

Trotter was born in 1950 in Thornhill, a village situated in

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Hudder ...

, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Dennis was more interested in association football than rugby league growing up and played for the local team Dewsbury Town FC in the 1967/68 season. However friends persuaded Trotter to follow rugby and he supported Wakefield Trinity. Along with his brother Geoff, Dennis played rugby for the bus company amateur team.

Playing career

Bradford Northern

At the age of 20, Trotter signed with Championship side Bradford Northern. Trotter was started at in Northern's 18–8 victory over York in the

1978 Yorkshire Cup Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd g ...

Final during the 1978–79 season at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 28 October 1978. He also helped Northern get to the final of the

1972–73 Challenge Cup The 1972–73 Challenge Cup was the 72nd staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. The final was contested by Featherstone Rovers and Bradford Northern at Wembley. Featherstone Rovers beat Bradford Northern 33-14 ...

however he missed the 33–14 loss in the final to Featherstone Rovers. Dennis also featured in Bradford's

RFL Premiership The Rugby League Premiership was a competition for British rugby league clubs, which operated between 1973 and 1995. As the Super League Premiership the competition continued to operate until 1997. History From 1909 until 1973 (except for the p ...

winning side in the 1977–78 season, and also featured in the back to back

RFL Championship The Championship, known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional rugby league competition. It is the Rugby Football League Championship Second Division, second-tier competition organised by the Rugby Football Lea ...

winning sides of the 1979–80 season, and the 1980–81 season. Trotter was awarded a testimonial year in 1980/81.

Post playing career

During his time as a rugby player, he also worked as a milkman in Chickenley and later moved to the managerial side at Associated Dairies. After retiring from playing rugby he had a spell coaching at Dewsbury Celtic but spent most of his time looking after pubs and clubs in the area including; Dewsbury Irish National League Club (known locally as Dewsbury Nash), and Hanging Heaton cricket club (in a relief capacity). In 1989, Trotter met his wife Joy whilst managing a bar in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. In 2003 he was diagnosed with cancer, and died later that year on 2 August in hospital. His funeral was held at Thornhill Parish Church and his ashes were scattered at

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trotter, Dennis 1950 births 2003 deaths Bradford Bulls players English rugby league coaches English rugby league players Publicans Rugby league players from Dewsbury Rugby league second-rows Deaths from cancer in England