Jim Sullivan (2 December 1903 – 14 September 1977) was a Welsh

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

player, and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. Sullivan joined

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...

in June 1921 after starting his career in

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

. A right-footed toe-end style (rather than round the corner style)

goal A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...

-kicking , he scored 4,883 points in a career that spanned 25 years with Wigan, and still holds several records with the club today. He made a combined total of 60 appearances at representative level with

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Other Nationalities The Other Nationalities rugby league team are a rugby league representative team that usually consists of non-English players. They have also played under the name The Exiles and more recently Combined Nations All Stars. They competed in the first ...

, and his 26 appearances with Wales was still a record for many years after his death. He also represented Wales in

British baseball Welsh baseball ( cy, Pêl Fas Gymreig), is a bat-and-ball game played in Wales. It is closely related to the game of rounders. In the tradition of bat-and-ball games, baseball has roots going back centuries, and there are references to "ba ...

Early life

Sullivan was born at Cardiff, Glamorgan,

.Jim Sullivan profile
rugbyrelics.com He attended St Alban's School, and joined his hometown rugby union team

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

at the age of 16. He made his début against

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...

in October 1920, and went on to make 38 appearances for the club. In December 1920, 26-days after his seventeenth birthday, he played for the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...

in a match against Newport, becoming the youngest player to represent the team. His performances attracted the attention of several

clubs, including

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, that plays in the Super League. One of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, between 1999 and 2016 the ...

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition and were ...

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

and

. While playing for Cardiff, Sullivan served an apprenticeship to become a

boilermaker A boilermaker is a tradesperson who fabricates steel, iron, or copper into boilers and other large containers intended to hold hot gas or liquid, as well as maintains and repairs boilers and boiler systems.Bureau of Labor Statistics, US De ...

. He was also a

player, and appeared for Wales in a match against England in 1921.

Rugby league career

In June 1921, Sullivan turned professional and joined

side Wigan, reportedly signing a 12-year contract for a fee of £750. He made his début in August 1921, converting five goals in a 21–0 victory over

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form th ...

. He made his first representative appearance in December 1921, playing for

in a 16–21 defeat against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Jim Sullivan played , and scored 4-conversions in

's 13-2 victory over

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

in the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

Final during the 1921–22 season at

The Cliff A cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliff, The Cliff or The Cliffs may also refer to: Buildings *Cliff Brewery, a former brewery near Ipswich, England *Cliff Palace, largest cliff dwelling in North America *The Cliffs, a histo ...

, Broughton on Saturday 6 May 1922, played , and scored 4-conversions in the 22-10 victory over

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

in the Championship Final during the 1925–26 season at

Knowsley Road Knowsley Road in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside, was the home ground of St. Helens from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hoste ...

, St. Helens on Saturday 8 May 1926. played , and scored 2-conversions, and a

drop goal A drop goal, field goal, or dropped goal is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league and also, rarely, in American football and Canadian football. A drop goal is scored by drop kicking the ball (dropping the ball and then kicki ...

in Wigan's 15–3 victory over

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

in the Championship Final during the 1933–34 season at

Wilderspool Stadium Wilderspool Stadium was a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England. The ground was Warrington RLFC's old ground before moving to the Halliwell Jones Stadium. History In 1898, Warrington RLFC moved to the Wilderspool Stadium. A 10-year lea ...

on Saturday 28 April 1934, and played in the 12–5 victory over

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 ...

in the Championship Final second-leg during the 1943–44 season at

Crown Flatt Crown Flatt, currently known as the Tetley's Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a rugby league stadium in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of the Dewsbury Rams, who play in the Championship. The ground occupies the site of t ...

on Saturday 20 May 1944 ( Joe Jones having played in the first-leg). Jim Sullivan played , and scored 4 conversions in Wigan's 20–2 victory over

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

in the 1922–23 Lancashire Cup Final at

the Willows The Willows may refer to: Places * The Willows, El Paso, Texas, USA * The Willows, Queensland, a town in Australia * The Willows, Salford, home of Salford Rugby League club in Salford, England, UK * The Willows, Saskatoon, a residential community ...

in Weaste,

on Saturday 25 November 1922, played , and scored a conversion in the 11–15 defeat by Swinton in the 1925–26 Lancashire Cup Final at The Cliff, Broughton on Wednesday 9 December 1925, played , and scored a conversion in the 2–5 defeat by Swinton in the 1927–28 Lancashire Cup Final at

Watersheddings Watersheddings was the site of a former rugby league stadium in the Watersheddings area of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Historically it was in Lancashire, lying on the A672 (Ripponden Road) approximately 2 miles north east of Oldha ...

on Saturday 19 November 1927, played , and scored a conversion in the 5–4 victory over Widnes in the 1928–29 Lancashire Cup Final the Willows, Salford, on Saturday 24 November 1928, played , and scored 2-conversions in the 12–21 defeat by Salford in the 1934–35 Lancashire Cup Final at Station Road, Swinton, on Saturday 20 October 1934, played , and scored 2-conversions in the 7–15 defeat by Salford in the 1935–36 Lancashire Cup Final at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Saturday 19 October 1935, played , and scored a conversion in the 2–5 defeat by Salford in the 1936–37 Lancashire Cup Final at Wilderspool, Warrington on Saturday 17 October 1936, and played and scored 5-conversions in the 10–7 victory over Salford in the

1938–39 Lancashire Cup 1938–39 was the thirty-first occasion on which the Lancashire Cup completion had been held. Wigan won the trophy by beating Salford by the score of 10-7. The match was played at Station Road, Pendlebury, Salford, (historically in the county ...

Final during the 1938–39 season at Station Road, Swinton on Saturday 22 October 1938. On 14 February 1925, he landed 22 goals against amateurs Flimby & Fothergill in the Challenge Cup, which is still a record. He toured with the

Great Britain Lions The Great Britain national rugby league team represents Great Britain in rugby league. Administered by the Rugby Football League (RFL), the team is nicknamed The Lions. For most of the 20th century, the Great Britain team toured overseas, ...

three times (1924, 1928 and 1932) and was captain on the last occasion. He top-scored on all three tours. He refused what would have been a record fourth trip, in 1936, for personal reasons. For twenty years, he dominated at , representing Great Britain (25 times), Wales (26), England (3),

(6), British Empire (1), Glamorgan (1) and Glamorgan and Monmouthshire (12). He was Wales' most capped player for over 70 years before his record was surpassed by Ian Watson in 2010. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he played infrequently for Wigan, as he chose to appear as a guest for a number of other clubs, including

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of ...

and

Bradford Northern The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is pre ...

. His last season before retiring was in 1945–46 – the season when the peacetime league resumed – and played his last game against Batley in February 1946. When he removed his Wigan jersey for the last time, he had made 774 appearances and amassed 2,317 goals and 4,883 points for the club. These figures are still unchallenged. He scored a club record of 161 goals in 1934-35 and a record total of 204 goals in 1933-34 (including representative games). He had won three league Championships, two Challenge Cups and three Lancashire Cups.

Appearance record

Sullivan holds the world record for the most first team appearances in the sport of Rugby League. In his 25 year career, Sullivan made 928 first team appearances, a figure unmatched anywhere in the world.

Coaching career

Having been captain-coach at Wigan since 1932, Sullivan continued managing the team after retiring as a player in 1946, creating one of the club's greatest sides by winning a record five championships and a brace of Challenge Cups. Sullivan was the

in Wigan's 8-3 victory over

in the 1948–49 Challenge Cup Final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on Saturday 1 May 1948, in front of a crowd of 91,465. In 1952 he joined St. Helens, overseeing their rise. Sullivan was the coach in St. Helens' 10–15 defeat by

in the 1952-53 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 25 April 1953, in front of a crowd of 89,588,McCorquodale, London S.E (25 April 1953). ''The Rugby League Challenge Cup Competition – Final Tie – Huddersfield v St Helens – Match Programme''. Wembley Stadium Ltd. ISBN n/a and was the coach in the 13-2 victory over Halifax in the 1955 -56 Challenge Cup Final at

on Saturday 28 April 1956, in front of a crowd of 79,341. Sullivan was the coach in St. Helens' 44–22 victory over

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...

in the

Final during the 1958–59 season at Odsal Stadium,

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

on Saturday 16 May 1959. He later returned to Wigan as coach in 1961, but left months later due to ill health. Jim Sullivan died in his home town of Cardiff on 1 November 1977 at the age of 73. He was one of the inaugural inductees of the

British Rugby League Hall of Fame The Rugby League Hall of Fame honours the leading players of the sport of rugby league. It was established by the sport's governing body in the UK, the Rugby Football League, in 1988. Players must have been retired for at least five years to be ...

in October 1988. He is also an inductee of the

Wigan Hall of Fame The Wigan Warriors are an English professional rugby league club founded in 1872. In 1998, the club created a hall of fame to honour former players and coaches for their contribution to the club. The inaugural members were Billy Boston and Shaun Ed ...

, and the St Helens Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Player Statistics at wigan.rlfans.comCoach Statistics at wigan.rlfans.com
*(archived by web.archive.org
Jim Sullivan at rugbyleaguehistory.co.uk
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Jim 1903 births 1977 deaths Barbarian F.C. players Batley Bulldogs players British Empire rugby league team players Cardiff RFC players England national rugby league team players Footballers who switched code Glamorgan and Monmouthshire rugby league team players Glamorgan rugby league team players Great Britain national rugby league team captains Great Britain national rugby league team players Other Nationalities rugby league team players Players of British baseball Rochdale Hornets coaches Rugby league fullbacks Rugby league players from Cardiff Rugby union players from Cardiff St Helens R.F.C. coaches Wales national rugby league team captains Wales national rugby league team players Welsh rugby league coaches Welsh rugby league players Welsh rugby union players Wigan Warriors coaches Wigan Warriors players