José Calle (12 February 1945−14 January 2020) was a French

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 it ...

and professional

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 11 ...

(RL) player who represented

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

(RL).

Playing career

Calle learnt rugby union at the Haut Vernet Lay Centre in Perpignan. As a junior player he reinforced the senior team, then, joining the

USA Perpignan Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to as USA Perpignan or Perpignan, is a French professional rugby union club founded in 1933 and based in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in the Top 14, Franc ...

rugby union team where he played alongside Jo Maso, he switched codes in 1968 and joined rugby league Saint-Estève. With the Saint-Estève, he won a

French Championship The French rugby league championship (french: Le Championnat de France de Rugby à XIII) has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France since the sport was introduced to the country in the 1930s. ...

in 1971 and a

Lord Derby Cup The French Rugby League Cup (french: Coupe de France de Rugby à XIII), also called Lord Derby Cup (french: Coupe Lord Derby) after its championship trophy, is the premier knockout competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. Th ...

in 1972. His club performances allowed Calle to become captain and to represent

. He made his international debut in 1968 during a match in St. Helens against

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 i ...

. Calle disputed two World Cups in Australia, the first in 1975 and the second in 1977; in the latter he wore the captain armband. He took part in 26 international matches (Australia, England, Wales, Papua New Guinea). He played with the France national team in the first part of football matches, notably at the Stade Vélodrome in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. In 1978 he was awarded the XIII de Bronze trophy, which was given to outstanding championship players. After his international retirement in 1977, he embraced a club career in Saint-Estève, later notably coaching the Roussillon representative team of France Rugby League. After his retirement, he chose to play amateur rugby league, taking part in 3 international tournaments for the Basque Coast side Les Archiball in 1981, 1983 and 1986. He also took part in several UFAR tournament as player for the Nyn's (UFAR Perpignan in 2000) and was president of the Nyn's, a famous Catalan team of former rugby players, since 2013.

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1945 births 2020 deaths AS Saint Estève coaches AS Saint Estève players France national rugby league team captains France national rugby league team players French rugby league coaches French rugby league players French rugby union players Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league fullbacks Sportspeople from Perpignan USA Perpignan players {{France-rugbyleague-bio-stub