John "Johnny" Stopford (23 August 1936 – 21 August 1998) was an English 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 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, 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 ...

ed in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for

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 at club level for Swinton, as a . Stopford formed a highly successful wing partnership with his , and fellow Great Britain international,

Alan Buckley Alan Peter Buckley (born 20 April 1951) is an English former professional footballer and football manager who now works as a sports co-commentator for BBC Humberside. As a player, he was a forward from 1967 to 1987 for Nottingham Forest, ...

. He coached at representative level for

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and at club level for Swinton.

Background

Stopford was born in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas, Lancashire, 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 nor ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England, and he died aged 61 in Wigan.

Playing career

International honours

Stopford won

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

s for

while at Swinton in 1961 against France, in 1963 against France and Australia (two matches), in 1964 against France (two matches), in 1965 against France, and New Zealand (two matches), and in 1966 against France (two matches), and on the 1966 Great Britain Lions tour against Australia. Four Swinton players took part in the 1966 Great Britain Lions tour to

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...

, Stopford, Buckley, Ken Gowers (

vice-captain Vice-captain, alternate captain (ice hockey) or vice-skip (curling) may refer to a role in a number of sports immediately below the role of captain. The vice-captain may have a number of different roles, including substituting as captain when the re ...

) and Dave Robinson.

Career records

Stopford holds Swinton's "Most Tries in a rugby league Season" record, with 42 tries scored during the 1963–64 season. However, Jim Valentine holds Swinton's "Most Tries in a rugby ''union'' Season" record, with 48 tries scored during the 1888–89 season.

References

External links

Championship winning team of 1964
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stopford, John 1936 births 1998 deaths Rugby league players from Wigan Rugby league wingers English rugby league players Swinton Lions players Great Britain national rugby league team players Lancashire rugby league team players English rugby league coaches Swinton Lions coaches Wellington rugby league team coaches