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

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

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 * Coac ...

. Sullivan joined

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

in June 1921 after starting his career in

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

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

goal A goal or objective 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 ...

-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

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

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

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

British baseball British baseball, also known colloquially in Wales as Welsh baseball, is a bat-and-ball game played in Wales, England, and to a lesser extent in Ireland and Scotland. The game emerged as a distinct sport in Merseyside, Gloucester and South Wale ...

. Sullivan went on to have the rare distinction of playing all three codes of baseball played in Britain the inter-war years. He played both Welsh and English baseball before the two codes were unified in 1927 and continued playing baseball in the latter 20s and 30s, primarily for the Everton and St Margarets baseball clubs in Liverpool. In the mid-1930 he also played American baseball for Manchester Blue Sox and Greenfield Giants.

Early life

Sullivan was born at Cardiff,

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

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

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

at the age of 16. He made his début against

Neath Neath (; ) 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 population of 19,2 ...

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 is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

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. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...

Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the t ...

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees 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 confl ...

and

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

boilermaker A boilermaker is a Tradesman, tradesperson who Metal fabrication, fabricates steels, 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.Bure ...

. 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 city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

. 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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Jim Sullivan played , and scored 4-conversions in

's 13-2 victory over

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

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 sys ...

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 an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

in the Championship Final during the 1925–26 season at

Knowsley Road Knowsley Road is a former football stadium in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It 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 ...

, 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 kick ...

in Wigan's 15–3 victory over

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

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 l ...

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

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

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

Crown Flatt Crown Flatt, currently known as the FLAIR 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 the ...

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, Staffor ...

in the

1922–23 Lancashire Cup The 1922–23 Lancashire Cup was the fifteenth staging of this regional rugby league competition. The trophy was won again by Wigan who beat local rivals Leigh in the final at The Willows, Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the Unite ...

Final at the Willows in

Weaste Weaste () is an inner-city suburb of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is bordered by the town of Eccles, Greater Manchester, Eccles to the West and Seedley to the East. In 2014 Weaste and Seedley (ward), Weaste and Seedley ward had a pop ...

on Saturday 25 November 1922, played , and scored a conversion in the 11–15 defeat by Swinton in the

1925–26 Lancashire Cup The 1925–26 Lancashire Cup was the eighteenth tournament in the history of this regional rugby league competition, and another new name was added to the trophy. This time it was the turn of Swinton Lions, Swinton, one of the founding members o ...

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 The 1927–28 Lancashire Cup competition was the 20th competition in the history of this regional rugby league event and the final was a repeat of the 1925–26 Lancashire Cup Final, with Swinton beating Wigan by 5–2. The match was played at ...

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 Old ...

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 was held. Wigan Warriors, Wigan won the trophy by beating Salford Red Devils, Salford by a score of 10-7. The match was played at Station Road, Swinton, Station Road, ...

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 The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

, 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, p ...

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 (28 times), Wales (26), Other Nationalities (6), British Empire (1),

(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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 parishes in England, 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, n ...

and

Bradford Northern The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and compete in the Championship, the second tier of British rugby league. The club have won the League Championship six times, the Challenge Cup f ...

. His last season before retiring was in 1945–46 – the season when the peacetime league resumed – and played his last game against

Batley Batley is a market town in the Kirklees district, in West Yorkshire, England, south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield, in the Heavy Woollen District. In 2011, the popu ...

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 The 1948–49 Challenge Cup was the 48th staging of rugby league's oldest knockout competition, the Challenge Cup. The 29 clubs of the rugby league were joined in the competition by three junior clubs, one each from Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cum ...

Final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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 Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

in the

Final during the 1958–59 season at

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium (known as Bartercard Odsal Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a multi-purpose stadium, multipurpose stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium is currently the home of Bradford Bulls rugby league football club and ...

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

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 in October 1988. He is also an inductee of the

Wigan Hall of Fame Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1872, the club was a founding member of the Rugby Football League, Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, and competed in the inaugural seaso ...

, 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) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Jim 1903 births 1977 deaths 20th-century Welsh sportsmen Barbarian F.C. players Batley Bulldogs players British Empire rugby league team players Cardiff RFC 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