Sport

Happy birthday Clive Sullivan

Clive Sullivan was a Black Welsh rugby league player who captained Great Britain in 1972, becoming the Black captain for Great Britain in any sport. That same year, he helped GB to victory in the 1972 Rugby League World Cup.

Today would have been his 78th birthday.

As part of their Hidden Figures series for Black History Month last year, Sky Sports did a feature on Sullivan, detailing his life and career:

Sullivan underwent numerous shoulder, knee and foot operations as a child, yet somehow met the physical requirements to join the army as a teenager. After shining in army matches while posted in Catterick, Sullivan penned pro terms with Hull in 1961 following a failed trial with Bradford Northern.

His early seasons were blighted by further knee problems as well as a horrific car crash in 1963, but after his release from the army in 1964, Sullivan’s try-scoring ability and blistering pace came to the fore.

For more stories about Clive Sullivan, check out African Stories in Hull & East Yorkshire’s piece on him and the day Clive Sullivan took on Man Utd hero George Best and won.

Leave a Reply