Kind. Competitive. Committed. Humble. Friendly. Challenge Cup hero. There are many words you could use to describe John Kear, the 71-year-old rugby league legend from Castleford who suddenly passed away from a heart attack on Sunday, and few would do him justice.
Kear was an iconic individual, someone who filled almost every role in rugby league in his seven decades and was known nationwide through his TV commentary work with Sky Sports and BBC. Born and raised in the West Riding, just outside of Wakefield, he was a boyhood fan of Castleford who went on to play more than 100 games for his beloved Tigers in the 1970s and 1980s as a hard-working outside back.
But it was after his playing career, and his move into coaching, which first started at Wheldon Road as an assistant to Malcolm Reilly, that Kear became an icon. Beginning as head coach with Bramley in 1992, he would coach nine clubs and three national teams over an astounding 32 years. It was through his stints with Sheffield Eagles, Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity, and arguably in the Challenge Cup, that the cheerful Castlefordian became best known.
At Sheffield in 1998 Kear masterminded the Eagles’ famous Cup win over Wigan, which is still regarded as the greatest-ever Challenge Cup final upset in the competition’s long history. He went on to coach England at the 2000 World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals. Five later, he was in charge of another team and was behind another major Challenge Cup final upset, as Hull FC defeated Leeds Rhinos at Wembley. One of his players that day was Chris Chester, currently Castleford’s director of rugby, who paid homage to his former coach.
