Roy Francis...the end
Okay a bit more, he took an unfashionable unsuccessful club to the greatest heights in the clubs history and produced players that represented GB and a team that won trophies with 9 finals in 9 years, he made very few if any 'big' top name signings, just moulded the existing team plus a few amatuers (The Drakes from Hewarth, York). The club never had the resources that Bunting had and yet despite winning fewer trophies Francis coached us to levels that are stil talked about today.
Under his stewardship we got to Wembley for the first time in 35 years and to win the championship for the first time in 20, only a challenge cup victory eluded him!
A former GB representative - though was disgustingly not chosen in the tour down under in '46 due to the racist Australians whom had a non white bar on rugby players
![Twisted Evil :twisted:](./images/smilies/icon_twisted.gif)
, he played 126 times for Hull scoring 60 tries, 3 years overlapping as player coach.
His methods were ground breaking in ANY sport and he went on from Hull to even more success with Leeds. He is considered to be the greatest coach in modern rugby league history.
Aside from being the first black player to represent his country at the highest level, the first black coach of a professional/top level sport his Hull honours include:
Rugby League Championship 1955/56, 1957/58, runners up, 1956/57
Challenge Cup runners up 1958/59, 1959/60
Yorkshire Cup runners up 53/54, 54/55, 55/56 59/60 (this also is replicated with the Yorkshire league)
European champions 1956/57