Maurice Lindsay hailed for impact on rugby league – even by opponents

MAURICE Lindsay, the man who changed rugby league forever, has died aged 81 leaving a legacy.

Without him, there may be no summer fixtures, no Super League, no professional top tier and no multi-million pound investment.

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Even those who ended up opposing him in court admit he did everything with the sport’s best interests at heart.

A visionary, the chairman lifted Wigan from the second division to eight-time champions from 1987–96, nine-time Challenge Cup winners, including eight in a row, and three-time World Club champions.

“The greatest thrill of my life was being at that club,” said Lindsay, who first watched them after hearing about legendary winger Billy Boston.

“But the best bit of advice I ever had was, ‘If you think it’s right, do it.’”

Lindsay’s foresight was seen 31 years ago when he announced Wigan would go full-time.

He said: “If you try to have a professional outlook in life, whether it’s in sport, business or your own home, why be pulled down by it? We believe we’ll set a standard others may follow.”

Lindsay then allowed others to follow as chief executive of the Rugby Football League by brokering a deal with Rupert Murdoch in 1995 for an £87 million investment, meaning all the leading clubs were able to go full-time.

He was also on the opposite side of now Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington in a court case over Bruce McGuire, who wanted to play for Sheffield Eagles.

Authorities both in the UK and Australia believed he should not play but a county court judge ruled he could in 1994.

Now 28 years later, then Sheffield chairman Hetherington told SunSport: “Canterbury demanded a transfer fee and I found myself in opposite camps to Maurice on that one.

“I did on quite a few things but at the end of the day, he always wanted what was best for the game. You might have fallen out with Maurice but he wasn’t someone you fell out with for long.

“Maurice heralded the introduction of Rupert Murdoch and the birth of Super League. He did a good job back then, he increased the contribution to £87 million, which the game had never seen.

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“You have to credit Maurice for engineering that and he should be fondly remembered. It’s a loss to the game, it has lost one of its legendary characters.”

And the man he described as his greatest ever signing, Ellery Hanley, who he said, ‘Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are now,’ admitted Lindsay’s vision was key.

Lindsay said about him: “He transcended what we had in the sport. He was very special. I’ve seen players since – like Jason Robinson – but no-one rose to Ellery’s standard.”

Hanley said: “Maurice came in and talked about the future. His vision was fantastic.”

Ralph Rimmer, current chief executive of the RFL, said: “Maurice Lindsay will be remembered as one of the most significant leaders in the sport’s history.

“Rugby league would not be where it is today without him.”

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