Dudley Higgins

Last updated

Dudley Higgins
Full nameJames Arthur Dudley Higgins
Date of birth20 May 1920
Place of birth Rathdrum, County Wicklow, Ireland [1]
Date of death30 December 1999
Place of death Belfast, Northern Ireland
School Mountjoy School [2]
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback
Amateur team(s)
YearsTeamApps(Points)
Civil Service ()
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
Ulster ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
1947-1948 Ireland 6 (0)

James Arthur Dudley Higgins, known as Dudley Higgins, (20 May 1920 - 30 December 1999) was an Irish international rugby union player and administrator. He played club rugby for Civil Service Rugby Club and the Ireland national rugby union team as a fullback. He served as president of Ulster Rugby and multiple terms as president of the Irish Rugby Football Union. [1]

Life

Higgins was born in Rathdrum, County Wicklow. He attended Mountjoy School in Dublin. He moved to Northern Ireland during the Second World War to work for the Northern Ireland Civil Service, eventually becoming the Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health. [2] During this time, he played club rugby for Civil Service. [3] During the 40s, he also played provincial rugby for Ulster. [4] During this time, he was called up to play for the Ireland national rugby union team, making his debut against Scotland in 1947. [5] He was a part of Ireland's successful 1948 Five Nations Championship where Ireland won their first Grand Slam, missing only the game against England and earning the last of his six international caps in the process. [3] [6]

After retiring from playing, Higgins became the president of the Ulster branch of the IRFU in 1960. [3] He would later serve as the vice-president of the IRFU in 1975 but would take over as president following the death of Jim Keane after 12 days. Higgins would serve the rest of Keane's term and was elected for his own term as president in 1976. [2] Following these roles, he would act as treasurer for Ulster and as a selector for Ireland for four years. [2] In 1996, both Higgins and fellow 1948 Grand Slam winner Bertie O'Hanlon were inducted into the Rugby Writers of Ireland Hall of Fame. [7]

Higgins died on 30 December 1999, being survived by his two children. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Rugby Football Union</span> Governing body for rugby union on the island of Ireland

The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland. The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ground at Aviva Stadium, where adult men's Irish rugby union international matches are played. In addition, the Union also owns the Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast, Thomond Park in Limerick and a number of grounds in provincial areas that have been rented to clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Rugby</span> Rugby union team in island of Ireland

Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby union teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the Irish regional pool of the United Rugby Championship and in the European Rugby Champions Cup, each of which they have won once. Ulster were the first Irish team and the first team outside England and France to win the European Cup in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connacht Rugby</span> Rugby team in Ireland

Connacht Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Connacht Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Connacht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravenhill Stadium</span> Stadium in Belfast

Ravenhill Stadium is a rugby stadium located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home of Ulster Rugby. With the opening of a new stand for the 2014 Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens on 5 April 2014, the capacity of the stadium is now 18,196. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Trimble</span> Rugby player

Andrew Trimble is a former Irish rugby union player who played for Ulster and represented Ireland at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Ireland</span> Third most popular form of football in Ireland, organised on an all-island basis

Rugby union is a popular team sport on the island of Ireland, organised on an all-Ireland basis, including players and teams from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Its governing body, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), was founded in 1879, making it the third oldest rugby union in the world after the RFU (England) and the SRU (Scotland).

Declan Fitzpatrick is an Irish former rugby union player. He played for Ulster from 2006 to 2015, and won seven caps for Ireland.

Roger Wilson is an Irish former rugby union player, who played at number eight for Ulster, Northampton Saints and Ireland. Since retiring in 2017, he has worked in the United States, coaching American football players in rugby tackling techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syd Millar</span> Irish rugby international (1934–2023)

Sydney Millar was a Northern Irish rugby union prop who played for Ballymena RFC and Ulster and international rugby for Ireland and the British Lions. After retiring from playing rugby he became a rugby coach and a rugby administrator. He became chairman of the Irish Rugby Union in 1995 and from 2003 until 2007 was chairman of the International Rugby Board. Former Lions captain Willie John McBride stated that Millar had given "his whole life to the game".

Mark Conn McCall is an Irish professional rugby union coach and former player, who is the current director of rugby of Premiership Rugby club Saracens. Arriving as an assistant in 2009 and taking charge of the first-team in 2011, he is considered one of the greatest club managers of all time and holds the record for the most English championships won with six Premiership trophies. McCall also led Saracens to three European Rugby Champions Cup wins.

The Irish Universities Rugby Union (IURU) is the representative body for University Rugby Union in Ireland. The Union was established in 1904 and currently consists of the following members; University College Dublin RFC, Dublin University FC, Queen's University RFC, University College Cork RFC, NUI Galway R.F.C., Maynoooth University R.F.C., University of Ulster Coleraine RFC, Dublin City University. In addition University of Limerick annually competes in IURU competitions.

Phillip Michael Matthews is a former Ireland rugby union international. He was a member of the Ireland team that won the 1985 Five Nations Championship and the Triple Crown. He represented Ireland at the 1987 and 1991 Rugby World Cups. He also played for both the British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians. He captained both Ireland and the Barbarians. He subsequently served as a rugby union co-commentator with BBC Sport and TV3. Between 2010 and 2016 he served as the President of the National College of Ireland. His daughter, Hannah Matthews, is an Ireland women's field hockey international and played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Humphreys (rugby union)</span> Ireland international rugby union player

David Humphreys MBE is a former Irish rugby union player. He played 72 times for Ireland, scoring 560 points, including 6 tries, and at the time of his international retirement was Ireland's most capped out-half. He played his club rugby for London Irish and Ulster, winning the 1998-99 Heineken Cup, the 2004 Celtic Cup and the 2005–06 Celtic League with the latter. Since retiring as a player he has served as director of rugby for Ulster and Gloucester, as a performance consultant with the Georgian Rugby Union, and is currently Director of Performance Operations with the England and Wales Cricket Board. He will succeed David Nucifora as the IRFU Performance Director in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil Service Rugby Club</span> Rugby team in Northern Ireland

Civil Service NI Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Maynard Sinclair Pavilion of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The club was formed in the autumn of 1922 by staff of the newly established Northern Ireland Civil Service. After some years of success playing at a junior level, the club was given senior status by the Ulster Branch in the 1928/29 season and celebrated by winning the senior league at its first attempt. Up until World War II, Civil Service teams enjoyed high placings in the league tables but struggled to convert good performances into trophies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Jackson</span> Irish rugby union player

David Patrick Lindsay James "Paddy" Jackson is a professional rugby union player from Northern Ireland who plays for Lyon OU; in the Top 14, in France. He primarily plays at fly-half and previously played for Irish provincial club Ulster in the Pro12, as well as for French club Perpignan and most recently Gallagher Premiership side London Irish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iain Henderson</span> Rugby player

William Iain Henderson is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for United Rugby Championship club Ulster and the Ireland national team, and has been selected for two tours with the British & Irish Lions. He has been the captain of Ulster since 2019, and captained Ireland in 2021 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noel Henderson</span> Rugby player

Noel Joseph Henderson was a rugby union player from Northern Ireland, who played in the centre position. Henderson played club rugby with North of Ireland F.C., was capped forty times for Ireland, and was a member of the British and Irish Lions team that toured in 1950.

Michael Lowry is an Irish rugby union player from Northern Ireland who plays fullback and out-half for United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup side Ulster, and internationally for Ireland. Doubted early on because of his small stature, he has exceptional footwork and acceleration. Ireland coach Andy Farrell describes him as a "nightmare" to play against, praising his explosiveness and bravery.

The 1997–98 season was Ulster Rugby's third season under professionalism, during which they competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. Ulster Rugby Limited was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee on 9 May 1997.

The 2000–01 season was Ulster Rugby's sixth since the advent of professionalism, and their third under coach Harry Williams. They competed in the Heineken Cup and the IRFU Interprovincial Championship. Williams announced in August 2000 that he would leave at the end of the season.

References

  1. 1 2 "James Arthur Dudley Higgins". ESPN. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rugby: Dudley Higgins' unique role in Irish rugby". Belfast Telegraph. 3 January 2000. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "100 years on, Belfast rugby club continues to grow from strength to strength". Belfast Live. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Ulster side against Lancashire". The Guardian. 14 March 1947. p. 6. Retrieved 1 January 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Dudley Higgins - Test matches". ESPN. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "It Was 60 Years Ago Today". IRFU. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Van Esbeck, Edmund (12 December 1996). "O'Hanlon and Higgins feted". The Irish Times . Retrieved 1 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.