This is a list of people from the City of Wakefield , a local government district in West Yorkshire, England. This list includes notable people from Wakefield, and the wider district, and so includes people from Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley and other areas. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:
Neil Fox MBE is an English former professional rugby league footballer and player-coach who played in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jack Wilkinson was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s. A Halifax and Wakefield Trinity Hall of Fame inductee, he was a Great Britain and England international forward. Wilkinson also represented Yorkshire, and ended his career as captain-coach of Bradford Northern.
Robert "Bob" Haigh is an English former rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1970s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (captain), Leeds and Bradford Northern, as a second-row, or loose forward.
Thomas "Tommy" Henry Newbould, also known by the nickname of 'Trapper', was an English rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s, and 1920s. He played representative level rugby union (RU) for Yorkshire, and at club level for Castleford Parish Church RFC and Castleford RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (captain), York and Castleford Rovers as a stand-off or scrum-half, i.e. number 6, or 7.
Donald "Don" Metcalfe was an English rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached rugby league in the 1960s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Sandal RUFC, and representative level rugby league (RL) for England (Under-21s), and Yorkshire (captain), and at club level for Featherstone Rovers (captain), and Wakefield Trinity, as a fullback, or centre, i.e. number 1, or, 3 or 4, and coached at club level for Keighley.
Albert Firth, also known by the nickname of "Budgie", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Yorkshire, and at club level for Stanley Rangers ARLFC, Wakefield Trinity, York and Leeds, as a prop, or second-row, i.e. number 8 or 10, or, 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums.
Stanley "Stan" Smith was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at club level for Wakefield Trinity, and Bramley, as a wing, i.e. number 2 or 5.
Fred "Freddy" Smith was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Yorkshire, and at club level for Leeds and Wakefield Trinity, as a wing, i.e. number 2 or 5.
Keith Holliday was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Yorkshire (captain), and at club level for Eastmoor ARLFC, Wakefield Trinity (captain), and Bramley, as a centre, stand-off, or scrum-half, and coached at club level for Bramley.
Gerald "Gerry" V. Round was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity, as a fullback.
Leonard Bratley, was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played at representative level for England and Yorkshire, and at club level for York and Wakefield Trinity, as a prop or loose forward, i.e. number 8 or 10, or 13, during the era of contested scrums.
Dennis Baddeley was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s. He played at representative level for Yorkshire, and at club level for Castleford, Wakefield Trinity and Featherstone Rovers, as a wing.
Ronald "Ron" Rylance was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played as a fullback, wing, centre and stand-off in the 1940s and 1950s. He played at representative level for England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity, Castleford, Dewsbury and Huddersfield.
Charles "Charlie" Arthur Pollard was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s, and coached in the 1930s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (captain), as a fullback, wing, or centre, and coached at club level for Batley.
Donald Robinson was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s and 1970s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England, Yorkshire and Rugby League XIII, and at club level for St Joseph's School, Airedale Youth Club, Fryston Colliery, Kippax Juniors, Newmarket Colliery, Wakefield Trinity (captain), Leeds and Doncaster, as a centre, prop, second-row or loose forward, i.e. number 3 or 4, 8 or 10, 11 or 12, or 13, during the era of contested scrums, and coached at Doncaster and Bramley (late-1970s).
Robin "Bob" Coverdale, also known by the nickname of "The Mayor of Dunswell", was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1970s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, and at club level for Hull FC, Wakefield Trinity, and Hull Kingston Rovers, as a prop. and coached at club level for Beverley A.R.L.F.C.
Ernest Walter Bennett was an English professional rugby league footballer who played as a winger in the 1890s and 1900s.
Laurence Gant MBE was an English professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row forward in the 1940s and 1950s, coached in the 1960s and 1970s, and refereed in the 1950s and 1960s.
George Ballantyne is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity, Bramley, York, Keighley, Hunslet and Castleford, as a prop, or second-row.
Peter Armstead is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s. He played at club level for Wakefield Trinity, and Batley, as a second-row, i.e. number 11 or 12.