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Frank Morgan RIP
John Loughnane28 Feb 2023 - 16:49
News of Lancashire and Wigan stalwart Frank Morgan’s death was met with notes of regret and not a few reminiscences at the club this morning.
It’s likely that there will be many stories, perhaps volumes, printed about the ex-Orrell prop who moved to Wigan in 1969, made his 1st XV debut at Kendal on 29th March and stayed for 54 years.
In August 2018, against stiff competition at Twickenham, Frank won the Crabbie’s National Rugby Lifetime Achievement Award. This provided an ideal opportunity to reflect on his career which had a major influence on Lancashire Rugby, particularly at Colts level.
Lancashire President in 2003-2004, he coached and managed many young players who achieved great success in both Rugby Union and Rugby League. In an after-dinner speech at Heath Road, Shaun Wane credited Frank with encouraging him to achieve much more in his career than he thought possible – including becoming an after-dinner speaker.
Chairman of Wigan from 1991 to 2012 and President in 2013 meant his term overlapped with the Wids’ Ged Snee who had been one of his County Colts in the 70s. Describing him simply as “a great man”, Ged had personal experience of Frank’s latter seasons’ custom of watching games from the Douglas Valley clubhouse, his critical faculties assisted by binoculars and a bottle of wine.
Les Whitfield and Graham “Crack” Riley testified that he was very much a beer drinker in earlier times. A classic example came at one Wids annual dinner when the two former club captains had been asked to look after a couple of Wigan Colts. They weren’t expecting Frank with fellow front-rower and Wigan Tech English Lecturer Johnny Gee to roll up. They knew they’d need some looking after as Frank’s first pint disappeared in a matter of seconds.
Past President George Street recalls organising a Sportsman’s Dinner with Sky TV’s Eddie Hemmings as MC and asked Frank to be guest speaker. “What am I going to talk about? Everybody knows Eddie Hemmings, hardly anybody here knows me.” George said “Just be Frank Morgan.” By the end of the night, everybody knew Frank.
George and Crack attended another event at Leigh where Frank gave a typically broad after-dinner address with the host club’s Joe McDonough providing sign language for diners unfamiliar with the Wigan dialect. U19s Colts teams throughout the county now compete for the Frank Morgan Lancashire Cup and the Joe McDonough Trophy. Frank became Chairman of Lancashire Colts in 1977, Honorary Life President of Lancs NW Colts League and founder member of the North West Colts’ Leagues in 1999/2000
His face has popped up on our website on a number of occasions, presenting that eponymous cup to Wids Colts captains. 2010 is the occasion above.
Possibly his unlikeliest claim to fame was the part played in introducing the annual tradition of Boxing Day Fancy Dress to Wigan. It was the Colts team he ran which started the idea of heading around town in costume just after Christmas in the late ‘70s to raise money for their Easter tours, normally to Wales.
Elsewhere, he was Chairman of Wigan Sports Council and, having joined the Corinthian Masonic Lodge in 1988, elected Worshipful Master on its 125th anniversary in 2015-16.
Frank’s philosophy could best be summed up by the advice he gave to his grandchildren: “It’s the people in rugby who matter, they’re wonderful. Carry on playing. If you enjoy it as much as I have, you’ll enjoy life”.
In August 2018, against stiff competition at Twickenham, Frank won the Crabbie’s National Rugby Lifetime Achievement Award. This provided an ideal opportunity to reflect on his career which had a major influence on Lancashire Rugby, particularly at Colts level.
Lancashire President in 2003-2004, he coached and managed many young players who achieved great success in both Rugby Union and Rugby League. In an after-dinner speech at Heath Road, Shaun Wane credited Frank with encouraging him to achieve much more in his career than he thought possible – including becoming an after-dinner speaker.
Chairman of Wigan from 1991 to 2012 and President in 2013 meant his term overlapped with the Wids’ Ged Snee who had been one of his County Colts in the 70s. Describing him simply as “a great man”, Ged had personal experience of Frank’s latter seasons’ custom of watching games from the Douglas Valley clubhouse, his critical faculties assisted by binoculars and a bottle of wine.
Les Whitfield and Graham “Crack” Riley testified that he was very much a beer drinker in earlier times. A classic example came at one Wids annual dinner when the two former club captains had been asked to look after a couple of Wigan Colts. They weren’t expecting Frank with fellow front-rower and Wigan Tech English Lecturer Johnny Gee to roll up. They knew they’d need some looking after as Frank’s first pint disappeared in a matter of seconds.
Past President George Street recalls organising a Sportsman’s Dinner with Sky TV’s Eddie Hemmings as MC and asked Frank to be guest speaker. “What am I going to talk about? Everybody knows Eddie Hemmings, hardly anybody here knows me.” George said “Just be Frank Morgan.” By the end of the night, everybody knew Frank.
George and Crack attended another event at Leigh where Frank gave a typically broad after-dinner address with the host club’s Joe McDonough providing sign language for diners unfamiliar with the Wigan dialect. U19s Colts teams throughout the county now compete for the Frank Morgan Lancashire Cup and the Joe McDonough Trophy. Frank became Chairman of Lancashire Colts in 1977, Honorary Life President of Lancs NW Colts League and founder member of the North West Colts’ Leagues in 1999/2000
His face has popped up on our website on a number of occasions, presenting that eponymous cup to Wids Colts captains. 2010 is the occasion above.
Possibly his unlikeliest claim to fame was the part played in introducing the annual tradition of Boxing Day Fancy Dress to Wigan. It was the Colts team he ran which started the idea of heading around town in costume just after Christmas in the late ‘70s to raise money for their Easter tours, normally to Wales.
Elsewhere, he was Chairman of Wigan Sports Council and, having joined the Corinthian Masonic Lodge in 1988, elected Worshipful Master on its 125th anniversary in 2015-16.
Frank’s philosophy could best be summed up by the advice he gave to his grandchildren: “It’s the people in rugby who matter, they’re wonderful. Carry on playing. If you enjoy it as much as I have, you’ll enjoy life”.
Further reading