The iconic rugby league coach sadly passed away on Sunday.
The late John Kear in his Hull FC days. (Image: SW PIX)
John Kear will forever be remembered as one of ‘life’s good guys’, according to former Hull FC player Paul Cooke, who has joined a host of people across the game paying an emotional tribute to the late rugby league great.
Kear sadly passed away on Sunday afternoon at the age of 71. He was travelling back up north after being part of the commentary team for Saturday’s Challenge Cup final between Wigan and Hull KR at Wembley.
A former player, coach, and pundit, Kear was a much-loved figure across the sport and was widely perceived as one of its biggest advocates.
Before a stellar coaching career, the Castleford native spent his entire playing career at his hometown club. He then went on to coach over 700 games, including spells at Sheffield Eagles, Hull FC, Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Bulls, Widnes Vikings, and Batley Bulldogs. He also spent time on the international stage with England Academy and Wales.
Kear famously won the 1998 and 2005 Challenge Cups with Sheffield and Hull. Cooke was part of Kear’s side for the 2005 final against hotly fancied Leeds Rhinos, scoring the winning try as Hull won 25-24 in Cardiff.
“It’s really sad news,” Cooke said. “I woke up this Monday morning to a text from John. Unfortunately, it was Dawn telling me of the sad passing of John.
“There’s some solace in it for me in the fact that he called at Wembley and he loved Wembley – he loved rugby league.
“My thoughts are with Dawn. I spoke with Dawn this morning. It’s tragic, absolutely tragic. He will be sadly missed by everyone. He was one of life’s good guys. He loved rugby league.
“If he wasn’t coaching, he would happily stand and watch an under-10s game on a Sunday morning just to get his rugby league fix. He gave me the greatest rugby league day of my life; for that, I’m indebted to him forever. Rest easy, boss; we’ll all miss you.”
Meanwhile, Nick Pinkney has also paid tribute to Kear. The Hull-born winger was part of the late coach’s Sheffield team in 1998, which produced one of the all-time Challenge Cup shocks to defeat Wigan 17-8 at Wembley.
“John’s always been a man’s man, good to get on with and great with the lads,” Pinkney said. “He created an incredible bond between players and he gets you to rise for impossible situations. He was just a really good guy, a good Yorkshireman, a Yorkshire through and through kind of guy.
“It’s a real shock, I have to say. I was speaking to him a few weeks ago, we had a good chat and he seemed in really good health to be honest. I’ve seen a lot of outpourings today and they’re fully deserved.
“When you achieve something like what we did, it creates a real bond that you don’t have to speak about, you just look at each other and all the memories are there. It’s such an incredible thing, so to lose someone is difficult.
“You have to say [that 1998 Challenge Cup win] was all on him. He put together an incredible programme, a full structure of how we were going to go about, not just the final, but the whole campaign from minute one of the season. He said we’d win it.
“As we went through it, there was something different, something special and everyone bought into it. Just the process of getting through the games and what he put together for the final. Everything was intimate and emotional about what it meant to them and since that ’98 final, a lot of teams have done the same.
“He did the same with Hull FC, he had a blueprint so he followed it. He was just a pleasure to be around. He always had a story to tell. It’s a real sad day. He’s going to be missed in every capacity from coaching and being a rugby league personality to his commentary.”
Josh Griffin, who played under Kear at Wakefield, said: “He coached me a few times. To see him at the weekend and for him to pass away in that time, it really upset me. He was a gentle giant of the rugby league world.”
Hull KR captain Elliot Minchella, who played for Kear at Bradford in 2019, added: “He always stood by the players; that’s what I loved about John – you’d want to run through brick walls for him.”