Wade Dooley

Wade Dooley

Full name	Wade Anthony Dooley
Date of birth	(1957-10-02) 2 October 1957
Place of birth	Warrington
Height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Lock
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1985–1993 1989	England Lions	57 2	(12) (0)

Wade Dooley (born 2 October 1957) is a former England rugby union international who played lock forward. He played for his country 55 times and was known as the "Blackpool Tower", as a result of being 6 feet 8 inches tall and a police officer with Lancashire Constabulary in Blackpool.

Dooley was born in Warrington, Northern England and played rugby league as a teenager, taking up rugby union aged 19. He played most of his career for Preston Grasshoppers, where he was nurtured by former England international and coach Dick Greenwood. He also had a brief spell with Fylde.

Dooley made his international debut on 5 January 1985 against Romania. He later established a second row partnership with fellow police officer Paul Ackford.

In 1987 he broke the cheekbone of Welsh player Phil Davies with a punch during a rough game in Cardiff.^[1]

Dooley went on the 1989 British Lions tour to Australia, playing in the final two test matches. He was also part of the England team that won back-to-back grand slams in 1991 and 1992.

Dooley also went on the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand, but left the tour to return home for the funeral of his father. He was replaced on the tour by the young Leicester England lock Martin Johnson, and decided to retire.

External links

• Planet-Rugby stat archive and bio
• Sporting Heroes
• Sporting Heroes 2
• Sporting Heroes 3
• Sporting Heroes 4
• Sunday Times article 21 March 2010