Death of Charley Pawsey

[Wirralviking]

A bit before my time, but I remember fans talking about him with a certain amount of awe as a tough character!

CHARLIE PAWSEY DIES AGED 88
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Rugby league was mourning one of the game's great characters after former Great Britain international Charlie Pawsey died at the age of 88 after a long illness.

A fiery second-row forward, Pawsey was regarded as one of the toughest men ever to have played the game he went into by accident, according to his son, also called Charlie.

"No matter what my dad turned his hand to, he seemed to do well," he said. "He was a footballer and on Manchester United's books but when his match was called off one day he went to watch two of his work-mates play rugby league and they were short of players.

"So he turned out for them and never kicked a football again. He really enjoyed it and it suited him."

Salford-born Pawsey signed for Belle Vue Rangers and went on to make 216 appearances for Leigh, with whom he won the Lancashire Cup in 1952.

He was then transferred to Huddersfield for a £12,000 fee but played only eight times for the Yorkshire club before retiring.

Pawsey represented England eight times in addition to winning seven caps for Great Britain, captaining them in an infamous game against New South Wales in 1954 which was abandoned for brawling.

"Stories abound about my dad but he always maintained that, if half the things people said he had done were true, he would have been hanged," his son added.

"He did admit to 'roughing up' the Aussies back in 1954 and was asked to apologise, which he did.

"But he always resented the fact that none of the New South Wales team were asked to apologise for their part in the fisticuffs.

"He was a real character, a gentleman off the field, but something happened to him once he pulled a shirt on."

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What interested me was the fact that he was originally a footballer who in the main we tend to regard as nowhere near as hard as rugby league players and yet he was one of the toughest there was. Likewise Mal Reilly was a footballer turned RL player again renowned for being a hard man (as well as a great ball player).

I wonder how many more switched codes, OK most did it at relatively young ages!

[baby-elvis]

CHARLIE PAWSEY DIES AGED 88
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What odds will they give me on reincarnation?

[Sandgroper]

A very 'tough' character, in the Hulme mould.

Well remember him playing for GB against Rex Mossop (Other Nationalities) when they both played for the same league side.  They knocked seven bells out of each other for eighty minurtes, then had a laugh and left the field with their arms around each others shoulder.

Great days!!

[NAT]

  Another sad loss which will probably not be noted by many .
 
  Not many of that 54 side left now and as for the new south wales game the officials had to take some responsibility with there interpretations of the rules throughout the 54 tour even some of the australian press questioned how they were making calls . But then again I guess I may be biased as my dad was on that tour and was involved in nearly all of the brawls  .
 

[mickey mooley]

After hanging up his boots, Charlie got a job on Salford docks. I can't think of the job title.
He was the company's main man on the dockside. A good choice for dealing with the dockers.
     Stuart Wright was on Chester F.C.'s books when he was a young "un"

[kendunne nagasaki]

After hanging up his boots, Charlie got a job on Salford docks. I can't think of the job title.
He was the company's main man on the dockside. A good choice for dealing with the dockers.
     Stuart Wright was on Chester F.C.'s books when he was a young "un"

Stevedore ?

KEN

[mickey mooley]

Stevedore ?

KEN

No, stevedore is another name for docker. It would be something like Dock Superintendent.

[Glynn]

What odds will they give me on reincarnation?

cant beat respect