Wade Dooley
Encyclopedia
Wade Dooley 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 the 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
.
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.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international who played lock forward. He played for his country 55 times and was known as the "Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower Eye is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. . Inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it rises to 518 feet & 9 inches . The tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers...
", as a result of being 6 feet 8 inches tall and a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
with Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston...
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
.
Dooley was born in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
and played rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
as a teenager, taking up the rugby union aged 19. He played most of his career for Preston Grasshoppers
Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C.
Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from Preston, Lancashire. It was founded on 28 September 1869 at a meeting held at the Bull Hotel, Preston making one of the oldest 'northern' rugby union teams....
, where he was nurtured by former England international and coach Dick Greenwood
Dick Greenwood
John Richard Heaton Greenwood is a former rugby union international flanker, captain of Waterloo, Cambridge University, Lancashire and England as well as national coach...
. He also had a brief spell with Fylde
Fylde Rugby Club
Fylde Rugby Union Club is a rugby union club based in Lytham St Annes, on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England. Its home venue is the Woodlands Memorial Ground on Blackpool Road in Ansdell...
.
Dooley made his international debut on 5 January 1985 against Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
. He later established a second row partnership with fellow police officer Paul Ackford
Paul Ackford
Paul Ackford is a former English rugby union international who played lock forward. He was formerly an inspector in the Metropolitan Police, and is now a journalist.Ackford was born in Hanover, West Germany...
.
Dooley went on the 1989 British Lions tour to Australia
1989 British Lions tour to Australia
In 1989 the British Lions toured Australia for the first time since 1971. Despite losing the first test, the Lions won the remaining two to take the series 2-1...
, 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
1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand
In 1993 the British Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand. This tour followed the Lions' 1989 tour to Australia and preceded their 1997 tour to South Africa. It was the last Lions tour in the sport's amateur era....
, 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.