Wakefield Trinity are devastated to hear of the passing of legendary player, coach and broadcaster John Kear.
As a club, the whole of Wakefield Trinity would like to pass on our thoughts and condolences to his family and friends and join the Rugby League family in saying he will be dearly missed.
John leaves behind a glittering legacy and is one of the most popular figures within Rugby League.
John was born into Rugby League growing up on Wheldon Road in Castleford. He turned down multiple offers from other clubs around West Yorkshire to play for his hometown team and enjoyed a 10 year career at Wheldon Road from 1978 until 1988 playing over 100 times for Castleford.
His coaching career catapulted John into the hearts of everyone in sport with famous Challenge Cup triumphs with Sheffield Eagles in 1998 in one of the biggest underdog victories against the all conquering mights of Wigan and with Hull FC in 2005 in another barnstorming Final against Leeds.
In 2006, John was brought into Wakefield mid-season and steered Trinity to survival, defeating his hometown Castleford in the Battle of Belle Vue to secure safety in the Super League in one of the most iconic matches in the competition’s history. He coached 153 games with the Red, White and Blue, even helping the Trin to their equal best finish in Super League in 2009 when they finished 5th.
John in total coached in over 700 games throughout his career, a milestone only the greats of Rugby League have achieved. He drew to a close his legendary coaching career at the end of the 2025 season following one final stint at Batley Bulldogs.
As one of the most recognisable figures in Rugby League, the move into broadcasting seemed fitting and John quickly became well regarded for his punditry and became a regular across Radio and TV. Poetically John’s final media appearance came at the Challenge Cup Final a competition that he is so synonymous with.