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John Kear
John Kear (25 November 1954 – 31 May 2026) was an English professional rugby league football player and coach. He also worked as a pundit for BBC Sport.
Kear was perhaps best known as a coach for his Challenge Cup successes with Sheffield Eagles in 1998 and Hull in 2005, as well as his time coaching Wakefield Trinity in the late 2000s. As a player, he played on the wing or in the centre position for Castleford.
Kear was born in Castleford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England on 25 November 1954.
Kear played on the wing in Castleford's 13–2 defeat by Hull in the 1983 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1983–84 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1983.
After stints working as a conditioner for Castleford, as head coach of Bramley (1992), working in the player performance department of the Rugby Football League, head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, and assistant coach to both England and Great Britain, he took over the coaching reins at Sheffield Eagles in 1997, taking them to the Premiership semi-final in that year. A year later he was the coach who led Sheffield Eagles to a Challenge Cup final victory over the Wigan Warriors; this triumph has been described as one of the greatest shocks in Challenge Cup history.
Sheffield Eagles merged with the Huddersfield Giants after 1999's Super League IV, and Kear retained his job as coach of the merged side before moving on to become the assistant coach to Stuart Raper at the Wigan Warriors.[citation needed]
Kear was coach of the England team in the 2000 World Cup, leading them to the semi-finals.
Kear left Wigan for the first team coach role at Hull F.C., working with Shaun McRae. He stepped up to first team coach at Hull in 2005 when predecessor McRae left to take charge of South Sydney Rabbitohs. He led the club to victory over Leeds, by a 25–24 scoreline in the 2005 Challenge Cup in his first season. However, in April 2006 he was sacked by Hull.
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John Kear
John Kear (25 November 1954 – 31 May 2026) was an English professional rugby league football player and coach. He also worked as a pundit for BBC Sport.
Kear was perhaps best known as a coach for his Challenge Cup successes with Sheffield Eagles in 1998 and Hull in 2005, as well as his time coaching Wakefield Trinity in the late 2000s. As a player, he played on the wing or in the centre position for Castleford.
Kear was born in Castleford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England on 25 November 1954.
Kear played on the wing in Castleford's 13–2 defeat by Hull in the 1983 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1983–84 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1983.
After stints working as a conditioner for Castleford, as head coach of Bramley (1992), working in the player performance department of the Rugby Football League, head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, and assistant coach to both England and Great Britain, he took over the coaching reins at Sheffield Eagles in 1997, taking them to the Premiership semi-final in that year. A year later he was the coach who led Sheffield Eagles to a Challenge Cup final victory over the Wigan Warriors; this triumph has been described as one of the greatest shocks in Challenge Cup history.
Sheffield Eagles merged with the Huddersfield Giants after 1999's Super League IV, and Kear retained his job as coach of the merged side before moving on to become the assistant coach to Stuart Raper at the Wigan Warriors.[citation needed]
Kear was coach of the England team in the 2000 World Cup, leading them to the semi-finals.
Kear left Wigan for the first team coach role at Hull F.C., working with Shaun McRae. He stepped up to first team coach at Hull in 2005 when predecessor McRae left to take charge of South Sydney Rabbitohs. He led the club to victory over Leeds, by a 25–24 scoreline in the 2005 Challenge Cup in his first season. However, in April 2006 he was sacked by Hull.
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