Mike Harrison

Who is Mike Harrison?

Mike Harrison is a former first-class rugby union footballer, playing on the wing for Wakefield and England.

He was educated at QEGS Wakefield and played for Yorkshire schools at under 16 and 19 levels and North East Schools against Australian schools.

He also won a schools athletics vest for Yorkshire as a sprinter and triple jumper and competed in the national schools championships.

He was involved in a serious car accident in 1975 and eye injuries prevented him playing rugby for more than two years.

In 1978 he joined Wakefield RFC as a scrum half in the third team before moving to centre and finally right wing for the first team where he played in over 300 games.

He has played 53 times for Yorkshire between 1981 and 1996. He also represented the North of England against Fiji and Australia.

Harrison made his England debut during the 1985 tour to New Zealand at the relatively advanced age of 29. England lost both tests, but Harrison scored a breakaway try in each to earn himself the nickname "Burglar Bill". Subsequently a local brewery named a drink "Burglar Bill" after him.