Phil Jackson

Who is Phil Jackson?

Phil Jackson is a former Great Britain Rugby League World Cup winning footballer, and captain playing at Centre, or Stand-off/Five-eighth, as well as a Barrow club legend. Jackson won 27 Great Britain caps, played in the 1954 and 1957 Rugby League World Cups and twice toured Australasia with the Lions.

Jackson was born in Canada but moved to Barrow-in-Furness, England, with his parents at the age of three. He played rugby league at school but his first senior rugby experience came in union after he took up an apprenticeship at a shipyard. He switched to league when he was offered professional terms by Barrow in 1950 at the age of 18.

With Barrow, where he was known as the 'Prince Among Centres', he played in three Challenge Cup finals in the 1950s. Injury forced him to retire in 1959 but he later moved to Australia and was tempted back into playing by the Goulburn Workers Club in New South Wales. He took up coaching after retiring and eventually settled in Wagga Wagga.

He was inducted into the Barrow Hall of Fame when it was launched in 2001 alongside 1950s team-mates Willie Horne and Jimmy Lewthwaite.