Jim Sullivan (rugby league)

Jim Sullivan

Cigarette card featuring Jim Sullivan
Personal information
Full name	James Sullivan
Born	(1903-12-02)2 December 1903 Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Died	1 November 1977(1977-11-01) (aged 73) Cardiff, Wales
Playing information
Rugby union
Position	Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1920–21 Cardiff RFC 38 1 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P Barbarians
Rugby league
Position	Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1921–46 Wigan 774 83 2,317 4,883 (guest) → Dewsbury 27 (guest) → Keighley 3 (guest) → Bradford Northern 1 Total 805 83 0 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1921–39 Wales 26 3 60 129 1924–33 Great Britain 25 0 64 128 1933–34 England 3 0 14 28 1937 British Empire XIII 1 0 3 6 Other nationalities 6
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1932–52 Wigan 1952–58 St. Helens 1958–61 Rochdale Hornets 1961 Wigan Total 0 0 0 0
Source:

Jim Sullivan (2 December 1903 – 1 November 1977) was a Welsh rugby league footballer and coach. Born in Cardiff, Sullivan joined Wigan in June 1921 after starting his career as a rugby union player. A fullback and prodigious goal kicker, he scored 4,883 points in a career that spanned 25 years with Wigan, and still holds several records with the club today.

He made a combined total of 60 appearances at representative level with England, Wales, Great Britain and Other Nationalities, and his 26 appearances with Wales was still a record for many years after his death. He also represented Wales in British baseball.

Sullivan was born at Cardiff, Wales. He attended St Alban's School, and joined his hometown rugby union team Cardiff at the age of 16. He made his debut against Neath in October 1920, and went on to make 38 appearances for the club. In December 1920, 26-days after his seventeenth birthday, he played for the Barbarians in a match against Newport, becoming the youngest player to represent the team. While playing for Cardiff, Sullivan served an apprenticeship to become a boilermaker. He was also a British baseball player, and appeared for Wales in a match against England in 1921. His performances attracted the attention of several rugby league clubs, including Wakefield Trinity, Hull, Huddersfield and Wigan.