John Kear

John Kear

Kear in 2007
Personal information
Nickname	Le Professeur, JK
Born	(1954-11-25) 25 November 1954 (age 62) Castleford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Playing information
Position	Wing, Centre, Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1978–88 Castleford 133 37 0 0 132
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1995–96 PSG 44 9 1 34 20 1997–99 Sheffield Eagles 65 24 3 38 37 2005 Hull F.C. 12 5 0 7 42 2006–11 Wakefield Trinity 103 49 1 53 48 2011–16 Batley Bulldogs 2016–- Wakefield Trinity Total 224 87 5 132 39 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 1997 France 1 1 0 0 100 2000 England 6 4 0 2 67 2014– Wales 7 4 0 3 57
Source: Rugby League Project

John Kear (born 25 November 1954 in Castleford, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English rugby league coach and former player. He is best known as a coach for his Challenge Cup successes with Sheffield Eagles in 1998 and Hull F.C. 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. He is currently the head coach of Batley and the Wales national rugby league team, while also working as a pundit for BBC Sport.

John Kear played as a Left-Wing, i.e. number 5, in Castleford's 2-13 defeat by Hull F.C. in the 1983 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the 1983–84 season at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1983.

After stints working as a conditioner for Castleford, head coach of Bramley (1992), working in the player performance department of the Rugby Football League, head coach of Paris St Germain and assistant coach to both England, and Great Britain, he took over the coaching reigns 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 remarkable Challenge Cup final victory over Wigan, this triumph is believed by many to be the greatest shock in Challenge Cup history.