Grant Fox facts for kids
Fox in 2018
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| Birth name | Grant James Fox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 16 June 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | New Plymouth, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 72 kg (11 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Auckland Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Ryan Fox (son) Gregory Wallace (brother-in-law) Merv Wallace (father-in-law) |
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| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Grant James Fox (born 16 June 1962) is a famous former rugby union player from New Zealand. He was a key member of the All Blacks team. This team won the very first Rugby World Cup in 1987.
Grant Fox is also the father of Ryan Fox, who is a professional golfer. Grant Fox holds a world record for scoring the most points in a single Rugby World Cup tournament. He scored 126 points in the 1987 World Cup. He also holds the record for the most conversions in that same tournament, with 30 conversions.
Grant Fox's Rugby Playing Career
Grant Fox was born in a city called New Plymouth in New Zealand. He went to Auckland Grammar School for his education.
During his time with the All Blacks team, from 1985 to 1993, he wore the number 10 jersey. This position is known as a fly-half. He was the main player who kicked goals for the All Blacks.
He scored a total of 645 points in 46 test matches for the All Blacks. This included one try, 118 conversions, 128 penalties, and 7 drop goals. Many people think he changed how goal-kicking is done in rugby. He was very good at leaning the ball forward before kicking it. This technique is now used by many top kickers around the world.
Grant Fox is seen as one of the best fly-halves in the history of the All Blacks. Even though he wasn't known for running with the ball a lot, he was amazing at passing it. His teammate John Kirwan often played outside him. They played together for Auckland and the All Blacks for a long time.
In 1986, Fox was part of a team called the New Zealand Cavaliers. They went on a tour to South Africa. At that time, South Africa had unfair laws called Apartheid. Because he joined this tour, Fox was not allowed to play for the All Blacks in three test matches.
The biggest moment in Fox's career was winning the first-ever Rugby World Cup in 1987. His accurate kicking was a big reason why New Zealand won that championship.
He was chosen as one of the "Five players of the year" multiple times. This honor was given to him in 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1993. These awards were listed in the Rugby Almanack of New Zealand.
Coaching and Broadcasting Roles
In 1995, Grant Fox was given a special award. He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his great contributions to rugby.
After his playing career, Fox stayed involved with his Auckland club. He worked as a coach and helped them win championships. This included their successes in the 1999 and 2002–2003 NPC seasons.
Today, Grant Fox works as a sports commentator. You can hear him talking about rugby on Sky Sports and NBC Sports. He has also provided commentary for the EA Sports rugby video game series.
He has covered several Rugby World Cup tournaments as a commentator. He worked for ABC in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007.
Since 2011, Grant Fox has also been a selector for the New Zealand All Blacks team. This means he helps choose which players get to be on the team.
