Mike Gregory facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Michael Keith Gregory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 20 May 1964 Wigan, England |
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| Died | 19 November 2007 (aged 43) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Second-row, Loose forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information
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Michael Keith Gregory (born May 20, 1964 – died November 19, 2007) was an English professional rugby league player and coach. He was known as Mike Gregory. He played as a second-row or loose forward.
Mike Gregory spent most of his playing career with the Warrington Wolves. He played over 200 games for them between 1982 and 1994. He also played for Salford and the Australian team Cronulla Sharks.
He played 20 games for the Great Britain national team. He was captain for nine of those games. He also went on two important tours with the Great Britain team in 1988 and 1990.
After playing, Gregory became a coach. He started as head coach for the Swinton Lions. Later, he joined his hometown club, the Wigan Warriors, as a coach. In 2003, he became the head coach for Wigan. However, he had to stop coaching in 2004 because of an illness.
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Mike Gregory's Playing Career
Mike Gregory was born in Wigan, Lancashire, England, on May 20, 1964. He grew up in the Newtown area of Wigan. He went to St John Fisher Catholic High School.
Before becoming a professional player, he played rugby league for a local club called Wigan St Patricks. In June 1982, he signed with the Warrington Wolves.
Early Games and First Trophies
Gregory played his first game for Warrington on September 5, 1982. He scored a try in a big 43–5 win against Huyton. Just one month later, he helped Warrington win his first trophy. They beat St Helens 16–0 in the 1982–83 Lancashire Cup final. This game was played at Central Park.
In 1990, Gregory played in the 1990 Challenge Cup Final. He scored a try, but Warrington lost the game 14–36 to Wigan.
Later Years at Warrington
Towards the end of his time with Warrington, Gregory faced many injuries. He played his last game for the club on February 12, 1994. In total, he started 222 games and came on as a substitute 24 times. He scored 45 tries and a total of 176 points for Warrington.
International Rugby League
Between 1987 and 1990, Gregory played 20 games for the Great Britain team. He was part of the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour. During this tour, he scored a try when the Lions surprisingly beat Australia in Sydney. He also captained the 1990 Great Britain Lions tour to New Zealand. In 1988, he played for the Rest of the World team against Australia.
Honors and Recognition
In 1994, Warrington held a special match to honor Gregory's career. This is called a testimonial match. Mike Gregory is also a member of the Warrington Wolves Hall of Fame. He is known as Heritage No. 822 for the club.
Mike Gregory's Coaching Career
Gregory started his coaching journey as an assistant coach for St. Helens. He worked there for three successful seasons, from 1996 to 1998.
Becoming a Head Coach
In 1999, he became the head coach of the Swinton Lions. Later, he joined the Wigan Warriors. In 2001, he took charge of their Academy team, which is for younger players. He led the Academy team to win the 2002 Academy Championship. After this success, he was promoted to assistant coach for the main team in 2003.
International Coaching Roles
Gregory also had experience coaching international teams. He coached Wales in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup. He also led the England Academy team to a historic win against the Australian Schoolboys in 2002. In 2003, he was an assistant coach for the Lancashire Origin squad. He was also appointed as the head coach of Scotland for the 2003 European Nations' Cup.
Coaching the Wigan Warriors
In July 2003, the Wigan Warriors' head coach left. Gregory was then appointed as the temporary head coach. He wanted the job permanently. He was the first person born in Wigan to coach the Wigan team since 1985.
Gregory coached the team for three months as a temporary coach. During this time, the team did not lose any of their 11 matches. He led the Wigan Warriors to the 2003 Super League Grand Final. This was a big achievement, as they were the first team from outside the top two to reach the final. After this, he was given the head coach job full-time for two years. Wigan lost the Grand Final to the Bradford Bulls.
Mike Gregory's Illness and Legacy
In 2004, it became known that Mike Gregory was suffering from an illness. It was called progressive muscular atrophy. This is a type of motor neuron disease. It affects the nerves and muscles. He might have had this illness since 2001.
The illness stops signals from the brain from reaching the muscles. This can cause weight loss and affect speech. He went to the United States in May 2004 for treatment. At first, people thought he had become sick from an insect bite while traveling. While Gregory was recovering, Ian Millward was appointed as the new head coach of the Wigan Warriors.
Disagreement with Wigan Club
In September 2004, there were reports that his illness would stop him from returning to his coaching job at Wigan. The club said they would continue to pay him while he was sick. However, Gregory felt that he could return to work in 2004, but the club prevented him. There was a disagreement about his return to work.
His Death and Lasting Impact
On November 19, 2007, Mike Gregory passed away at the age of 43. He had been using a wheelchair for the last year of his life.
In 2008, the Rugby Football League (RFL) created a new award. It was called the Spirit of Rugby League Award. This award recognized people who made a big positive difference to rugby league. Mike Gregory was given this first award after he passed away. In later years, the award was renamed in his honor. It is now called the Mike Gregory Spirit of Rugby League Award.
