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| Full name | Lee Stephen Radford[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1979-03-26)26 March 1979 (age 45) Kingston upon Hull,Humberside, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 16 st 1 lb (102 kg)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Second-row, Loose forward, Prop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Coaching information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(Defence Coach)
Coachyear2start. =2022|coach| ru_coachteam1 =Dallas Jackals
Defence coach| ru_coachyear1start = 2020| ru_coachyear1end = | ru_coachgames1 = | ru_coachwins1 = | ru_coachdraws1 = | ru_coachlosses1 = | ru_coachteam2 =Northampton Saints
Defence coach| ru_coachyear2start = 2023| ru_coachyear2end = present| ru_coachgames2 = | ru_coachwins2 = | ru_coachdraws2 = | ru_coachlosses2 = |new = yes|source =[3][4][5][6]|updated = 14 December 2023}}
Lee Radford (born 26 March 1979) is an English professionalrugby league andrugby union coach.[7] He previously worked inrugby league as the head coach ofHull FC, in theSuper League, from 2013–2020 and as head coach ofCastleford Tigers from 2022 to 2023. He is also a former professionalrugby league footballer.[6]
In 2023, he joinedPremiership Rugby teamNorthampton Saints as their defence coach.[8]
As a player, he was anEngland internationalsecond-row forward who played forYorkshire, and forHull F.C. and theBradford Bulls in theSuper League.[3][4]
Radford was born inKingston upon Hull,Humberside, England.
Radford made his professional début for hometown clubHull Sharks before moving to Bradford in 1998.[citation needed] Radford played for theBradford Bulls from the interchange bench in their2003 Super League Grand Final victory against theWigan Warriors. Having wonSuper League VIII, Bradford played against 2003 NRL Premiers, thePenrith Panthers in the2004 World Club Challenge. Radford played atsecond-row in the Bulls' 22–4 victory. He also played for Bradford atloose forward in their2004 Super League Grand Final loss against theLeeds Rhinos. Radford played for theBradford Bulls atloose forward in their2005 Super League Grand Final victory against theLeeds Rhinos.[citation needed]
Radford later returned to his hometown club ofHull FC, who he joined for the start of 2006'sSuper League XI. Hull reached the2006 Super League Grand final to be contested againstSt. Helens, playing atsecond-row in his side's 4–26 loss.[9]
Radford would also play in Hull's 28-162008 Challenge Cup final loss to St Helens.
Lee Radford took part in a boxing match,the Rumble in the Humber, against fellow rugby league player,Stuart Fielden which raised £50,000 forSteve Prescott. He won the fight, stopping Fielden in the second round.[10] He was appointed Hull's captain for 2007.
On 6 October 2011 Lee Radford announced his retirement from the game, to take up a 3-year deal as an assistant coach at Hull F.C.[11]
The table below shows a cumulative points and scoring records for Radford at the end of the 2012 Super League season.[4]
| Club | Years Active | Appearances | Tries | Goals | FG | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull Sharks | 1998 | 9 | 2 | 8 | ||
| Bradford Bulls | 1999-05 | 154 | 22 | 12 | 112 | |
| Hull F.C. | 2006–12 | 175 | 21 | 1 | 86 |
Radford won acap forEngland against Wales while at Bradford Bulls in 2001. He played for England again in 2005 against, France and New Zealand. Radford again played for England while at Hull in 2006 against France, Tonga, and Samoa.[5]
On 18 September 2013, Radford was unveiled as the new head coach atHull FC, where he had been the assistant coach underPeter Gentle. His first game in charge was a pre-season friendly againstDoncaster, and his first competitive game was against theCatalans Dragons inSuper League XIX.
After a shaky start to his coaching career he found success in 2016 becoming the first Hull F.C. coach to lead the team to a challenge cup victory atWembley Stadium, the victory coming in the2016 Challenge Cup final. The win came againstWarrington Wolves with a score of 12-10. Hull F.C. had previously lost 8 finals at the national stadium (despite having won the cup on 3 previous occasions at other venues).[12][13]
That year he would also lead his team to theSuper League play-off semi-finals but would fail to reach the final after being defeated by theWigan Warriors 28-18.
Radford's coaching success would continue the following year when he once again led Hull F.C. to victory in the2017 Challenge Cup final with an 18-14 win over theWigan Warriors, having now led Hull F.C. to two Challenge Cup victories in a row.[14]
Immediately after their loss to theWarrington Wolves on 12 March 2020, Hull FC chief executiveAdam Pearson told a live TV interview that Radford had been sacked, minutes after the 38-4 loss.
In June 2020, it was announced that Radford had joinedMajor League Rugby sideDallas Jackals as defensive coach.[7]
On 27 April 2021 it was announced that he would take over the head coach role for the 2022 season, on a two-year deal, whenDaryl Powell leaves at the end of the 2021 season.[15]In round 1 of the 2022 Super League season, Radford coached his first game in charge of Castleford which ended in a 26-16 defeat againstSalford.[16]
On 6 March 2023, it was announced that Radford had left Castleford, by mutual agreement, with assistant coachAndy Last taking over as interim manager.[17]
