Family pays tribute to ‘rugby mad’ Tony Beevers after his death at the age of 80

He died on Saturday, June 13 following a stroke, having been in poor health for some time.  
Tony was well known throughout rugby league and represented Halifax at the Rugby Football League. He was also a director in the club’s successful period in the 1980’s.
Tony was born in Halifax and grew up in Boothtown, attending St Joseph’s School, where he was head boy.

“He signed for Bradford Northern when he was 16, in 1956, and stopped there until 1964,” said his daughter Debbie.
“Then he played for Dewsbury. Then he went onto the board at Keighley, and then Halifax, and then he became chief executive at Bradford Northern.

“He was then a director at Featherstone and Leigh, where he finished about four or five years ago.”He was president of Yorkshire County and of the Past Players’ Association.

“I have an old cutting from when he was at Halifax - they couldn’t get the players’ coach onto the motorway because it was so busy at Tingley roundabout, so my dad pulled the car across and stopped all the traffic.

“My mum nearly had a heart attack. He had this massive bandage on his thumb because he’d just had his thumb chopped off and sewn back on, so he just stuck it up, stood and stopped all the traffic.

“That’s the sort of man he was, always full of fun and daft as a brush.

“I put something on Facebook and the comments we’ve got are unbelievable, from all the rugby clubs, some from New Zealand and Australia, it’s amazed me how many people have remembered him.

“It’s been a bit overwhelming.

“He was rugby mad, his life was rugby.

“He met my mum at Bradford Northern because my granddad had played there.”

Mr Beevers was also the landlord at the Rawsons Arms on Elland Wood Bottom and the Queens Head Tavern on Keighley Road.   
“He loved Bradford and Halifax, I don’t think he had a favourite,” said Debbie.

“If Halifax weren’t playing, he’d go watch Bradford, and if they weren’t playing he’d go watch Wigan or St Helens, he just loved it.

“He was a brilliant dad. He got MRSA about 10 years ago in hospital - up until then he was always so young.

“He’d do anything with me and take me anywhere. He never got old until he got that.

“He was always very kind, and he’d do anything for anybody. Everybody loved him.”

Tony leaves wife Pauline, daughter Debbie, grandaughter Becky and great-granddaughter Lacey.

If anyone would like to pay their respects, the funeral is on June 30. Mourners are welcome outside the crematorium at Elland Wood Bottom at 12.45pm, as inside is invite only due to COVID-19.