Bev Risman Name Bev Risman      Era 1961-1970 Place of Birth - Previous Club Leigh Honours Great Britain  Debut  v Dewsbury 05/02/1966        Leeds Career : One of the factors that distinguishes the exceptional from the average in sport is vision. Roy Francis, the revolutionary Leeds coach of the mid-60’s and early 70’s had it in abundance and never was that better illustrated than with his transformation of Bev Risman. Signed from Leigh, aged 28, before the Challenge Cup deadline in 1966, he switched to full back by Francis and enjoyed four glorious years of unending success at Headingley. He will be principally remembered for his calm decisiveness under pressure and prowess with the boot which he turned into an art form. In a total of 164 appearances for the Loiners he kicked an astonishing 611 goals although he was helped by the swashbuckling, all conquering style of play of his team mates which ensured a bag full of conversion opportunities. Possessor of an elegant sidestep and a deliciously timed pass, his positioning as the last line of defence was also of the highest quality – traits no-doubt inherited from his illustrious father Gus, Great Britain’s longest serving player who gusseted for Leeds in the victorious 1942 Challenge Cup Final. Bev was always at his very best in the big games – and there were plenty in this vintage era for the blue and amber – orchestrating the demolition of Wigan in the 1968 Challenge Cup semi final, amongst the watery mayhem of Wembley that May, and conjuring the gamebreaking try after telepathic linking with John Atkinson and kicking the conversion to snare the Championship in dramatic fashion In 1969. A shattering knee injury during a Challenge cup tie at Warrington in February 1970 eventually brought a premature end to his playing career but since then he has been a stalwart supporter of the game in London and the south in a variety of guises from coach to senior administrator. One of the architects of the revolution in the student game, he has been heavily involved with the formation of the London Broncos Academy and youth player development programmes. From a family steeped in rugby league tradition, he has created his own niche in history. Rugby Career : Bev was a former England and British Lions rugby union stand off before joining Leeds. Always a wonderful reader of play, his ability to time his interventions to the most devastating effect from the back gave him a new lease of life that culminated with his captaincy of the 1968 British World Cup squad in the Antipodes. He made his debut in the 23-13 win over France where he scored 5 goals and two tries, over the next for games he added a further 12 goals. Injury ended his international career and his time with Leeds, but he did not cut ties with the game and helped set up the Student Rugby Leage. To return to the main squad profiles page click here.