25 Facts About Andy Gregory

Andrew Gregory was born on 10 August 1961 and is an English former professional rugby league footballer.

Andy Gregory was the first player to win five Challenge Cup Final winners medals, first player to play in eight Challenge Cup finals and one of only two players to have played in six Ashes series against Australia, the other being Garry Schofield.

Andy Gregory played junior rugby league in the town for the local Wigan St Patricks ARLFC side.

Andy Gregory had a trial for Salford at the age of 17, but was signed by Widnes.

Andy Gregory played for Widnes from 1979 until 1984, towards the end of the famous "Cup Kings" era.

Andy Gregory made an immediate impact as he won the 1987 Player of the Year award, no small achievement as Wigan went on a run of 29 consecutive wins.

Andy Gregory was then selected to go on the 1988 Great Britain Lions tour.

Andy Gregory had a successful career at Wigan, playing 182 times for the club and winning awards including the World Club Challenge, five Challenge Cups, four Championships, two Regal Trophies, two Lancashire Cups, the John Player Trophy and a Premiership.

Andy Gregory became the first player to appear in eight Challenge Cup finals.

Andy Gregory played nine league games for Illawarra, scoring tries against Penrith, Gold Coast Seagulls and South Sydney.

Andy Gregory was transferred to Leeds in 1992, after feeling he had no option but to leave Wigan when they gave him the terms of his contract extension following his return from the Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia.

Andy Gregory had no intention of leaving and wanted to retire as a Wigan player, but the club has been informed by medical staff that he was becoming too injury prone.

Andy Gregory failed to achieve the same heights at Leeds as he did at Wigan, something not helped by the journey from home and successive injuries, and was then transferred to Salford after two seasons.

Andy Gregory considers the dead rubber third test of the 1988 Ashes series against Australia to be the highlight of his test career.

Andy Gregory set up flying wing Martin Offiah for the first try of the game, and fullback Phil Ford for the second.

Andy Gregory contributed to the final try as he ran from dummy half escaped his markers and found Mike Andy Gregory for a final 70-metre try under the posts.

Andy Gregory was one of the toughest players that I ever played against.

Andy Gregory regretted the decision, as he left the tour injured as he had not recovered from a leg strain that he received at the end of Wigan's season, and it was this injury that prompted the club's desire to sell him.

Andy Gregory is one of only two players to play in six Ashes series against Australia, playing in the 1982,1986 and 1990 series played in Britain, and the 1984,1988 and 1992 series played in Australia.

However, Andy Gregory led them to a first-place finish in their Centenary Season, and first place again in 1996, when they were promoted to the Super League, a moment that Andy Gregory describes as the highlight of his coaching career.

In 2006 Andy Gregory returned to professional rugby league, as he was appointed as coaching coordinator at National League club Leigh.

In 2007 Andy Gregory took over struggling National League Two side Blackpool, his first head coach role in eight years.

Blackpool had not won for 25 games when he took over, however he was unable to turn things around, and the club finished the season without a win, and Andy Gregory left the club at the end of the season.

In 1996, Andy Gregory coached the Great Britain Nines side for the twelve nation World Cup in Australia, leading them to the semi-finals before an eventual loss to Western Samoa.

Since leaving professional rugby league, Andy Gregory has taken an active role in charity work, including charity evenings to support the Royal British Legion, and fund raising games for the GB All Stars to support the charity Life for a Kid, among others.