Hull FC - blackandwhites.co.uk • Roy Francis
Armavinit wrote:
I’m going out on a limb here and I hope what I’m trying to say is taken correctly. You say should FC not honour Roy more but it’s my opinion that he was accepted as a great player and future thinking coach and his colour didn’t come into it. I was brought up in Hull and had black friends, you just took it for granted. It would be great for the club to celebrate his achievements as a MAN not because he’s black. Sully had a Road named after him that links West and East for his achievements playing for Hull and Rovers, incidentally, the only player to win a Challenge Cup winners medal with both clubs. Didn’t Roy achieve more success whilst at Leeds? Basically what I’m trying to say is they’re both remembered fondly for being outstanding not being black, honouring them for being black highlights a difference.
I must say that the attitude of the Aussies at the time shocked me. Also the bigotry of The Welsh RU but that was carried over to Rugby League in general, David Watkins being a prime example.
I take your point that he should be remembered for his achievements and not his skin tone. However, it isn’t sensible or even really possible to tell his story without the context of the social history. So, I agree, absolutely, that we can ignore race of the man - we just shouldn’t forget the racism of his time. Not that I’m implying you are suggesting that.
Statistics: Posted by Mild Rover — Tue Jun 16, 2020 8:23 pm — Replies 4 — Views 681