Jamie Jones-Buchanan honoured after stellar rugby league career and community work
JAMIE Jones-Buchanan has taken his place alongside other Leeds Rhinos legends in being recognised with an MBE.
But he admits he thought the letter telling him he had been honoured was something completely different – because lads from the city’s Bramley area normally get bad news with ones like that!
After a 20-year playing career with his hometown club, the Rhinos’ assistant coach has been recognised for his services to rugby league and the community.
However, when HR manager Sarah Tate handed him the note, other things went through his mind.
Jones-Buchanan, 40, said: “She walked in with a letter saying, ‘Her Majesty’s Service.’ It looked pretty formal.
“When lads from Bramley get letters like that, it’s not usually good news!”
Jones-Buchanan, who also works to try and give children from under-privileged communities the best chance they can get, admits being JJB MBE brought laughs.
It also brought him closer to another passion, medieval history.
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He added: “I joked about it on Thursday night and told my in-laws. They said the exact same thing about JJB MBE.
“At a lot of the talks I’ve given to schools and community clubs, I’ve spoken about how long my name is and how fans shortened it to JJB.
“Now there are three more letters to add on.
“I’ve spoken before about being a medieval romanticist and a big fan of Plantaganet history. It may not be relevant in 2022 but in terms of personal accolades, it’s as close as you’re going to get.”
Jones-Buchanan won the lot with Leeds as part of a generation that included Kevin Sinfield OBE, Jamie Peacock MBE and Rob Burrow MBE.
But he insists his honour shows just how good an environment he was part of, which Sinfield highlighted recently.
The man whose mantra is, ‘be the best version of yourself you can be’ said: “The over-arching message is I’m just a product of the environment and a reflection of the people I’m fortunate to have been surrounded by, none more so than my wife.
“The number of honours underlines that group of individuals, that band of brothers, which for me is why we were so successful.
“Kevin stood up at a dinner and said, ‘It’s amazing what you can achieve when nobody cares about who gets the credit.’ I thought, ‘That’s it.’
“In the office I sit in, that’s the underpinning message I try to pass on to the next generation of players.
“And the young kid from Bramley would be proud but be thinking, ‘What’s next? How can I use this to benefit my community and other people?’”
Jones-Buchanan is not rugby league’s only honour. Emma Rosewarne, former head of player welfare at Rugby League Cares and operations director at the Rugby Football League, also received an MBE.
Physical Disability Rugby League champion, comedian Adam Hills, has been given an OBE.
