Terry Fogerty: Bustling loose forward of the 1960s and 70s who played for Halifax, Wigan and Great Britain

Terry Fogerty was one of the best rugby league forwards of the 1960s, the first recipient of one of the game's main individual honours and the head of a varied sporting dynasty.

He was born outside the mainstream of the code, at Glossop in Derbyshire, but made his name with the Saddleworth Rangers amateur club, near Oldham. He signed for Halifax and was 16 when he made his first-team debut – the club's youngest in peace-time rugby.

In 1963-64 he was in the side that won the Yorkshire Cup and the Eastern Division Championship. That season also saw the coming together of what is recognised as Halifax' best-ever back three, with Fogerty alongside the Welshman Colin Dixon and the Scot Charlie Renilson. That was the line-up when Halifax won the Championship in 1965, beating St Helens in the final. Fogerty stood out, winning the inaugural Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match.

His role was primarily as ball-handler, often making the initial break before slipping a pass to a man in support. His tackling was nothing special, but with the ball in his hands he was a match-winner. That was recognised when he was picked to play for a Commonwealth XIII against the New Zealand tourists. He was selected for the 1966 Lions tour to Australasia, and made his Great Britain debut against the Kiwis in Auckland.

It was a shock when he was sold to Wigan for £7,500 in 1966. He had three years there, playing in the team that won the Floodlit Trophy and representing Great Britain against France.

In 1969 he returned to Halifax for £5,500 and was a key man in their success in winning the inaugural John Player Trophy in 1971-72. In his two spells at Thrum Hall, he made 298 appearances and scored 65 tries – remarkable for a forward. It was a record that made him an obvious selection for the Halifax Hall of Fame.

In 1973 he moved for £7,000 to Rochdale Hornets, where he played in another John Player final. He also completed the distinction of being capped at three different clubs when he played against France in 1974.

Fogerty was a plasterer by trade. Later he was well-known in Halifax as the licensee of several pubs with strong rugby league connections. His other continuing links with the game were through his sons, Adam and Jason. Adam played rugby league for Halifax and St Helens and also had a notable career as an actor, taking the role of a "heavy" in soaps like Coronation Street; Jason was a basketball international who later switched to rugby league football.

Terry Fogerty, rugby league footballer: born Glossop, Derbyshire 29 June 1944; married Cheryl (two sons); died Halifax 17 October 2013.