Leeds Rhinos news: 80s icon, record-breaker and golden generation star inducted into Hall of Fame

Rhinos chief executive Jamie Jones-Buchanan, 1999 Challenge Cup final winner Francis Cummins and 1980s/90s icon Roy Powell were among the latest quartet, taking the number of members to 41, out of 1,513 men who have played for Leeds.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, individuals must have played at least 150 games for Leeds, made an ‘exceptional contribution’ to rugby in the city and achieved representative honours during their playing career. The following additions were announced at Rhinos’ annual Hall of Fame dinner this evening (Monday).

Fred Harris

Born in November, 1909, Harris made his professional debut for hometown club Leigh in 1930 and joined Leeds five years later for a club record £1,200 transfer fee. The first of his 199 games for the Loiners was at Bramley on February 2, 1935 and he hung up his boots after suffering a broken jaw against Featherstone Rovers on September 1, 1945. Centre to Leeds’ greatest try scorer, winger Eric Harris, who was no relation, he was capped by England and a Great Britain tourist. He had a spell on the Headingley ground staff and as second team coach after the end of his playing career. He died in September, 1980.

Roy Powell

Dewsbury-born forward Powell played 228 times for Leeds from 1983-92 and made 20 Great Britain appearances including famous wins against Australia in Sydney in 1988 and at Wembley two years later. He was outstanding in Leeds’ 1987-88 JP Trophy final loss to St Helens, but picked up a Yorkshire Cup winner’s medal the following season against Castleford.

A hugely popular figure at Leeds, fans were shocked when he was transferred to Bradford Northern in 1992. He later played for Featherstone and Batley and tragically died, aged just 33, two days after Christmas in 1998, after collapsing as he prepared for a training session with Rochdale Hornets.

Francis Cummins

Born in Dewsbury on October 12, 1976, Cummins was the youngest player to feature in a Wembley Challenge Cup final, scoring a length of the field try in Leeds’ 1994 defeat by Wigan, aged 17 years and 200 days. The versatile outside-back scored 188 tries - the ninth-most in Leeds history - during 356 games from 1993-94 to 2005 and was capped by England, Ireland and Great Britain.

He played in Rhinos’ 1999 Challenge Cup final win against London Broncos and set a club record of 178 successive games during a five-year spell. After retiring in 2005 he had a stint as an assistant-coach with Leeds, worked for other clubs including Bradford Bulls, Widnes Vikings and Wakefield Trinity and is now on the backroom staff at Hull FC.

Jamie Jones-Buchanan

Having played for, coached and been a director at his home city club, Jones-Buchanan took over as Rhinos chief executive last autumn. A Leeds fan, he came through the club’s youth system and made the first of his 419 appearances in 1999. He finally hung up his boots 20 years later having won every available domestic honour, including seven Super League Grand Finals. Now 44, he was capped by England and Great Britain.