Francis Edward Cotton (born 3 January 1947) is a former

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

forward who played for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and the British Lions. His clubs included

Coventry R.F.C. Coventry Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union club based in Coventry, England. The club enjoyed great success during the 1960s and 70s, with many players representing their countries. Coventry's home ground is the Butts Park Arena, ...

and Sale. A "fearsome" prop, he was primarily a tighthead but also played to a high level at loosehead, winning three Lions caps in 1977 on the left of the front row and the Grand Slam with England in 1980. After retiring, he remained in rugby administration and founded a clothing company. In 2007, Cotton returned to his former club Sale as a member of the club's board. Cotton was born in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, and went to

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public university, public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university sinc ...

to study physical education. Cotton was ahead of his time in terms of physical preparation. It was during these years that Cotton would win the Glengarth Sevens at Davenport RUFC, now renamed Stockport Rugby Club, along with Steve Smith and Clive Rees. Cotton made his England debut against Scotland in 1971 and played for them 31 times. He also captained the English team three times. He represented the Lions on their tours to South Africa in 1974 – playing in all four Tests in the series victory – New Zealand in 1977 and South Africa in 1980 when chest pains sent him home early. It was during the game against the Junior All Blacks on the 1977 tour that the famous 'Mudman' image of Cotton, standing at number one at the front of a lineout while caked head-to-toe in mud, was taken. Captured by Colorsport's Colin Elsey, it became one of the most iconic images of rugby union. He considers the third test of the 1974 series the biggest and most violent game he was ever part of Cotton was the Tour Manager for the

1997 British Lions tour to South Africa The 1997 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was a series of matches played by the British & Irish Lions rugby union team in South Africa. This tour followed the Lions' 1993 tour to New Zealand and preceded their 2001 British & Iris ...

. With Steve Smith he founded the clothing company Cotton Traders in 1987. In 2008 Cotton Traders was forced to pull out of

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

after an investigation by the Burma Campaign UK uncovered the company was sourcing clothing from Burma. Clothing exports generate significant income for the Burmese dictatorship.

Charitable work

He is an honorary president of the rugby charity

Wooden Spoon A wooden spoon is a Kitchen utensil, utensil commonly used in food preparation. In addition to its culinary uses, wooden spoons also feature in folk art and culture. History The word ''spoon'' derives from an ancient word meaning a chip of woo ...

improving the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in Britain and Ireland.

References

External links

Rugby World. The Greatest Players. Fran CottonSporting heroes 1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Fran 1947 births Living people Alumni of Loughborough University British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England British businesspeople Coventry R.F.C. players England international rugby sevens players England international rugby union players English rugby union players English sportswriters Lancashire County RFU players Loughborough Students RUFC players Male rugby sevens players North of England Rugby Union team Rugby union players from Wigan Rugby union props Liverpool St Helens F.C. players 20th-century English sportsmen