Black History Month Bio - Des Drummond
8 Oct 2020
Des Drummond (Leigh, Warrington, Workington Town, Barrow, England & Great Britain)
In the early 1980s Des Drummond was literally a superstar. He became a national celebrity in 1983 when he finished second in the BBC TV series ‘Superstars’, recording a time for the 100m that would have qualified him for the heats of the 100m at the 1984 Olympics.
But Des was already a superstar in rugby league. Born in Jamaica, he came to Britain in the 1960s with his parents and brother Alva, who also played the game. Des followed Alva and signed for Leigh in 1976, quickly making his mark as the side reached the final of the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy. In 1982 he topped the try-scoring charts as Leigh were crowned champions for only the second time in their history.
As Leigh faltered, Des joined Warrington in 1987 and enhanced his reputation even further, playing at Wembley in the 1990 Cup Final and eventually becoming club captain.
He made his international debut in 1980 and went on to win 24 Great Britain caps, becoming the automatic choice on the right wing in the 1980s. Sadly, Drummond was controversially left out the 1988 Lions squad after confronting a spectator who came onto the pitch to racially abuse him.
When he finished at Warrington, he went on to become a favourite at Workington Town and finally hung up his boots in 1997, 21 years since he had first laced them up for Leigh. At a time when rugby league struggled for media attention, Des Drummond was truly our national superstar.
