Here it is
Danny Houghton well what can you say that hasn’t been said above already the man is a legend and the last of the immortals when with tackle 52 he helped make history for the club and changed some of our lives forever.
But he’s so much more than that because he is just 100% for his home town club and a guy who has never once thought of leaving it despite receiving offers to do so. He has never been a problem for the club either and rather like Kirk Yeaman, he never had an agent but just sat down with the club and agreed a new contract when his current one was up. A consummate professional he was only able to keep going at his 100 miles an hour style because he kept himself so fit, and he spent a lot of time passing that ethos onto his younger team mates.
But, That tackle just epitomised a bloke who for season after season topped the tackle tables in Super league and at our club but who went about his business in an unassuming way and never once let us down. Like Yeamo he was a ‘Prophet in his own land’ and as such was never given the credit he deserved by some fans because when they are always around, they become an easy target, but time will cement him in the list of the greatest we have seen in the famous shirt and a few players have already commented that the training ground will be a different place without him.
From that sunny afternoon in a pre-season all those years ago at Batley when I witnessed a young kid stepped out of acting half to run straight through the home sides defence to this season when all around him were giving up and packing up and he still put his body on the line for the cause, beat up and bugger though it was, he has been a great pro and with 450 games under his belt perhaps the best all round professional throughout his career that I have seen pull on the famous irregular hoops. AND I’ve seen a good few candidates for that accolade.
I was lucky enough to work on his testimonial committee and a more genuine and humble guy you could not wish to meet.
A personal anecdote I’ll always remember was after I had written ‘2016 The Year of the Airliebird’ and dedicated it to him giving, all the profits to his testimonial. He thanked me profusely and went everywhere to help me promote it. And of course, I was so pleased to do it, but then around three weeks after the end of his year and totally out of the blue there was a knock on the front door and there he was, with a large framed signed photo of tackle 52 (which still hangs on my staircase) and flowers and Chocolates for Mrs R. He didn’t have to do that but he did because that’s the sort of guy he is and he’s kept in touch ever since as has Yeamo, to whom the second book was dedicated.
Danny was always totally committed to all the other players who had testimonials and worked to support them too.
So, we say good bye at the end of the season to a bloke who is a real icon of our club and who will for decades to come be a legend in the history of the great HULL FC he’ll no doubt be taking it all in his stride. Let’s give him a good send off at the last game for he deserves it. His family should be proud of a guy who was man of steel top tackler and one of the 2016 immortals, but most of all they should understand that we are now witnessing the departure of a legend.
What a guy, Good Luck Danny, we’ll miss you!
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P.S. I spoke to him and he just wanted everyone to know that 'The biggest thing that I can take away from my career is the great people I have met along the way.' True gent!
