Sir Billy Boston, rugby league’s first Knight and one of the sport’s greatest ever try-scorers, has sadly passed away at the age of 92.

Boston became the first rugby league player to be made a Sir for his services to the sport last year, after a long-standing campaign for the sport to be given wider recognition among the Honours List.

He was awarded the honour to huge fanfare last year, with Wigan rightly celebrating the accolade of a man who has become renowned as one of the greatest players ever to play the game.

Sir Billy’s passing comes only a month after his wife, Lady Joan Boston, passed away herself in July. The pair were married for over 70 years.

Billy Boston’s incredible Wigan career

Sir Billy made an astonishing 488 appearances during a glittering club career for Wigan, scoring an incredible 478 tries in total.

He joined Wigan in 1953 after a short-lived career in rugby union, having grown up in his native Wales. But it was his code switch to league that would make him a rugby superstar.

He would go on to score an extraordinary number of tries for Wigan – with his total of 478 by far the biggest in the club’s history and a number that will almost certainly never be beaten.

He would win a number of team awards and competitions with Wigan during a career spanning 15 years. That included three Challenge Cup titles in 1957-58, 1958-59 and 1964-65. Wigan also won the First Division once during Boston’s career with the club, in 1959-60.

They were also Lancashire League and Lancashire Cup winners while Boston was a Wigan player, but he earned just as much recognition and success on the international stage.

Boston was a part of the Great Britain squad that won just the third edition of the Rugby League World Cup in 1960. Boston was also part of the Lions squads that won Ashes series against Australia in 1956-57, 1959-60 and 1962, too.

He would conclude his playing career in rugby league with a short spell at Blackpool Borough in 1969-70, before making his final appearance in 1970. He is only behind the great Brian Bevan in terms of most tries scored in the whole history of the sport dating back to its formation in 1895.

The Welsh Rugby Union issued a statement in the wake of Boston’s passing, saying: “Sir Billy Boston, one of the best loved and most iconic figures in the history of Welsh sport, has passed away peacefully at the age of 92.

“The most famous son of Tiger Bay, he died overnight in hospital in his adopted home for the past 74 years, Wigan. His death came only four days after the funeral of his wife, Lady Joan, to whom he had been married for 70 years.”

Boston’s post rugby career

Unsurprisingly given his achievements in the sport, Boston was bestowed with a huge amount of accolades and honours after his career finished.

He was one of the original inductees of the RFL’s Hall of Fame in 1988, while he was named in the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and Wigan’s own Hall of Fame in 1998.

Wigan named one of their stands at Central Park, the ground which Boston made his home, after Boston – while the Warriors then did the same at the Brick Community Stadium in 2009.

Boston is also one of five men to be featured on the rugby league statue outside of Wembley Stadium alongside a number of other greats of the game, with him being given an MBE in 1996. He remained a regular at Wigan matches for years after his retirement, right through to 2026.

But it was the decision from the establishment to make him rugby league’s first Sir in 2025 that underlined what a special player, and special person, he was for rugby league.

Wigan Warriors pay tribute to Boston

In an emotional tribute, Wigan CEO Kris Radlinski said: “Billy Boston wasn’t just a legend of Wigan Rugby League; he was one of the greatest figures our sport has ever known. I was also fortunate to call him my friend.

“For generations of Wigan people, Billy represented the very best of our town and our club – strength, humility, courage and an extraordinary talent worn without fuss or ego.

“His achievements speak for themselves and will stand forever. But Billy’s true measure went beyond what he achieved on a rugby field. It was in the respect he commanded, the way he carried himself and the affection in which he was held by everyone who knew him.

“Today we mourn one of our greatest ever Warriors and rugby league’s first knight. Time moves on, as it must, but some names endure. Billy Boston will always be one of them. His place in the history of Wigan, and in the history of rugby league, is secure forever.

“I visited him on Sunday morning with Mandy, held his hand and told him we loved him. Rest in peace, Billy. My friend, our Warrior and a true Wigan legend.”

All at Love Rugby League would like to pay their condolences to Sir Billy’s family.