Rugby’s world record points scorer Dusty Hare has been awarded Life Member status by Leicester Tigers in recognition of his service to the club on and off the field.
Born in Newark and signed from Nottingham in 1976, Dusty made 394 first-team appearances for Tigers, playing in four successive John Player Cup Finals, and contributing more than 4,500 points in red, white and green.
Hare also gained 25 England caps and selected for the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in 1983.
He is still the holder of rugby’s points-scoring record with 7,191 in his career.
Off the field, Hare played a key role in the development of the Tigers academy over two decades and this year returned to the club as a scout.
The former full-back, who was awarded an MBE in 1989, was presented with Life Membership by Tigers club chairman Peter Tom in front of a capacity Welford Road crowd just ahead of kick-off in Saturday’s derby fixture against Northampton Saints.
Club chief executive Simon Cohen, in his programme notes for the game, said: “As a player, Dusty was one of the Tigers greats. As the world record points scorer, he kicked many important goals for the club.
“Younger players will be more aware of him as the man who did so much to set up the club’s academy and talent identification systems. His eye for talent and his knowledge of the game have and are serving Tigers wonderfully well, and we were delighted to welcome him back to the club this season and to award him Life Member status. It is thoroughly deserved.”
