Paul Broughton

{{short description|Australian rugby league footballer and coach (1931–2022)}}

{{Infobox rugby league biography

|name = Paul Broughton
{{post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}}

|fullname =

|image =

|imagesize =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{birth date|1931|03|31|df=y}}

|birth_place = Australia

|death_date = {{death date and age|2022|12|3|1931|03|31|df=y}}

|death_place =

|height =

|weight =

|position = {{Rlp|FE|lk}}

|club1 = St. George

|year1start = 1954

|year1end =

|appearances1 = 7

|tries1 = 1

|goals1 = 0

|fieldgoals1 = 0

|points1 = 3

|club2 = Balmain

|year2start = 1957

|year2end =

|appearances2 = 1

|tries2 = 0

|goals2 = 0

|fieldgoals2 = 0

|points2 = 0

|coachteam1 = Past Brothers

|coachyear1start = 1974

|coachyear1end =

|coachgames1 = 24

|coachwins1 = 12

|coachdraws1 = 1

|coachlosses1 = 11

|coachteam2 = Balmain

|coachyear2start = 1975

|coachyear2end = 76

|coachgames2 = 45

|coachwins2 = 22

|coachdraws2 = 2

|coachlosses2 = 21

|coachteam3 = Newtown

|coachyear3start = 1977

|coachyear3end = 78

|coachgames3 = 27

|coachwins3 = 2

|coachdraws3 = 0

|coachlosses3 = 25

|updated =

|source =

}}

Paul Broughton {{postnominal|country=AUS|OAM}} (31 March 1931 – 3 December 2022)[https://www.mygc.com.au/titans-founding-chairman-paul-broughton-dies-aged-91/ Titans founding chairman Paul Broughton dies, aged 91] was an Australian rugby league footballer, coach and club chief executive. He was the Chairman of the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL.{{cite news

| last = Masters, Roy

| author-link = Roy Masters (sport)

| title = Small men need not apply to this select club

| work = The Sydney Morning Herald

| place =Australia

| date = 2010-07-02

| url = http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/small-men-need-not-apply-to-this-select-club-20100701-zqqa.html?rand=1277993214050

| accessdate = 2010-07-01}} He also served on the board of the North Queensland Cowboys.{{cite news

| last = Gee

| first = Steve

| title = NRL fans demand home and away comp

| work = The Daily Telegraph

| place =Australia

| date = 2010-06-25

| url = http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-fans-demand-home-and-away-comp/story-e6frfgbo-1225884011694

| accessdate = 2010-07-04}} He has been described by some as an Australian rugby league football identity.

Playing career

Broughton was graded at St. George in 1952, and captained the team to the Third Grade premiership in 1953. He played in Sydney's First Grade NSWRFL Premiership for St. George in the 1954 season before playing with Corrimal as captain/coach. He played 44 grade games for St. George in all grades (1952-1954).

Broughton returned to the Sydney Premiership in 1957 with Balmain but was injured in the first match of the season and forced into retirement.{{cite news| title =Player Profile – Paul Broughton| work =yesterdayshero.com.au| place =Australia| publisher =SmartPack International Pty Ltd| url =http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Paul-Broughton_1306.aspx| accessdate =2010-07-05| url-status =dead| archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20120906145450/http://www.yesterdayshero.com.au/PlayerProfile_Paul-Broughton_1306.aspx| archivedate =6 September 2012}}Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, 1995. {{ISBN|1875169571}}

Coaching career

Post-playing Broughton coached the St. George Dragons in third grade and reserve grade (three premierships 1962–1964) and went on to become the club's chairman of selectors in 1968. He later worked for the NSWRFL before a season coaching Brisbane's Brothers club in 1974. The following season Broughton returned to Sydney with the Balmain club, whom he coached from 1975 to 1976, then Newtown from 1977 to the fifth game of 1978, after which a major internal upheaval caused him, along with reserve grade coach Dave Bolton, to be dismissed in favour of St. George legend (and ex-Jet) Johnny Raper"Raper takes over the reins"; in Sydney Morning Herald; 28 April 1978; p. 18 and Bob Carnegie.

After coaching Broughton worked as New South Wales Rugby League development officer.{{cite news

| last = Curran

| first = Brian

| title = Last Word

| work = The Sydney Morning Herald

| place =Australia

| pages = 51

| date = 1989-07-11

| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zDkRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8OcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4592,8618636

| accessdate = 2010-07-04}}

Following the removal of the Gold Coast Chargers from the newly established National Rugby League at the end of the 1998 season, Broughton worked towards the foundation of the Titans, and has been described as "the Godfather of Gold Coast rugby league".{{cite news

| last = Turgeon

| first = Luke

| title = Godfather awaiting his finals blessing

| work = goldcoast.com.au

| place =Australia

| date = 2009-08-08

| url = http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/08/08/106311_gold-coast-titans.html

| accessdate = 2010-07-04}} The Titans annual award for best and fairest player is named the Paul Broughton Medal in his honour.{{cite news

| title = Bailey, Laffranchi share Titans' top honour

| publisher = ABC News

| place =Australia

| date = 2007-10-04

| url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/04/2050448.htm?site=news

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101116093413/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/04/2050448.htm?site=news

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 16 November 2010

| accessdate = 2010-07-04}}

Personal life and death

Broughton received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours "for services to rugby league, and to the community."{{cite web |title=QB17 – Gazette Order of Australia |url=https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/honours/qb/qb2017/mnxi3_8skq/QB17%20-%20Gazette%20Order%20of%20Australia.pdf |website=Governor-General of Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110224742/https://www.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/honours/qb/qb2017/mnxi3_8skq/QB17%20-%20Gazette%20Order%20of%20Australia.pdf |access-date=5 December 2022|archive-date=10 November 2017 }} He died in December 2022, at the age of 91.{{cite news |last1=O'Loughlin |first1=Liam |title=Rugby league figure Paul Broughton dies, aged 91 |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/au/rugby-league/news/rugby-league-figure-paul-broughton-dies-aged-91/q2sinb477kyvsogwkqoy62ih |access-date=4 December 2022 |publisher=The Sporting News |date=4 December 2022}}