Now a local businessman, he is married to Margaret who is a school teacher and has two sons Phil (former Wigan and Great Britain player and Sky Sports pundit) and Andrew who is qualified in sports science and is involved in all aspects of rugby league. I caught up with Colin, who told me he signed for Wigan as a seventeen year old after he should have had three trial games,

"I went to All Saints School where I played rugby league for Wigan and Lancashire Schoolboys. But the schoolmaster at the time was Derek Hurst and he was involved with Orrell Rugby union and he persuaded me to go up there. I rated him as a person, so I decided to go there and play union, which I had never played before.

"I played at hooker from being fifteen until just turned seventeen, and then Wigan came to me and asked me to play three trial games. I played one game at Blackpool and for people with good memories they will remember the very bad winter of 1962/63 and there was no sport played in the United Kingdom at all for four months.

"I only played the one trial and because of the challenge Cup deadline in early February they decided to sign me then. The only other game that I had played in was for the second team against the Wigan first team. It was a daunting experience playing against all my idols such as Boston and McTigue."

He recalled his baptism for Wigan and his home debut,

"I had a good baptism, my first three games were a Castleford, Hull KR and Workington Town and in the sixties they were daunting places to go. We lost the first game because we played ten reserves at Castleford, but we won the other two. I made my home debut against Workington."

The following season, Clarke established himself in the hooking spot replacing the great Bill Sayer who had seven great seasons at the club playing in four Wembley finals and seven Great Britain caps. In 1965 he realised two ambitions in the game playing at Wembley against Hunslet in what has since been described as a 'classic final' and his first appearance for Great Britain at Central Park.

"I played for Great Britain and I played in a Challenge Cup final and it was fantastic at the time. People recall it being the greatest cup final ever and it was a great game against Hunslet and fortunately we came out winners.

"I made my Great Britain debut against New Zealand and it was a great occasion and it was at Wigan. It was one of those games that seemed to go so quick and before you knew it, it was other with. I always think I wish I'd done this, I wish I had done that, but we won on the day."

On the field, Clarke was known as the 'enforcer' in the Wigan side in an era of unlimited tackling and the contested scrums and his heartache was the following year when he was suspended and missed the Challenge Cup Final against St. Helens where he would have been playing against Bill Sayer. In today's game he wouldn't have been sent off he says,

"You would never get sent off these days that's the funny side of it. In those days if you gave thee free kicks away, after one you would be pulled out, after two you would be warned and after three you would be sent off. That wouldn't happen these days, you would be sin binned.

The upside was that Clarke went on the 1966 tour of Australia and New Zealand. He continued to play for Wigan apart from a brief spell at Salford until 1978 missing out on the 1970 Cup final and collecting his last three Great Britain caps against Australia in 1973 before cutting his coaching teeth at Leigh where they won the championship in 1982.

He returned to Wigan as assistant coach to Alex Murphy in 1984 before taking up the mantle as joint coach with Alan McInnes in 1985. That year, Wigan went to Wembley where they won a 'classic final' (the 50th at Wembley) against Hull 28-24 to take the cup home for the first time in twenty years.

Clarke recalls,

"I was a great thing for me because the last time they had won the Challenge Cup, I played in it in sixty-five. so to play in it as a young lad in sixty-five and win it and the next time they win it, go there as coach was such a great achievement for me. Wigan were just starting the to be the dominant force, it was a great experience."

During his time at the club he made 436 appearances five of those coming from the bench scoring 75 tries. He played seven times for Great Britain and went on the 1966 Greta Britain Lions Tour of Australia and New Zealand.

He left the club in 1986 to concentrate on his business, but since 1995 he has sat on the Rugby League Disciplinary Committee and continues to watch the club.

By Steve Manning