Rob Burrow, the legendary rugby league player from Great Britain and the Leeds Rhinos, is renowned for his valiant fight against motor neurone illness.
He was diagnosed with MND in late 2019 and lived till his death at the age of 41.
Only two years had passed since his playing retirement when he was diagnosed, after a career that had seen him win two Challenge Cups, three World Club Challenges, and eight Super League grand finals.
The Rhinos, who referred to their former scrum-half and hooker as “a true inspiration throughout his life whether that was on the rugby league field or during his battle with MND,” made the announcement of Burrow’s passing.
Burrow, according to the Prince of Wales, would go down in history as a “legend” with “a huge heart”.
At the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year ceremony in 2022, Burrow received the Helen Rollason Award, and his former Leeds teammate Kevin Sinfield was also honored.
Burrow received the honor for his unwavering efforts to fight MND head-on and raise awareness of the disease.
Burrow played for Leeds during his whole club career, making almost 400 matches between 2001 and 2017.
In the 2021 New Year Honours, Burrow—one of the most accomplished rugby league players in history—was awarded an MBE for his contributions to the sport and to the MND community.
Burrow received a CBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours, together with his close buddy Sinfield. Since Burrow’s diagnosis, the two have contributed to the more than £15 million raised for MND charities.
When Burrow found out he had MND, he spoke in a rebellious manner.
“The worst thing for me is people pitying me,” he stated. “I want to be as normal as ever, but I know it’s coming.
“While I am able-bodied and feel fit and strong and healthy, I want to do normal things and not be treated any differently.”
After getting married in 2006, Burrow and Lindsey have Jackson, Maya, and Macy together.
Leeds stated of Burrow in a statement following his death on Sunday: “He never let others define what he could achieve and believed in his own ability to do more.”
“Rob has cherished the affection and support he has gotten over the previous four and a half years from the whole Burrow family.
“The MND community and the rugby league family in particular have come together to support Rob and have inspired him. We appreciate your support.”
“Rob’s tenacity and spirit in the face of motor neuron disease during the past four and a half years came as no surprise to those who knew him throughout his life.
“Rob never gave up on his ability to accomplish a goal. He simply figured out a way to do it more effectively than anyone else.
“He will never stop inspiring us all on a daily basis. in a world rife with hardship. Dreaming must be brave.
It was revealed in February that Burrow, the first player to win the trophy twice, in 2007 and 2011, would be honored with a new moniker for the player of the match award at this year’s Super League Grand Final.
Super League leaders St Helens hailed Burrow as “a hero in every sense of the word,” while Wigan Warriors declared that “his legacy will live on through those whose lives he touched, and his story will continue to inspire all.” Tributes from the rugby league community poured in.
The Rugby Football League paid tribute to Burrow, saying: “Since December 2019, his courage and humanity – allied to that of his family, friends and former Leeds Rhinos team-mates, led by Kevin Sinfield CBE – has transcended sport.”
During his visit to Headingley in January of this year, the Prince of Wales, who gave Burrow and Sinfield the CBE, paid tribute on X.
“A legend of Rugby League, Rob Burrow had a huge heart,” the prince wrote. “We must dare to dream in a world full of adversity,” he instructed us. I, Catherine, Lindsey, Jackson, Maya, and Macy express our love.”
Burrow became a patron of the MND Association in 2021. The organization expressed its “deep gratitude to Rob and his family for sharing the details of their journey and inspiring so many people within the MND community and the wider public, and for helping to raise awareness of MND and funds for the association.”
The organization continued, “By doing so much, he inspired support from so many.”
“It is testament to the strength of feeling people have for Rob that the support in his name has never wavered.”
