Morgan, Cliff

Cliff Morgan, in full Clifford Isaac Morgan, (born April 7, 1930, Trebanog, Wales—died August 29, 2013, Bembridge, Isle of Wight, England), Welsh rugby union football player who was one of the sport’s greatest fly halves and was noted for his attacking runs.

Morgan played 29 Test (international) matches for Wales and four for the British Lions (now the British and Irish Lions) between 1951 and 1958. In 1952 he led Wales to the Five Nations (now the Six Nations) Championship in his first full season with the national team. He also played a pivotal role in the famous Welsh victory over New Zealand in 1953; captained the Lions in their third Test match win in South Africa in 1955, which tied that series; and was captain when Wales won the Five Nations Championship in 1956.

After his retirement from the field in 1958, Morgan remained in the spotlight as a respected and popular television and radio commentator. He was also an executive with the BBC. He was a member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1997, and he was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1977 and a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1986.