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John L Sullivan
Recognised as the first heavyweight boxing champion of the world, John Lawrence Sullivan was born in Boston, USA, in 1858. Son of a quick-tempered Boston Irishman, he at first attempted to learn a trade, being for a while an apprentice plumber, tinsmith and stonemason. However, as some journeymen colleagues of Sullivan painfully found out, John […]
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Zinzan Brooke
Former New Zealand rugby captain Zinzan Brooke was a plumber before he turned to playing his sport full-time. The number 8, reckoned by many experts to be one of the all-time greats, played 82 times for the All Blacks, scoring 190 points in the process and captained his country on many occasions. Zinzan was born […]
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Tom Finney
Known as the Preston Plumber, this 76-times capped winger is still considered one of the greatest British players of all time. He became an apprentice plumber at 14, a trade he continued all his working life, even at the height of his international fame. Yet during the 40s and 50s he was never paid any […]