Gary Thornton is an English rugby league coach, and currently head coach of Rochdale Hornets. He has previously coached at Hunslet RLFC and Castleford Tigers^[3] U20s academy side from 2009 to 2012.

in September 2022, he was announced as head-coach of Rochdale Hornets.

As a player, he spent 4 seasons at Wakefield Trinity before joining Batley in 1990, after initially having a loan spell at 'The Mount' in the 1988–89 season. He went on to make 215 appearances for the club scoring 79 tries.

Gary spent five and a half years as head coach at Batley from October 2003-April 2009(the longest serving Championship coach at the time), and also spent time as U21s coach at Wakefield Trinity.^[4]

Gary was Head Coach at York between 2012 and 2014, and Doncaster R.L.F.C. from June 2015 to May 2017.^[5]

Has won the coach of the year award in respective Championship divisions:

• 2006 – National League 1 (Now the Championship) Coach of the Year – Batley
• 2014 – Championship 1 Coach of the Year – York

• Hunslet profile