Willie Horne (23 January 1922 – 23 March 2001) was an English rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s. He played for Great Britain, England, Lancashire and Barrow between 1943 and 1959 and captained all four sides as a round the corner style goal-kicking stand-off. He captained Great Britain in a test series against Australia (1952). In October 2014 he was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame, and is therefore regarded as one of the best 23 players in the history of the British game.
Horne played in Barrow's 7-9 defeat by Leeds in the 1957 Challenge Cup Final during the 1956–57 season at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 11 May 1957, in front of a crowd of 76,318. Horne set new records for Barrow's "Most Career Points" with 1,818,[9] and is ninth in Barrow's all time try scorers list with 112-tries.[10]
Post-playing
Horne was inducted into the Barrow club's Hall of Fame when it was launched in 2001 alongside 1950s teammates Phil Jackson and Jimmy Lewthwaite. Horne died on 23 March 2001 aged 79 at his home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England and a statue of him now stands opposite Craven Park, the home of Barrow. This statue in Memory of Willie is sited in 'gardens' between Duke Street and Howard Street, in front of College House, Barrow-in-Furness.
