# Rob Burrow
**Rob Burrow** (26 September 1982 – 2 June 2024) was an English professional rugby league footballer who spent his entire career with [Leeds Rhinos](https://www.edgepedia.org/leeds-rhinos), winning eight [Super League](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-league) titles, and who became a prominent campaigner for motor neurone disease (MND) awareness after his own diagnosis in December 2019[1](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rob-burrow/summary.html) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crggwy1wp96o). At 5 ft 5 in he was among the smallest men in rugby league, yet he became one of its biggest names[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crggwy1wp96o).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1982, Pontefract; 2 June 2024, aged 41[1](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rob-burrow/summary.html) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54) |
| Club career | Leeds Rhinos 2001–2017, 492 appearances, fifth in the club's all-time list; heritage number 1326[4](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/rob-and-mnd) • [5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob) |
| Major honors | Eight Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups (2014, 2015), three World Club Challenges (2005, 2008, 2012)[1](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rob-burrow/summary.html) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crggwy1wp96o) |
| International career | 15 England caps and five Great Britain caps; Player of the Tournament in the 2007 Test series against New Zealand[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crggwy1wp96o) • [5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob) |
| Diagnosis | Motor neurone disease, announced 19 December 2019 at age 37[4](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/rob-and-mnd) • [6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow) |
| Honours for campaigning | MBE in 2021; CBE in the 2024 New Year Honours[6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow) |
| Fundraising legacy | Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon has raised £14.1 million since 2023; Rob Burrow Centre for MND opened to patients in November 2025[7](https://www.runforall.com/community/news/141-million-raised-as-rob-burrow-leeds-marathon-delivers-lasting-impact-for-communities-and-mnd/) • [8](https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/appeal-faqs) |
## Playing career
Burrow was born in Pontefract and joined Leeds Rhinos from Featherstone ARLFC, rising through the club's academy to make his first-team debut against Hull on 6 April 2001[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54) • [5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob). He scored seven tries in 17 games in his first season and was voted Super League Young Player of the Year in 2001[5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob).
**The Leeds golden generation.** Burrow played his entire 16-year career with the Rhinos and won every honor available to the club[5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob). In 2004 he helped Leeds end a 32-year wait for the Championship with victory over Bradford in the Grand Final, the club's first Super League title[5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54). His trophy record with Leeds stands at eight Super League Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups in 2014 and 2015, and three World Club Challenge wins in 2005, 2008, and 2012[1](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rob-burrow/summary.html) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crggwy1wp96o). In 2015 he made 30 appearances in the campaign that saw the Rhinos capture the treble for the first time in their history[5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob).
**Individual performances.** In 2007 Burrow won the club's Player of the Year award and the Harry Sunderland Award as Man of the Match in the Grand Final[5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob). His performance in the 2011 Super League Grand Final, in which he came off the bench to score a try in Leeds's victory, won him a second Harry Sunderland Award with 100 percent of the votes[5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob). He played as halfback and hooker[1](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rob-burrow/summary.html).
**International career.** Burrow was capped 15 times by England and played five tests for Great Britain[4](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/rob-and-mnd). He joined the England set-up in 2003 and first appeared for Great Britain in 2005[9](https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/news/2021/03/rob-burrow-honorary-doctorate/) • [5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob). In the 2007 Test series against New Zealand he starred in Great Britain's 3-0 victory, scoring two tries and nine goals, and was named Player of the Series[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54) • [5](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob).
He announced his retirement in July 2017 and finished with a Grand Final win, Leeds beating Castleford 24-6 at [Old Trafford](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-trafford) in his last game[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54). His 492 appearances place him fifth in the club's all-time list[4](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/rob-and-mnd). After retiring he began working in the Leeds academy as a coach[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54).
## Diagnosis and campaigning
Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in December 2019, a week before the announcement on 19 December 2019; he was 37 years old and the father of three children all under eight[4](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/rob-and-mnd) • [6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow). He had first noticed problems with his speech during an awards ceremony[6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow). MND, known in the United States as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or [Lou Gehrig](https://www.edgepedia.org/lou-gehrig)'s disease, is a progressive condition for which there is no cure[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54).
In the months after the diagnosis, Burrow and his family chose to share their story publicly. Alongside fellow sportsmen Doddie Weir MBE and [Stephen Darby](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-darby), who had also been diagnosed with MND, he appeared on [BBC Breakfast](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-breakfast) discussing the disease[6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow). The BBC documentary *Rob Burrow: My Year With MND* was broadcast in 2020, and a second documentary, *Living With MND*, aired in 2022[6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow) • [10](https://www.mndassociation.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/FAQ%20for%20branches%20and%20groups%20RB%20%20%281%29.pdf). As his speech failed he communicated through a speech recognition tool built on recorded samples of his own voice[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crggwy1wp96o).
**Recognition.** Burrow accepted an invitation to become a patron of the MND Association in 2021 and was awarded an MBE that year for services to rugby league and the MND community; he was advanced to CBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to MND awareness[6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow). [Leeds Beckett University](https://www.edgepedia.org/leeds-beckett-university) awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2021[9](https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/news/2021/03/rob-burrow-honorary-doctorate/).
## Fundraising legacy
Burrow's story inspired his friend and former teammate [Kevin Sinfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-sinfield), Leeds captain for much of Burrow's playing career, to undertake his first 7 in 7 Challenge in 2020, running seven marathons in seven days for MND causes[6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54). According to Leeds Rhinos, Burrow and Sinfield together inspired nearly £20 million in fundraising across the UK and Ireland[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54).
**The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon.** The city of Leeds hosted the first Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May 2023, the first marathon in the city for 20 years[6](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow) • [11](https://www.mndassociation.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/MNDA%20Summer%20Newsletter%202023%20-%20Final.pdf). At the inaugural event Sinfield pushed Burrow in his wheelchair for the 26.2-mile course and carried him over the finish line[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54). The hilly route runs from Headingley to Otley and back; the first edition drew over 12,000 participants and raised more than £1.5 million for the MND Association alone[12](https://www.mndassociation.org/media/latest-news/inaugural-rob-burrow-leeds-marathon-and-half-marathon-raises-money). Since launching in 2023 the event has raised £14.1 million for charity[7](https://www.runforall.com/community/news/141-million-raised-as-rob-burrow-leeds-marathon-delivers-lasting-impact-for-communities-and-mnd/).
**The Rob Burrow Centre for MND.** A £6.8 million fundraising campaign led by Leeds Hospitals Charity, supported heavily by Sinfield and the Leeds Rhinos and Leeds communities, funded a purpose-built MND care center at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds[8](https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/appeal-faqs) • [13](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/the-rob-burrow-centre-for-motor-neurone-disease/the-rob-burrow-centre-for-motor-neurone-disease-strategy/). Construction began in June 2024, and the center opened to its first patients in November 2025[14](https://www.therhinos.co.uk/article/23516/leeds-rhinos-to-honour-rob-burrows-legacy-at-annual-mnd-awarness-game) • [8](https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/appeal-faqs). It combines clinical care, family support, and research under one roof, a model its operators describe as a first of its kind for MND patients, their families, and carers[13](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/the-rob-burrow-centre-for-motor-neurone-disease/the-rob-burrow-centre-for-motor-neurone-disease-strategy/).
## Death and tributes
Burrow died on 2 June 2024 at Pinderfields Hospital in [Wakefield](https://www.edgepedia.org/wakefield), four and a half years after his diagnosis, surrounded by his wife Lindsey and their children Macy, Maya, and Jackson[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54) • [15](https://www.mndassociation.org/media/latest-news/death-rob-burrow-cbe-0). Prince William wrote in a personally signed message: "He taught us, 'in a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream'"[3](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54).
Tributes have continued in sport and beyond. The Player of the Match at the Super League Grand Final now receives the Rob Burrow Award, recognizing his link to Old Trafford[16](https://www.rugby-league.com/uploads/docs/RFL_Annual%2520Report%25202024_FINAL_compressed.pdf). In September 2025, on what would have been his 43rd birthday, a Class 195 train operated by Northern was dedicated to him with artwork across two carriages, unveiled at Castleford station[17](https://www.mndassociation.org/media/latest-news/rob-burrow-remembered-train-named-after-rugby-league-hero). Leeds Rhinos hold an annual MND awareness fixture that has raised funds for MND causes since 2020[14](https://www.therhinos.co.uk/article/23516/leeds-rhinos-to-honour-rob-burrows-legacy-at-annual-mnd-awarness-game).
## References
1. [Rob Burrow – Playing Career, Rugby League Project](https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/players/rob-burrow/summary.html)
2. [Rob Burrow dies: Leeds rugby league great and MND campaigner, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crggwy1wp96o)
3. [Rugby star and ALS campaigner Rob Burrow dies at age 41, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/6810e415ec1b003c9b74ee4ba4220f54)
4. [Rob and MND, Leeds Rhinos](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/rob-and-mnd)
5. [About Rob, Leeds Rhinos](https://therhinos.co.uk/rob-burrow-cbe/about-rob)
6. [Rob Burrow: His Life and His Legacy, MND Association](https://www.mndassociation.org/about-us/our-people/our-vips/rob-burrow)
7. [£14.1 Million Raised as Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon Delivers Lasting Impact, Run For All](https://www.runforall.com/community/news/141-million-raised-as-rob-burrow-leeds-marathon-delivers-lasting-impact-for-communities-and-mnd/)
8. [Rob Burrow Centre for MND FAQs, Leeds Hospitals Charity](https://www.leedshospitalscharity.org.uk/appeal-faqs)
9. [Inspirational Rob Burrow MBE Awarded Honorary Doctorate, Leeds Beckett University](https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/news/2021/03/rob-burrow-honorary-doctorate/)
10. [FAQ for branches and groups following the announcement, MND Association](https://www.mndassociation.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/FAQ%20for%20branches%20and%20groups%20RB%20%20%281%29.pdf)
11. [MNDA Summer 2023 Newsletter, MND Association](https://www.mndassociation.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/MNDA%20Summer%20Newsletter%202023%20-%20Final.pdf)
12. [Inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds marathon and half marathon top £1.5 million, MND Association](https://www.mndassociation.org/media/latest-news/inaugural-rob-burrow-leeds-marathon-and-half-marathon-raises-money)
13. [The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Strategy, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust](https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/services/the-rob-burrow-centre-for-motor-neurone-disease/the-rob-burrow-centre-for-motor-neurone-disease-strategy/)
14. [Leeds Rhinos to honour Rob Burrow's legacy at annual MND awareness game, Leeds Rhinos](https://www.therhinos.co.uk/article/23516/leeds-rhinos-to-honour-rob-burrows-legacy-at-annual-mnd-awarness-game)
15. [Death of Rob Burrow CBE, MND Association](https://www.mndassociation.org/media/latest-news/death-rob-burrow-cbe-0)
16. [RFL Annual Report 2024, Rugby Football League](https://www.rugby-league.com/uploads/docs/RFL_Annual%2520Report%25202024_FINAL_compressed.pdf)
17. [Rob Burrow remembered as train named after rugby league hero, MND Association](https://www.mndassociation.org/media/latest-news/rob-burrow-remembered-train-named-after-rugby-league-hero)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › Rugby league players and personnel*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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