Danie Craven

Danie Craven
Craven in New Zealand in 1956
Birth nameDaniël Hartman Craven
Date of birth(1910-10-11)11 October 1910
Place of birthLindley, Free State, South Africa
Date of death4 January 1993(1993-01-04) (aged 82)
Place of deathStellenbosch, South Africa
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight80 kg (176 lb)
SchoolLindley High School
UniversityStellenbosch University
Occupation(s)President of South African Rugby ('56–'93)
Director of Sport ('76–'84)
Professor of Physical Education ('49–'75)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half ('31–38)
Centre ('33)
Fly-half ('37)
No. 8 ('37)
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1925 Lindley RFC ()
1929–1935[2] Stellenbosch University ()
1936–1937 Albany (Grahamstown) ()
1938[2] Garrison RFC[2][1] ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1931–1935 Western Province[3] ()
1936–1937? Eastern Province ()
1938 Northern Transvaal[2][3][4] ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1931–1938 South Africa 16 (6)
Coaching career
Years Team
1949–1956 Stellenbosch University[1]
1949–1956 South Africa

Daniël Hartman Craven (11 October 1910 – 4 January 1993) was a South African rugby union player (1931–1938), national coach, national and international rugby administrator, academic, and author. Popularly known as Danie, Doc, or Mr Rugby, Craven's appointment from 1949 to 1956 as coach of the Springboks signalled "one of the most successful spells in South African rugby history" during which the national team won 74% of their matches.[5] While as a player Craven is mostly remembered as one of rugby's greatest dive-passing scrumhalves ever,[1] he had also on occasion been selected to play for the Springboks as a centre, fly-half, No.8, and full-back. As the longest-serving President of the South African Rugby Board (1956–93) and chairman of the International Rugby Board (1962, 1973, 1979), Craven became one of the best-known and most controversial rugby administrators. In 1969, Craven sparked outrage among anti-apartheid activists when he allegedly said, "There will be a black springbok over my dead body".[6][1][7] Craven denied saying this and in his later career promoted black and coloured training facilities.

Craven earned doctorates in ethnology (1935), psychology (1973) and physical education (1978). He not only created the physical training division of the South African Defence Force (1941) but became the first professor of physical education at Stellenbosch University (1949).[1][8]

  1. ^ a b c d e "2007 Inductee: Dr Danie Craven". IRB Hall of Fame. IRB.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference reus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "SA Rugby Player Profile – Danie Craven". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Danie Craven". Enslin's Springbok Rugby Hall of Fame. genslin.us/bokke/. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  5. ^ John Nauright & Charles Parrish, ed. (2012). Sports around the World. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. p. 150. ISBN 9781598843002. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  6. ^ "There will be a black springbok over my dead body". www.news24.com. news24.com. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  7. ^ Nauright, John. "Danie Craven". Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica.com. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).