Tex Evans

On 25 January 1964, Terence Evans was born. Born to become one of the defining players for the Junior Devils generation. ‘Tex’ encapsulated everything that makes a cult hero. A one hundred percenter. A flowing mane of golden locks. (On anybody else it would have been a mullet.) Extravagant try scoring celebrations. The working man’s, impressional boy’s and housewife’s favourite—‘dashing’ as Wigan’s programme editor once put it. And of course, mad as a box of frogs with bees in their mouths.

We can look back and say with confidence that Tex won’t make many legends lists or come close to the Reds’ greats; but, at least, everyone remembers him. I can guarantee that when I bump into an old mate I haven’t seen for a while, the inevitable question rears it’s head: ‘You still watching Salford?’ Said friend follows up my sheepish ‘yeah’ with ‘right, is Tex still playing?’ Happens everytime, without fail, regardless who it is. Half taking the piss but half nostalgic reminiscence. I bet if you did a quick survey of all the 25–35 year olds that live within in a two mile radius of The Willows, it wouldn’t surprise me if the only player the majority know who played for Salford is Tex Evans. He isn’t infamous, he’s famous! And for good reason. In his testimonial year, Ian Blease picked Tex in his personal favourite Salford XIII. Nathan McAvoy also named Tex as one of his boyhood heroes. Given his tendancy to lose possession, perhaps that’s not a surprise.

“Although he had touch of the butter fingers about him, Tex knew his way to the try line.”

For all of the non-rugby reasons why we love Tex, such as turning up to training in slippers (that Mark Lee once decided to nail to the changing room floor), it can be easily overlooked that he was a solid player. A good player. A very fit and athletic man in a game that, on the whole, was still part-time and wasn’t unbeknown to an actively encouraged drinking culture (in short, a proper man’s game). You could say Tex was a proto-winger for today’s RL: big and strong, able to play in the second row or fill in at centre—a position where, in fact, he played during most of his Swinton career.

Tex always played for Salford with 100% commitment. A strong runner with the ball and always there to help his forwards. Tex was a great character.Ian Blease

Signing from Crossfields amateurs (Warrington) in November 1985, Tex didn’t wait long for the first professional try, scoring on his debut vs. Leeds. The most successful season he endured for the Lions was 1987–88, scoring 13 tries from 24 matches and finishing up as the club’s top try scorer. That year, Tex also achieved a feat that he could never repeat again in his professional career—in scoring a hat-trick of tries, which he did against Hull KR on 29 November 1987.

Prior to the 1988–89 season, Tex stayed away from the club; reportedly because Swinton wouldn’t grant his request for a car! As a result, they transfer listed Tex at £45,000. Salford were among the interested parties, offering £30,000. Perhaps a sneer at the mere notion of letting Tex join the Reds, Swinton bumped the price tag up to £85,000, leaving a tribunal to set the final price of £40,000 that Salford agreed to pay. Tex duly signed on 17 August 1988 and made his debut at The Willows a fortnight later against Hull KR.

Regardless of his tendancy to drop the odd ball or twelve, Tex knew his way to the line and could finish. And boy, did he celebrate those tries! The most memorable of which, for me, was in the 1988 Lancashire Cup Final. T’was a post try boogie to rival anything Henderson Gill could conjure. Tex’s try scoring prowess was never illustrated more than during 1991–92, where he finished the season as Salford’s top try scorer with 20. Although this was his greatest return at The Willows, Tex remained a regular feature in the team until the 1994–95 season. More a bit part player in that relegation stricken year, Tex’s last match for Salford was against Widnes. After which he departed, back to the amateur scene with Woolston Rovers.

For a while it was rumoured that, after his playing career was over, Tex had won the lottery and emigrated abroad. However, a couple of years ago, more than a decade after Tex left The Willows, Forever Reds managed to ascertain his real whereabouts. Still living fairly locally and sans fabled lottery monies, the Supporters Trust invited him to speak at the Sportspersons’ Dinner. When I say speak, he ran the show. Bear in mind, this was a top table that Alex Murphy was also sat onl. Then afterwards he did the rounds, talking with anyone who bent a willing ear. Top bloke, although having lost none of his looks, hair or physique, the bastard looked younger than me!

We asked fans on the ScarletTurkey.com forum to share their most memorable Tex Evans moments. We weren’t short of a story or two:

I remember Tex missing the start of the season (1992-93, I think) because he mistakenly booked his annual family holiday to coincide with the start of the season. Only Tex could do that!

Tex Evans was my absolute hero when I was a kid I got a signed birthday card off him and Phil Ford. I was so chuffed he was great player and always put in 110%.

Remember the great man arriving at Saints unshaven and looking like he had been out on the tiles… I suspect this was his normal training routine

I remember when his pants were ripped off and he ran full length down the touchline to score with just his blue knickers on!

I remember him getting sent off at Naughton Park after flattening Martin Offiah!! think it was the season before Jonathan Davies signed for Widnes and we got hammered 59-0. Those were the day’s standing in one of Widnes’s umpteen sheds! I’ll always remember the superb celebrations he did once he scored a try but on one occassion he celebrated first and dropped the ball over the line! Kevin Ashcroft was livid!

He couldnt catch a pass or a high ball, he couldnt pass but when he had the ball in his hands he was awesome. He is my all time favorite player he got me hooked on Salford. His favourite trick was when he was chasing a kick through and the fullback dived on it he wouldnt tackle him he would just stand there and wait for him to get up then nail him into touch. Me and my dad still go on about that and cant understand why players dont do it nowadays.

1)The elaborate celebration of bouncing the ball between his legs after scoring. 2) I remember him being carried from the field at Chorley in a daze in a mid week game with a bad jaw injury (was it broken ), I think he was all for staying on. 3)The chairman told a cracker at the Sportsmans Dinner, when Salford were trying to sign Tex from Swinton he was very elusive to track down. He was finally spotted by Albert White and directed to a roof top in Swinton: working on the roof and wearing a crash helmet to avoid being spotted by the DSS! Not the safest pair of hands in the game but what a crowd pleaser.

The only thing I remember about Tex was his hair.

One of the memories i have of ‘Disco Tex‘ was every other home programme you bought,you flick through a few pages and Tex would be dressed in a different fancy dress costume largin it! One week he would be dressed as Tarzan, the next a Canadian mounted policeman. This guy was a party legend, not to mention a rugby one as well!