Danie Craven
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. While as a player Craven is mostly remembered as one of rugby's greatest dive-passing
scrumhalves ever, 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". Craven denied saying this and in his later career promoted 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).
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