Career Record for Featherstone
Appearances			Tries	Goals	Drop Goals	Points
Total	Start	Sub
140	131	9	76	1	0	230

Steve Evans was undoubtedly one of the most talented players ever to wear a Rovers jersey.  After scoring 38 tries for Featherstone juniors in 1975/76, he signed at the end of that season.  After a substitute appearance in September 1976, he made his full senior debut at Oldham on 12 December at centre, and while he shared the success of the First Division Championship, his appearances were restricted due to the form of Gilbert and Coventry, and he made only 12 appearances. He did, however, open his try scoring account with two at Barrow on 20 April 1977 which gave Rovers a 7-5 victory and sealed the Championship win.

Given his chance in the opening game of 1977/78, he went on to make 39 appearances appearing as centre, stand-off and wing – hence utility back. This ability to shine in various positions was a tribute to his natural flair and talent. His reputation as a prolific try-scorer was extended into senior football with 22 tries in that season. He scored two hat-tricks against Dewsbury (away) and Salford (at home). At Dewsbury, his second try was described thus: 'using his natural body swerve to full effect, side-stepped five defenders in a diagonal run for a glorious touchdown'. He had two more hat-tricks later in his career.

His outstanding form continued into the 1978/79 season, and at the end of the season he was named Young Player of the Year.  Representative honours had to follow and they literally flowed from March 1979 to November 1980. He made his first appearance for England in March 1979 v France (at stand-off), his full Great Britain debut in the Third Test v Australia at Sydney in July (on the wing) and the first of four appearances for Yorkshire in August - and all this at nineteen years of age!

Touring Australasia in 1979, he scored 16 tries in 19 appearances, including two in the Tests against New Zealand, and by January 1981 had made 13 appearances for Great Britain/England, including two at Under 24 level, when he captained the side.

In 1982, he created his own piece of RL history. On 2 February the Rovers played Hull KR in a preliminary round of the RL Challenge Cup following a decision to introduce professional clubs at that stage. Featherstone lost by 27 points to 18. Evans played in that game, but in the following week he was transferred to Hull for £70,000. He then went on to play for Hull through to the final and thus played for two clubs in the competition. Needless to say, the rules were changed to prevent it happening again. Evans made 166 appearances for Hull, sharing in their success and including an appearance at Wembley in 1983 against his former team-mates when Rovers upset the odds to win 14-12. After leaving Hull in 1987, he finished his playing career with spells at Wakefield, Bradford and Sheffield.

There was no more thrilling sight than to see Steve Evans in full flow. A classy elegant player with pace, swerve and a brilliant side-step, he was at ease in any position, but most consider centre to have been his best position. It was unbelievable how he conjured up tries in unforgettable style. Some maintain that he should have made a world-beater with the talent he had. Be that as it may, he certainly graced the Featherstone scene and 76 tries in 140 appearances was an impressive legacy.

After establishing himself as a successful businessman, Steve Evans came back to Featherstone Rovers for two spells as club chairman, from 2004 to 2006, and then again briefly in 2009 between Paul Coventry and Mark Campbell, before his untimely death in 2017 aged 59.

 

Biography by Ron Bailey