Tom Brophy

Tom Brophy taught chemistry at the Boys’ Grammar in the mid 1960s.

He was born on 8 July 1942 in Liverpool. He studied chemistry at Loughborough College, where he played for Loughborough Colleges, the forerunner of the Loughborough Students Rugby Union Football Club. He became a chemistry teacher at Rossall School before his move into rugby league.

Brophy made his international rugby union début on 8 February 1964 at Twickenham in the England vs Ireland match. Of the 8 matches he played for his national side he was on the winning side on just one occasion. He played his last match for England on 26 February 1966 at Colombes in the France vs England match.

Brophy's union career finished in 1966 when, on 3 October, he signed rugby league for Barrow. 

It was at this stage that he became a chemistry master at Barrow Grammar School for Boys.

Within a year of joining Barrow, Brophy was in the team that made it to the 1967 Challenge Cup Final. They lost before a crowd of 76,290 to Featherstone Rovers 17-12 despite going into the game as favourites.

In 1972 he signed for Rochdale Hornets in an exchange deal that took Joe Chamberlain to the north Lancashire club. 

Brophy joined Salford in 1974, making 14 appearances for the club. He played stand-off in Salford's 0–0 draw with Warrington in the 1974 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final during the 1974–75 season at The Willows, Salford on Tuesday 17 December 1974, but was replaced by Ken Gill in the 10–5 victory in the replay at Wilderspool Stadium, Warrington on Tuesday 28 January 1975.

Upon its opening in the early 1980s, Brophy became headmaster of St Gregory's Catholic High School in Warrington, a position he would hold until his retirement in 2000. As of April 2017, he is the longest-running headmaster of the school so far.