William Webb Ellis

English cleric and alleged inventor of rugby

William Webb Ellis (24 November 1806 – 24 February 1872) was an English Anglican clergyman who has been credited as the inventor of rugby football while a pupil at Rugby School. According to accounts by Matthew Bloxam, Webb Ellis caught the ball and ran with it during a school football match in 1823, thus creating the "rugby" style of play. The first accounts of the origins of rugby football appeared in 1876 and were investigated by the Old Rugbeian Society in 1895, producing a report in 1897 supporting Matthew Bloxam's accounts.

From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA. More on occurri.