Have you ever wondered why on those wet and windy February nights, the battle cry of Old Faithful would be blasted out over the Boulevard terraces in West Hull? Many supporters don’t know the story behind the one of the most famous anthems in Rugby League, and it dates back all the way to 1933.

Back in the early 1930’s, American country and western singer Gene Autry, most famous for singing Christmas hits including  “Here Comes Santa Claus”, “Frosty the Snowman”, and his biggest hit, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, was in his heyday. He released the single “Old Faithful” in 1932, a song that we’ve become all too familiar with in the modern era. The song relates to one of Autry’s horses that stood by him for many years.

So how on earth did this become the anthem of a little old rugby club in the north? Well, back in October 1928, Hull FC singed a full-back named Joe Oliver from Huddersfield for a fee of £800; a huge price back then. Oliver went on to become the club’s record points scorer after two spells with the club with a huge tally of 1,842 over 12 years

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Oliver returned from Great Britain’s tour Down Under, where he played in all three Tests against Australia and one against New Zealand, when he signed for Hull, later becoming captain in their Championship winning season in 1935-36, where he scored two tries and kicked five goals in a 21-2 victory over Widnes.

In fact, Oliver was so dependable with the boot, he earned the nickname ‘The Points Machine’. During one game in 1933, fans spontaneously began to sing out Aurty’s hit ‘Old Faithful’ from the Threepenny Stand referring to his remarkably accurate boot. The song was a hit amongst supporters and stuck ever since.

Despite signing for Hull KR in 1938 and putting the Black & Whites to the sword in one sensational performance for the Robins, he returned in 1943 for 2 more years to finish his career.

While the words of the club anthem have changed slightly over the years, 83 years later it still sticks and in the mind of FC supporters at least, is the best anthem in the land.

For you, Old Faithful, pal of mine…

1935