The end is nigh for one of the greatest that Super League has ever seen, as 2016 Steve Prescott Man of Steel Danny Houghton has officially announced his retirement from the sport.

Having played the sport he loves, for the club he loves for just over half his life so far, Danny’s achievements are the stuff of a Boys Own Hero and no mistake, with much of the attention poured into just one tackle, by a man who has made the Super League Hitman, or top tackler award, almost his own personal property.

It’s definitely fair to say that his infamous #Tackle52 on Ben Currie at Wembley in 2016 has proved to be his greatest accomplishment as it ended decades of pain and torture for us Black & Whites, however that season was about so much more for the very likable hooker as his standout performances and dedication and influence on the team in general earned him the only Man of Steel award picked up by a Hull FC player so far.

I have personally spoken to him more times than I can remember and he has always had time to talk to the fans and the media, he is absolutely as genuine and authentic as they get.

I still don’t know how he acquired the nickname of Mint, but I have my own idea and I’m not sure that I want to know the real reason behind it, although I suppose it could just be, as I like to think, that somebody, maybe even more than one person, has said he was Mint for the team, but I like to leave certain things to opinion and this is one of them, because he is such an iconic player, I just like to think as soon as the nickname Mint is mentioned in any conversation, we all know who we’re talking about anyway.

I remember a time some years ago, when he was still just a young player, Hull had signed Australian superstar Shaun Berrigan, who was a genuinely quality addition to our ranks make no mistake, but at the end of the 2010 season, such was the faith in Mint’s abilities, the club decided that they could let Berrigan leave a year earlier than planned, because we believed we had one hell of a young player who could fill his boots and even bring something more to the team, so the former Australian international and State of Origin representative was cast aside and Danny took the number 9 shirt which he has warn with such distinction ever since.

With the 2016 and 2017 Wembley triumphs and the Man of Steel award, plus England Knights representation, vice-captaincy and captaincy in the bag, it certainly is fair to say that he has had a stellar career, but there is a bigger picture to look at, one that stretches beyond the field of play.

I have personally seen him at the training ground, taking time out to go and work with Hull’s younger players and was recently seen involving himself, despite a torn calf injury, helping with some community training at Hull’s new community hub and training facility, when sponsors/children etc were invited to take part in a bit of training with the first team players and coaches etc.

Mint has always also been quite a go to person during the club’s annual Hull & Proud Week, taking part in several events, realising the importance of it to his hometown club.

Having scored 50+ tries for the club, it’s clearly not just his defensive attributes that have been important to his team, he has also been known for kicking a few 40/20s and, of course, he also holds the record, by quite some distance for playing in the most Hull Derby matches, which is a record unlikely to be broken for quite some years, if ever?

In previous years of course, Mr Johnny Whiteley MBE has been known as Mr Hull FC and with very good reason, however that now seems a mantle that Mint will carry with aplomb throughout the rest of his lifetime and it is just a measure of the man himself that his name can be referred to in the same breath as arguably Hull’s greatest ever player, who of course captained Hull’s famous ‘Panzer Pack’ in the 1960s.

I feel it is only fair to say that Danny Houghton has been a true generational player, a club stalwart who has been known for always negotiating his own contracts with the club, doing the hard work himself rather than leaving it in the hands of the growing amount of greedy agents.

It is said in the rugby league world that words such as heroand icon are words that are used far too easily, however I know for certain that it is definitely fair to refer to Danny Houghton as an iconic hero and I’m sure in the knowledge that not many people will disagree with me.

Finally, just a big thank you to Danny for his service to our club, from me, a supporter and journalist, and I’m sure on behalf of all the Old Faithful who have enjoyed watching you throughout the years.

Please, add your own messages on this post for Danny and I will ensure he gets to see them in due course!

Written by Ian Judson (Site contributor & Hull FC fan)