Whereas Kenneth Wolstenholme’s “they think it’s all over” somehow defined England’s football World Cup triumph in 1966, rugby league’s most memorable television moment came in unfortunate circumstances two years later at Wembley, with Eddie Waring’s description of “the poor lad” and Don Fox’s infamous missed kick from in front of the posts that would have won the 1968 Challenge Cup final in the last minute for Wakefield Trinity.

“It’s all on the goal. What a grandstand finish this is,” Waring told his BBC audience, and as the ball sliced off Fox’s boot and wide of the posts, Waring cried: “He’s missed it, he’s missed it. He’s on the ground . . . he’s missed it. Well, and there goes the whistle for time. What a dramatic . . . everybody’s got their head in their hands . . . and he’s in tears, he’s in tears is the poor lad.”

Waring’s sympathy with the despairing Fox struck a public chord and his broadcasting career went from strength to strength, whereas Fox, in the twilight of his career, never quite got over the trauma of missing a place kick that cost his team the cup and unfortunately overshadowed his achievements with Featherstone Rovers, Wakefield, Batley, Yorkshire and Great Britain.

The grainy black-and-white images of a crestfallen Fox on his knees as jubilant Leeds players ran past him have become part of the sport’s folklore. Fox rarely spoke about it in public, but his feelings never deviated from his reaction afterwards to the BBC’s David Coleman in the Wembley tunnel. His first thought was that he had “lost the gold medal for my mates”. When Coleman asked if winning the Lance Todd Trophy for man of the match was consolation, Fox said disconsolately: “No, not really.”

Fox was born in the mining village of Sharlston, near Wakefield, two doors from Joe Mullaney, a lifelong friend who became his halfback teammate at Featherstone for 12 years. Fox was a richly talented scrum half, whose younger brother, Neil, went on to become an inaugural member of the Rugby League Hall of Fame as one of the sport’s greatest centres, and older brother, Peter, a highly successful coach of Featherstone, Bradford, Yorkshire and Great Britain.

The 162 tries Fox scored for Featherstone remain a club record. Injury hampered him on Britain’s 1962 tour to Australia but his try and two goals inspired a 16-5 win over Australia at Headingley in 1963. It was his only international appearance, but he went on with his brother Neil to help Wakefield to a first league championship in 1967 and to successfully defend their title in a championship final victory over Hull Kingston Rovers, seven days before Wakefield’s 1968 Challenge Cup final appearance.

Neil Fox was injured for Wembley but Don played outstandingly in atrocious conditions in what became known as the “watersplash” final. In torrential rain, hailstones and thunder and lightning, Fox landed a penalty and converted a try by Ken Hirst. His tactical awareness kept Wakefield on the front foot but Leeds were winning thanks to four goals by Bev Risman, when Hirst hacked the ball forward in the last few seconds for his second try beside the posts.

The score was 11-10 to Leeds but a straightforward conversion for Fox would win the trophy for Wakefield. In his new autobiography, Peter Fox says: “Don picked the ball up, and I knew what was going through his mind. He was going to wipe the ball, but he was wet through. Also, there was no solid ground for him to place the ball. He needed a towel to dry it. Someone should have come on and dried the ball. And then he was putting the ball in water and mud.

“Neil and I were heartbroken when he missed it. Don was also heartbroken, not so much for himself, but because he had lost a winners’ medal for his team-mates. He was one of the great players of his era, winning many honours in the game. It is sad that many people only remember him because of that missed kick.”

He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their son.

Don Fox, rugby league player, was born on October 15, 1935. He died on August 21, 2008, aged 72