René Fontès

René Fontès (11 June 1941 – 17 March 2019) was a French rugby union executive and politician, perhaps most noted for serving as club president of the Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne, a position he held from 2004 to 2013. He was also mayor of the Eygalières commune in Bouches-du-Rhône from 2008 until his death in 2019.

Fontès at Stade Marcel-Michelin, 2010

Biography

Born in Saint-Martin-de-Crau, Bouches-du-Rhône, Fontès joined the tyre manufacturer Michelin in 1964 as an electrical engineer. He spent a total of forty years at Michelin, and, from 1986, was director of the company's European operation before leaving in 2004.[1][2][3] He succeeded Jean-Louis Jourdan as club president of rugby union club Clermont Auvergne in July 2004.[4] During his time as president, Clermont were victorious in their 2006–07 European Challenge Cup campaign, and also won their first domestic league title in 2009–10.[5] He also oversaw expansion of the club's stadium, Stade Marcel-Michelin, whilst serving as president. Fontès left his role at Clermont in June 2013, and was subsequently replaced by Éric de Cromières.[6]

Fontès was elected mayor of the Bouches-du-Rhône commune of Eygalières, in March 2008. He was re-elected in March 2014,[7] and died in office in 2019. From 2011 until his death, Fontès was a board member of the National Rugby League (LNR),[8] and represented the LNR on the committees of European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) and the French Rugby Federation (FFR).[9][10]

Fontès was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 2011.[11] On 17 March 2019, he died of a sudden heart attack in Eygalières, at the age of 77.[2][8]

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References
  1. "3. Une omniprésence de Michelin dans le club". Institut Numérique (in French). 9 June 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  2. Genet, Cyrille (17 March 2019). "ASM Clermont : l'ancien président René Fontès est décédé". France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  3. Dawson, Brad (6 July 1998). "MICHELIN TO BUILD ADDITION TO EARTHMOVER TIRE PLANT". Tire Business. Lexington, South Carolina, US. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  4. Pastural, Laurent (15 July 2015). "Jean-Louis Jourdan, ancien président de l'ASM Clermont Auvergne de 1996 à 2004, est décédé". France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  5. Jackson, Peter (28 May 2014). "Bath chief Bruce Craig will be director of new Champions Cup". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  6. "Clermont : Eric De Cromières, un président trop discret ?". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 4 June 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  7. "Elections municipales à Eygalières". Annuaire Mairie (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  8. "Quarter-final tribute for key EPCR figure". European Professional Club Rugby. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  9. Rogers, Gareth (21 July 2014). "What you NEED to know about the Rugby Champions Cup". Wales Online. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  10. "La liste de Bernard Laporte en tête à l'élection du comité directeur de la Fédération française de rugby (FFR)". L'Équipe (in French). 3 December 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  11. "René Fontès est à la tête du club clermontois". La Montagne (in French). 11 December 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
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