About Willie Mason
William Marshall Mason (born 15 April 1980), also nicknamed "Big Willie", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australia and Tonga international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played in the National Rugby League for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (with whom he won the 2004 Grand Final and Clive Churchill Medal), the Sydney Roosters, the North Queensland Cowboys, the Newcastle Knights and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Mason also played in the Super League for English club Hull Kingston Rovers and French club, the Catalans Dragons. He also played rugby union in the Top 14 for French club RC Toulonnais. During his career Mason was involved in a number of controversial off-field incidents which have received media publicity due to his high profile in the NRL. == Early life == Mason was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to an Australian father of English descent and a Tongan-Samoan mother, Mason moved to Australia at a young age and grew up in Toronto, New South Wales, playing his junior football for the Toronto Macquarie Scorpions and the Lakes United Seagulls. Mason experienced a significant growth spurt in his late teenage years; by age 16, he was approximately 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) tall and weighed 95–100 kilograms (209–220 lb). Between the ages of 16 and 17, he grew to about 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) and reached a weight of 115 kilograms (254 lb) naturally, without undertaking weight training, attributing this rapid development to genetics. During his junior years, Mason primarily played in the backline, featuring as a fullback, wing, and center until the age of 16. In addition to rugby league, he was a talented track and field athlete, competing as a state-level runner in the 100 and 200 meters, and also participating in high jump. == Professional rugby league career == In 1997, Mason was signed by the Hunter Mariners and played in the lower grades until the club became defunct at the end of the year.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.