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Legendary commentator in football, John Motson has sadly passed away at aged 77.
The iconic commentator was hired by the BBC back in 1968 and became a regular voice on all the major football matches across a standout career in broadcasting.
Born in Salford, Lancashire, the popular broadcaster was a familiar voice over a 50-year career with the BBC after he was hired as a sports presenter for Radio 2 back in 1968. His work in the field eventually earned him an OBE in 2001 for services to sports broadcasting.
His family announced in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce that John Motson OBE died peacefully in his sleep today (Thursday).”
A statement from the BBC confirming his death said: “Motson covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals for BBC Sport before retiring from the organisation in 2018.”
“Popularly known as ‘Motty’, he had worked on Match of the Day since 1971 and commentated on almost 2,500 televised games.”
Renowned for his sheepskin coat, Motson started out as a newspaper reporter at the Barnet Press and at the Sheffield Morning Telegraph. It was whilst working in Sheffield that he got his first taste of work behind the microphone.
He moved to the BBC and his big breakthrough came in 1972 when Hereford United produced a miraculous FA Cup upset against Newcastle in a third round replay which was bumped up to the prime slot on Match of the Day. A game remembered for his iconic commentary on Ronnie Radford’s goal.
“If Ronnie hadn’t scored that goal and Hereford had not beaten Newcastle, I don’t think I would be here talking to you now,” Motson said prior to his retirement in 2018.
“It changed my life, in the sense I was on trial that year at the BBC, I hadn’t got a contract at that stage. I had been on the radio and they kind of borrowed me for a year if you like to see if I made out.”
He was first put in charge of an FA Cup final in 1977 as a late replacement for David Coleman, and soon became the voice of every major final on the BBC including the World Cup, up until 2008.
During that time he oversaw a record six World Cup finals with his last being the 2006 tournament in Germany, as well as 29 FA Cup finals and two Olympic Games.
He was behind the mic when Wimbledon produced their incredible giant-killing win over Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup final, to which Motson remarked “the Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club.”
Sadly, he was also in the gantry for the tragic events at Hillsborough in the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest the following year and would later go on to give evidence at the inquest.
He announced he would be retiring from the BBC at the end of the 2017-18 season and his final match in the gantry for Match of the Day was Crystal Palace’s clash with West Bromwich Albion, after which he was invited onto the pitch and given a huge applause by the fans.
Tributes have poured in for the much-loved broadcaster since the news of his passing.
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