John Motson, a renowned sports commentator who had a distinguished career spanning 50 years with the BBC, has passed away at the age of 77.
Over the course of his career, he covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships, and 29 FA Cup finals for BBC Sport. He was affectionately known as “Motty” and had been part of the Match of the Day team since 1971. His family released a statement announcing his peaceful passing in his sleep on Thursday.
Motson started his career as a reporter at the Barnet Press and Sheffield Morning Telegraph before working as a freelancer for BBC Radio Sheffield. He joined the BBC on a full-time basis in 1968 and made his breakthrough as a sports reporter on Radio 2.
He gained widespread recognition after commentating on the famous FA Cup replay between Hereford and Newcastle in 1972, where Hereford’s shock 2-1 win – featuring Ronnie Radford’s famous 30-yard strike – saw the match promoted to the main game, with Motson capturing all the drama.
From 1979 to 2008, Motson was the BBC’s go-to commentator for major finals such as the FA Cup, European Championship and World Cup. During this time, he covered his record-breaking sixth World Cup final in Berlin in 2006 and his 29th FA Cup final in 2008.
He also commentated on over 200 England matches and almost 2,500 televised games.
Motson was known for his trademark sheepskin coats and encyclopedic knowledge of the game. His final game for Match of the Day was between Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in 2018, where he was presented with a framed copy of the programme from his first and last matches at Selhurst Park and a crystal microphone by Palace manager Roy Hodgson.
He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for his services to sports broadcasting and was honored at the British Academy Film and Television Awards (Bafta) in 2018 for his “outstanding contribution to sports broadcasting