Known affectionately throughout the footballing fraternity for his willingness to improve the game he loved and for his affable if confrontational nature, Jimmy Hill sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 87 following a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
With Charisma almost as large as is his footballing talented, Hill hosted Match of the Day (before the days of Des Lynam) after representing Fulham on the pitch on 279 occasions before later becoming manager and chairman of Coventry City.
Jimmy Hills enigmatic influence effected the modern game substantially – As chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, he led the campaign for the scrapping of maximum wages for professional footballers. Some of the other ideas Hill helped introduce included establishing a player’s right to freedom of movement at the end of his contract and the introduction of three points for a win.
He also commissioned the first English all-seater stadium, lifted a ban on media interviews, introduced the first electronic scoreboard in 1964 and the first colour match-day programme.
Without him, you can assume the game we love would be very different today.
Following the sad news his agent, Jane Morgan, commented: “It is with great sadness that his wife Bryony Hill and the children of Jimmy Hill have announced that Jimmy passed away peacefully aged 87 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Bryony (is wife) was beside him.”
Truly a sad day for the sport, out thougths go out to his family and anyone that knew him personally.
Here’s some videos of the man that will forever make us smile.