[Crimson Dynamo]

John Motson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

"The innovations he introduced when Coventry manager were remarkable. He created the first all-seater stadium, he started the 'Sky Blues Train' to take fans to away matches, he even rode a horse on the pitch and wrote a song that resounded round Wembley.

"It never stopped with Jim, and he moved into TV and became an innovator there too - the first pundit of his kind to use clips of matches to analyse what was going on the pitch. He was original and revolutionary, and when he brought his gifts to the BBC, he found himself sitting next to a very nervous John Motson at my first ever FA Cup final in 1977, and would stay there by my side, a reassuring presence, until the 1987 edition.

"He thought of things before other people did. He had that perception and humanity, but also a great sense of humour. He was an instigator, an innovator, an inspiration. What more can I say about Jimmy Hill?"