Jimmy Hill dead: The trailblazing football icon to whom the game owes everything

Jimmy Hill in 1987 (PA)

The football world paid tribute to Jimmy Hill, the former player and Match Of The Day presenter, whose achievements as an administrator and broadcaster left an indelible mark on the game.

Every Premiership player earning £100,000 a week owes his fortune to Hill, who died aged 87 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for a number of years.

It was the former Brentford and Fulham player who forced the abolition of the £20-a-week maximum wage in 1961 when as chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association he faced down the game’s establishment with the threat of a strike.

A union leader, club manager, chairman, television personality, administrator - and even a linesman when called upon in an emergency - Hill was an energetic trailblazer who pursued innovations including three points for a win and built the first all-seated stadium.

Gary Lineker, the current Match of the Day presenter, said today’s high-earning players had cause to be grateful to a “football man through and through who gave the game so much in so many ways. Football is much better for Jimmy Hill.”

Alan Shearer, the England striker-turned-pundit, said: “Footballers and football have so much to thank him for. A man who loved the game.”

Tony Hall, director general of the BBC, said: “For generations of fans Jimmy Hill was an authoritative voice as both a presenter and analyst. He was committed to innovation in every aspect of the game, including broadcasting, and always believed supporters came first. His influence lives on in the programmes we enjoy today.”

Sports minister Tracey Crouch said Hill had been an “authoritative and passionate voice” of football in her life, adding: “He was an icon of the game.”

Former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence praised a “gentleman and pioneer of so much in football.” Peter Schmeichel, ex-Manchester United goalkeeper, Tweeted: “Jimmy Hill, one-off the most important people in football history on so many levels, we owe you!”

Bobby Gould, who played under Hill at Coventry City and later managed the club, told talkSPORT: “Everything I have, I owe to one man and that’s JH. I went for a trial and gentleman with a beard saw me play and he said ‘I’d like you to come back this afternoon'. He said ‘You and I are going to get on well together.’”

A promising young manager after his on-field retirement, taking Coventry into the top flight, Hill launched a new career in television.

His introduction of panels and pundits to ITV’s coverage of the 1970 World Cup proved a hit with viewers – Hill’s defection to the BBC to present Match Of The Day in 1973 made the front cover of the Radio Times, with the headline "Catch of the Day".

Recognising that fans were as keen to hear heated discussion about the games, as well as the action, Hill introduced a new level of tactical analysis to the highlights programme.

A cult figure due to his protruding chin and Balham burr, Hill revelled in the celebrity status acquired through his television exposure.

He made 600 appearances over 25 years but was no stranger to controversy, earning the enmity of Scots for describing David Narey’s goal from the edge of the box against Brazil in the 1982 World Cup as a “toe-poke”.

Returning to Coventry as managing director, Hill embraced commercial sponsorship, established an all-seated stadium to combat hooliganism and advocated three points for a win, instead of two, to make games more entertaining, a change adopted in 1981.

His innovations, which included pre-match entertainment and the first electronic scoreboard, were designed to deliver a better experience for supporters.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008, his public appearances had been limited in recent years. But Hill admitted that his maximum wage victory had unintended consequences. “It was an injustice. But it has gone too far the other way now with players in 90 per cent of clubs being paid far more than their clubs can afford,” he said. “That’s just as ridiculous as having a maximum wage.”

In a statement, Jane Morgan, spokeswoman for Hill's wife Bryony, said: “It is with great sadness that Bryony Hill and the children of Jimmy Hill have announced that Jimmy passed away peacefully today aged 87 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Bryony was beside him.”