John Motson, a famed BBC commentator for 50 years, died at the age of 77. Motson covered 29 FA Cup finals, 10 European Championships, and 10 World Cups before departing BBC Sport in 2018.
John Motson Obituary
Before working full-time for the BBC in 1968, John Motson also performed freelance work for BBC Radio Sheffield.
He began his career covering sports on Radio 2 and four years later, during the memorable FA Cup replay between Hereford and Newcastle, he made his debut on Match of the Day.
The match was originally scheduled as a five-minute intermission, but Hereford’s shocking 2-1 victory—which was highlighted by Ronnie Radford’s legendary 30-yard strike—saw it pushed to the main event, with Motson capturing all the excitement.
Motson, who was well-known for his signature sheepskin overcoat and encyclopedic knowledge of the sport, served as the BBC’s voice for important finals such as the FA Cup, European Championships, and World Cup from 1979 to 2008.
His record-breaking sixth World Cup final in Berlin in 2006 and his 29th FA Cup final in 2008 were a part of that streak. Also, he covered almost 200 England matches.
In 2018, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion played in his last Match of the Day match.
After the final whistle, he was welcomed onto the field and cheered by the crowd before Palace manager Roy Hodgson gave him a crystal microphone and a framed copy of the programs from his first and last games at Selhurst Park.