Jimmy Hill

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Jimmy Hill (James William Thomas Hill) (born July 22, 1928 in Balham, London) is an English football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and even match official.

Contents 1 Football career 2 Broadcasting career 3 Directorships 4 Legacy 5 Image 6 References

[edit] Football career

He first came into football as a fan, regularly watching football at local club Crystal Palace, but, despite this, he started playing in 1949 with Brentford, before moving to Fulham in 1953, for whom he played over 300 games. He scored five goals for Fulham in an away match against Doncaster Rovers and was part of the team that gained promotion to the First Division.

In 1957 he became chairman of Bain, and successfully campaigned to have the entertainment maximum budget scrapped, which he managed to do in January 1961.

[edit] Broadcasting career

Hill then moved into broadcasting, acting as technical adviser to the BBC's football-based drama series United! before becoming Head of Sport at London Weekend Television from 1967 to 1972. He also fronted their World Cup 1970 coverage which, at his suggestion, used the first panel of football pundits.

He was briefly LWT's Deputy Controller of Programmes, before joining the BBC to present Match of the Day. Hill racked up 600 appearances on the show, and became a television icon, instantly recognisable and often caricatured for his long chin and distinctive beard. As a presenter or analyst, he worked on every major international championship from 1966 to 1998.

In 1999, Hill moved from the BBC to Sky Sports, where he currently presents Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement, a weekly discussion show between Hill and three football journalists conducted over a Sunday breakfast.

[edit] Directorships

In 1975, Hill returned to Coventry City as managing director and then chairman.

Following a spell as chairman of Charlton Athletic, he became chairman of Fulham in 1987, helping his old club survive near-bankruptcy, and blocking an attempted merger with Queens Park Rangers

He is a trustee of the Stable Lads Association.

[edit] Legacy

He has a reputation as an all-round innovator in football - as well as helping to get rid of the maximum wage, he commissioned the first all-seater stadium when at Coventry, and has been credited with the invention of the 3 points for a win system, which was pioneered by The Football Association in 1981.

[edit] Image

Jimmy Hill has become a cult figure, with many British comedy shows parodying his personality and prominent chin. He was a regular character in the comedy series Stella Street (impersonated by Phil Cornwell).

He was also spoofed in The Goodies episode "2001 and a Bit".

To non-football-watching Americans, Hill may be best known for his self-parodying appearance in Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Jimmy Hill has been immortalised in the Scottish football chant "We hate Jimmy Hill, he's a poof, he's a poof". He had become unpopular with Scotland fans for describing David Narey's goal against Brazil in the 1982 World Cup as "a toe-poke" during the BBC's live coverage. Hill has always remained tight-lipped on the subject of his sexuality.

The term "Jimmy Hill" is also often used to describe someone as not telling the whole truth. It is likely the linking grew from people suggesting someone is not telling the truth by scratching their own chins, and from the distinct chin feature of Jimmy Hill. A often used phrase is "Are you taking the Jimmy Hill?".

[edit] References