Jimmy Hill was "a true great of the game" and synonymous with football, according to The FA's Chairman Greg Dyke.
Hill – a former Coventry City manager and chairman, Brentford and Fulham player and celebrated broadcaster – died on Saturday at the age of 87 after suffering with Alzheimer's disease.
He is widely celebrated for holding almost every position in the game and was a great reformer – leading the move to abolish the maximum wage while chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association and commissioned the country's first all-seater stadium at Coventry's Highfield Road.
Hill played nearly 300 games for Fulham, presented BBC's Match of the Day on more than 600 occasions and once even deputised as a linesman in a league game.
James William Thomas Hill
Born: Balham, 22 July 1928
Died: 19 December 2015
Playing career: Brentford (1949-52), Fulham (1952–61)
Clubs managed: Coventry City (1961-67)
Other roles: Club chairman, Professional Footballers' Association chairman, broadcaster, match official
Dyke said: “I am very saddened to hear this news and, on behalf The FA, I send my sincere condolences to his family and friends.
“In many ways, Jimmy Hill was football. I first saw him as a player for Fulham although he had played for Brentford before that. What was remarkable about Jimmy was that he went on to have so many different careers.
"He was a successful player, a great manager at Coventry City and changed the game as Chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association – including the scrapping of the £20 maximum wage.
“He was loved by millions – even among those who didn’t follow football”
Greg Dyke
“He became a brilliant broadcaster, first at London Weekend Television and then at the BBC and helped transformed the way we covered football.
"He was a popular presenter, a hugely influential figure and, such was his style, he was loved by millions – even among those who didn’t follow football.
“I knew him at the BBC. He always kept a simple charm and had a warm personality.
"Those are special qualities and helped him have a broad appeal, but he managed to combine that with a deep knowledge of football.
"His insightful analysis and strong-minded opinions helped bring the game to life and paved the way for the TV coverage of football that we love today. He was a true great of the game.”
