Jimmy Hill
Encyclopedia
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE
(born 22 July 1928) is an English association 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 match official.
, the son of Alice Beatrice (Wyatt) and William Thomas Hill, a World War I veteran, milkman
, and bread delivery worker. He was a pupil at Henry Thornton Grammar School, Clapham (1939–45), and is now President of the Old Boys' Association. He then did national service
as a clerk in the Royal Army Service Corps
in which he attained the rank of Corporal
and was considered a potential candidate for officer training.
, but, despite this, he started playing in 1949 with Brentford
, before moving to Fulham
in March 1952, 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 the Professional Footballers' Association
(PFA) and campaigned to have the Football League
's £20 maximum wage
scrapped, which he achieved in January 1961, when Fulham teammate Johnny Haynes
became the first £100 player.
. His time at Coventry was marked by great changes to the club, nicknamed "The Sky Blue Revolution". He changed the home kit's colours to sky blue, coining the nickname "The Sky Blues". He also penned the club song "The Sky Blue Song", sung to the tune of the Eton Boating Song. Among his other innovations were the first full-fledged match programme in English football, and organised pre-match entertainment to encourage fans to arrive early. His partnership with the chairman D H Robbins also led to a redevelopment of the stadium, Highfield Road, with two new stands being built.
After winning the Division Three championship in 1963–64, and the Division Two title in 1966–67, Hill quit the club shortly before the start of the 1967–68 season as the club entered the top flight for the first time.
'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. As a broadcaster with the BBC he was present at the Hillsborough disaster
in 1989, whilst covering the game for Match of the Day
.
In 1999, Hill moved from the BBC to Sky Sports
,where he featured on Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement, a weekly discussion show between Hill and three football journalists conducted over a Sunday breakfast. In 2007, he was replaced by his co presenter Brian Woolnough
and the programme was renamed Sunday Supplement.
to be named "Jimmy's" in his honour.
Following a spell as chairman of Charlton Athletic
, Hill became chairman of Fulham in 1987, helping his old club survive near-bankruptcy, and blocking an attempted merger with Queens Park Rangers
Hill is a trustee
of the Stable Lads' Association.
Like Roger Swinfen Eady, 3rd Baron Swinfen
, and Allen Parton and Endal
, Hill is a patron
of Labrador Rescue South East and Central.
, West Sussex.
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, and was credited with the idea of using the first panel of football pundits for the 1970 World Cup.
(impersonated by Phil Cornwell
). Hill is routinely drawn into panels of various Viz
comics, typically in locales which the real Hill is unlikely to frequent.
He was also spoofed in The Goodies
episode "2001 & A Bit", and parodied himself with appearances in both Monty Python's Flying Circus
(dressed as Queen Victoria) and Harry Enfield and Chums.
Hill's large chin was referenced by popular British schoolboy slang in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, with the phrases "Jimmy Hill!", "Itch my chin!" and "Chinny reckon!", accompanied by the exaggerated stroking of an imaginary lengthened chin, being used to convey the expression of mocking disbelief.
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, better known as the Tartan Army
, for describing David Narey
's goal against Brazil
in the 1982 World Cup
as "a toe-poke" during the BBC's live coverage. He did apologise for this on BBC Scotland TV coverage of the World Cup in France 1998.
One of Hill's more light-hearted football moments took place in 1972. Arsenal
were hosting Liverpool
at Highbury
on 16 September, when linesman Dennis Drewitt pulled a muscle and was unable to continue. FA
rules state that the match could not be completed without a referee and two linesmen, so the game was in danger of being abandoned. The matchday announcer put a message over the loudspeaker asking if anyone was a qualified referee and would volunteer to run the line. Hill was a qualified referee and had been at Highbury that day as a spectator. He quickly donned a tracksuit before stepping in for the injured Drewitt.
Hill is also well known for his ability to make ‘Colemanballs
’ statements such as:
“I would undoubtedly pick him in the next England squad if I was the England manager and he wasn't actually Bermudan.”
“We're not used to weather in June in this country.”
“They're still in the game, and they're trying to get back into it.”
"That's a wise substitution by Terry Venables
: three fresh men, three fresh legs."
"If England are going to win this match, they're going to have to score a goal."
Coventry City
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 22 July 1928) is an English association football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.
Early life
Hill was born in Balham, LondonBalham, London
Balham is a neighbourhood of south London, England, and is part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and the London Borough of Lambeth.-History:...
, the son of Alice Beatrice (Wyatt) and William Thomas Hill, a World War I veteran, milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
, and bread delivery worker. He was a pupil at Henry Thornton Grammar School, Clapham (1939–45), and is now President of the Old Boys' Association. He then did national service
Conscription in the United Kingdom
Conscription in the United Kingdom has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1919, the second was from 1939 to 1960, with the last conscripted soldiers leaving the service in 1963...
as a clerk in the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
in which he attained the rank of Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
and was considered a potential candidate for officer training.
Football playing career
Hill first came into football as a fan, regularly watching football at local club Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
, but, despite this, he started playing in 1949 with Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, before moving to Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
in March 1952, for whom he played over 300 games. He scored five goals for Fulham in an away match against Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
and was part of the team that gained promotion to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
.
In 1957, he became chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
(PFA) and campaigned to have the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
's £20 maximum wage
Maximum wage
A maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. This is a related economic concept that is complementary to the minimum wage used currently by some states to enforce minimum earnings...
scrapped, which he achieved in January 1961, when Fulham teammate Johnny Haynes
Johnny Haynes
John Norman "Johnny" Haynes was an English footballer, best known for his 18 years at Fulham. He played a club-record 658 games and scored 158 goals for the club between 1952 and 1970...
became the first £100 player.
Football management
In November 1961, after retiring as a player aged 33, Hill became manager of Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. His time at Coventry was marked by great changes to the club, nicknamed "The Sky Blue Revolution". He changed the home kit's colours to sky blue, coining the nickname "The Sky Blues". He also penned the club song "The Sky Blue Song", sung to the tune of the Eton Boating Song. Among his other innovations were the first full-fledged match programme in English football, and organised pre-match entertainment to encourage fans to arrive early. His partnership with the chairman D H Robbins also led to a redevelopment of the stadium, Highfield Road, with two new stands being built.
After winning the Division Three championship in 1963–64, and the Division Two title in 1966–67, Hill quit the club shortly before the start of the 1967–68 season as the club entered the top flight for the first time.
Broadcasting career
After leaving Coventry in 1967, Hill moved into broadcasting, acting as technical adviser to the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's football-based drama series United!
United!
United! was a British television series which was produced by the BBC between 1965 and 1967, and was broadcast twice-weekly on BBC1.The series followed the fortunes of a fictional second division football team, Brentwich United...
before becoming Head of Sport at London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
to present Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
. 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. As a broadcaster with the BBC he was present at the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
in 1989, whilst covering the game for Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
.
In 1999, Hill moved from the BBC to Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
,where he featured on Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement, a weekly discussion show between Hill and three football journalists conducted over a Sunday breakfast. In 2007, he was replaced by his co presenter Brian Woolnough
Brian Woolnough
Brian Woolnough is a British sports journalist, currently the Chief Sports writer for tabloid the Daily Star.Previously a writer for The Sun, in 1999 the Daily Mirror tried unsuccessfully to poach him...
and the programme was renamed Sunday Supplement.
Directorships
Despite his surprise departure as manager in 1967, Hill returned to Coventry City as managing director in April 1975 before becoming the chairman. As chairman, at a crucial relegation match at home to Bristol City at the end of the 1976–77 season, Hill delayed the kick off by 10 minutes for fans still outside caught in the heavy traffic. Relegation rivals Sunderland, playing at Everton kicked off on time. Sunderland eventually lost the game 2–0. Knowing that all Coventry needed to stay up was a draw, the Sunderland result was flashed up on the scoreboard. Hill made his players pass the ball around in their own half for the last 10 minutes of the game, saving Coventry from relegation at the expense of Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City. Hill was never forgiven by Sunderland fans. In 2008 at a Fulham vs Sunderland game, Sunderland supporters spotted him standing yards away and reacted angrily with boos and abuse. When Hill waved and blew kisses, their anger escalated and he had to be led away by police for fear of starting a riot. Hill is still considered a legend by Coventry City fans. When Coventry played their last ever match at Highfield Road in 2005, he received a post-match hero's welcome from the capacity crowd, and led them in a rousing chorus of "The Sky Blue Song". In 2007, fans voted for a bar at the new Ricoh ArenaRicoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
to be named "Jimmy's" in his honour.
Following a spell as chairman of Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, Hill became chairman of Fulham in 1987, helping his old club survive near-bankruptcy, and blocking an attempted merger with Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
Hill is a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Stable Lads' Association.
Like Roger Swinfen Eady, 3rd Baron Swinfen
Roger Swinfen Eady, 3rd Baron Swinfen
Roger Mynors Swinfen Eady, 3rd Baron Swinfen is a British peer. He is one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999....
, and Allen Parton and Endal
Endal
Endal was a male Labrador retriever in Britain whose abilities as a service dog and as an ambassador for service dog charitable work have had considerable news media coverage....
, Hill is a patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of Labrador Rescue South East and Central.
Recent activities
Hill is currently the President of non-league team Corinthian Casuals. He resides in HurstpierpointHurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. Together with Sayers Common it forms one of the Mid Sussex civil parishes, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons....
, West Sussex.
Statue
Sculptor Nicholas Dimbleby was commissioned to build a statue of Hill at a cost of £150,000. The statue is located at Coventry's Ricoh Arena ground and was unveiled by Jimmy Hill in person on 28 July 2011. The money to build the statue was raised from public donations. Other former Coventry City legends, who played for the Sky Blues in the 1960's during Hill's 6 year term as manager, were there too for the short unveiling ceremony, including Bobby Gould, John Sillett and George Curtis, all of whom went on to manage the club in the 1980s.Footballing 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 stadiumAll-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
when at Coventry
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, and has been credited with the invention of the 3 points for a win system, which was pioneered by The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
in 1981, and was credited with the idea of using the first panel of football pundits for the 1970 World Cup.
Public image
Jimmy Hill has become a cult figure, with many British comedy shows parodying his personality and prominent chin. He was a regular character called 'Knobchops' in the comedy series Stella StreetStella Street
Stella Street is a British television comedy programme, originally screened on BBC Two between 1997 and 2001. It focuses on the antics of a group of British and American celebrities who all happen to live on Stella Street in Surbiton ....
(impersonated by Phil Cornwell
Phil Cornwell
Phil Cornwell is an English comedian, actor, impressionist and writer. He is probably best known as being part of the Dead Ringers television and radio series...
). Hill is routinely drawn into panels of various Viz
Viz
Viz. and the adverb videlicet are used as synonyms for "namely", "that is to say", and "as follows".-Etymology:...
comics, typically in locales which the real Hill is unlikely to frequent.
He was also spoofed in The Goodies
The Goodies (TV series)
The Goodies is a British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by BBC 2 from 1970 until 1980 — and was then broadcast by the ITV company LWT for a year, between 1981 to 1982.The show was...
episode "2001 & A Bit", and parodied himself with appearances in both Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
(dressed as Queen Victoria) and Harry Enfield and Chums.
Hill's large chin was referenced by popular British schoolboy slang in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, with the phrases "Jimmy Hill!", "Itch my chin!" and "Chinny reckon!", accompanied by the exaggerated stroking of an imaginary lengthened chin, being used to convey the expression of mocking disbelief.
Jimmy Hill has been immortalised in the Scottish
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
football chant
Football chant
A football chant or terrace chant, is a song or chant sung at association football matches. They can be historic, dating back to the formation of the club, adaptations of popular songs, or spontaneous reactions to events on the pitch. They are one of the last remaining sources of an oral folk song...
"We hate Jimmy Hill, he's a poof, he's a poof". He had become unpopular with Scotland fans, better known as the Tartan Army
Tartan Army
The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...
, for describing David Narey
David Narey
David 'Sash' Alan Narey, MBE is a former Scottish international footballer, who spent 21 years with Dundee United, coinciding with United's most successful era, under the management of Jim McLean. Many considered Narey to be the most naturally talented member of the side during these years...
's goal against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
in the 1982 World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
as "a toe-poke" during the BBC's live coverage. He did apologise for this on BBC Scotland TV coverage of the World Cup in France 1998.
One of Hill's more light-hearted football moments took place in 1972. Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
were hosting Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
on 16 September, when linesman Dennis Drewitt pulled a muscle and was unable to continue. FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
rules state that the match could not be completed without a referee and two linesmen, so the game was in danger of being abandoned. The matchday announcer put a message over the loudspeaker asking if anyone was a qualified referee and would volunteer to run the line. Hill was a qualified referee and had been at Highbury that day as a spectator. He quickly donned a tracksuit before stepping in for the injured Drewitt.
Hill is also well known for his ability to make ‘Colemanballs
Colemanballs
Colemanballs is a term coined by Private Eye magazine to describe verbal gaffes perpetrated by sports commentators. The word Colemanballs probably borrows from Colemans Meatballs, once familiar in the UK and sold by the company ColemanNatural...
’ statements such as:
“I would undoubtedly pick him in the next England squad if I was the England manager and he wasn't actually Bermudan.”
“We're not used to weather in June in this country.”
“They're still in the game, and they're trying to get back into it.”
"That's a wise substitution by Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
: three fresh men, three fresh legs."
"If England are going to win this match, they're going to have to score a goal."
Honours
As a manager:Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
- Division Three Championship: 1963-64
- Division Two Championship: 1966-67