David Coleman
Encyclopedia
David Coleman, OBE
(born 26 April 1926, Alderley Edge
, Cheshire) is an English former sports commentator
and TV presenter who worked for the BBC
for almost fifty years. In 2000, he was awarded the Olympic Order
, the highest honour of the Olympic movement.
), Coleman was a keen amateur runner. He attended a grammar school in Cheshire and competed as a schoolboy middle distance runner. In 1949, he won the Manchester Mile as a member of Stockport Harriers, the only non-international runner to do so. He competed in the English National Cross-Country Championships for Manchester Athletic Club in 1952 (116th, 3rd team) and 1953 (118). He ran 440 yards for Staffordshire and injury eventually caused him to give up competitive running. He later became president of the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club
.
He worked as a reporter for the Stockport Express
, and during military service worked for the British Army Newspaper Unit. Part of his time in National Service was carried out in Kenya
.
He joined Kemsley Newspapers after demobilisation and at twenty two became editor of the Cheshire County Express. He didn't attend the 1952 Olympic trials because of hamstring injuries. Instead he approached the BBC to see if they would like any help with athletics coverage. Although he did not have an audition, the BBC asked him to cover Roger Bannister at Bradford City Police
Sports. The following year he began freelance radio work in Manchester.
and joined the BBC as a news assistant and sports editor. His first television appearance was on Sportsview, coincidentally on the day that Roger Bannister
broke the four-minute mile
. In November 1955, he was appointed Sports Editor for the BBC's Midlands Region.
recruited Coleman to be the presenter of the new Saturday afternoon sports programme Grandstand
. He continued as the regular presenter until 1968. He also presented the BBC's Sports Review of the Year
from 1961, and Sportsnight with Coleman
(1968–1972) – which included an interview with the then Conservative Party
leader, Ted Heath, on his famous triumph in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race – as well as other special sporting events such as the Grand National
. He even covered the return of The Beatles
from the United States and the 1959 General Election for the BBC from the Press Association
headquarters.
As well as a presenter, Coleman was also a sports commentator. He presented and/or commentated on 11 Olympic Games from Rome 1960
to Sydney 2000
, as well as eight Commonwealth Games
. He covered six World Cups as a commentator, including the finals of 1974 and 1978 and a seventh (1982) as a presenter.
final from 1972 to 1976 inclusive, although he missed the 1977 game because he was in a legal dispute with the BBC, allowing John Motson
to make his FA Cup final debut. Coleman returned for the 1978 final before Motson took over the following year. Coleman's last live football commentary was the England v Scotland game in the 1979 Home International Championship, although he continued to work at football matches as a secondary commentator until October 1981, his last game being a midweek League Cup
game between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Coleman was recorded at 200 words per minute while commentating on David Hemery
's win in the 400 m Hurdles. After the finish he could only identify the first two and famously exclaimed: Who cares who's third? The bronze medal winner turned out to be another Briton, John Sherwood
. Out of respect for Sherwood, most subsequent showings of the race have dubbed the line out. He also had to commentate on a Greek athlete called Papagiorgiopoulos and a Madagascan athlete called Jean-Louis Ravelomanatsoa in adjacent lanes in the 100m.
Coleman's inability to 'read' a race remained entirely unsullied by experience to the end of his long commentating career. The phenomenon was clearly spotted by satirists of the '80s and '90s, who portrayed him as constantly surprised by mundane happenings at athletic events. Clive James
wrote that the difference between commentating and 'colemantating' is that a commentator says something you may wish to remember; a colemantator says something you try to forget.
In 1972, he broadcast for several hours during the siege
at the Munich Olympics
as well as the memorial service days later.
Coleman concentrated on athletics commentary from 1984. He also hosted the sports quiz show A Question Of Sport
for 18 years from 1979–1997, striking up a strong rapport with captains such as Emlyn Hughes
, Ian Botham
, Willie Carson
and Bill Beaumont
. Although he hosted the vast majority of the shows, he was occasionally absent and stand-in hosts were drafted in. The former host David Vine
returned to the show in 1989 when Coleman was ill, Bill Beaumont hosted two editions in 1996, while Will Carling
temporarily replaced Beaumont as team captain, and Sue Barker
hosted two editions later that year, which may well have led to her eventually taking over the host's role permanently.
for services to broadcasting. He was also given the Judges' Award For Sport in the 1996 Royal Television Society
Awards.
, the moment BBC Sport
became a separate division of the BBC. In December 2000, he was presented with the Olympic Order
by then-IOC
president Juan Antonio Samaranch
in recognition of his services to the Olympic ideals.
He retired, requesting no fanfare or recognition by the BBC, despite working for the corporation for over 40 years.
The BBC later broadcast a programme entitled "The Quite Remarkable David Coleman" to celebrate his life, which was aired just after his 85th birthday in May 2011.
s, mispronouncing names, and generally making senseless comments, that the satirical Private Eye
magazine named its sports bloopers column Colemanballs
– a word conceived by Coleman himself – in his honour. The gaffe that started it all off, a description of the Cuban 400m and 800m gold medalist, Alberto Juantorena
who "just opened his legs wide and showed us all his class"" was actually said not by Coleman but his colleague Ron Pickering
.
Coleman was mentioned in the Trailer sketch of the Monty Python's Flying Circus
episode Archaeology
Today where the voice-over by Eric Idle
states at the end of the sketch showing Coleman with ... And for those of you who don't like television there's David Coleman. And of course there'll be sport. But now for something completely different – sport.
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 26 April 1926, Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,409....
, Cheshire) is an English former sports commentator
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and TV presenter who worked for 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...
for almost fifty years. In 2000, he was awarded the Olympic Order
Olympic Order
The Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement, created by the International Olympic Committee in May 1975 as a successor to the Olympic Certificate previously awarded. The Olympic Order originally had three grades , although the bronze grade was retired in 1984...
, the highest honour of the Olympic movement.
Early life
Born of Irish heritage (his immediate family hailed from County CorkCounty Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
), Coleman was a keen amateur runner. He attended a grammar school in Cheshire and competed as a schoolboy middle distance runner. In 1949, he won the Manchester Mile as a member of Stockport Harriers, the only non-international runner to do so. He competed in the English National Cross-Country Championships for Manchester Athletic Club in 1952 (116th, 3rd team) and 1953 (118). He ran 440 yards for Staffordshire and injury eventually caused him to give up competitive running. He later became president of the Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club
Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club
Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club was formed in 1967 and has its home ground at Aldersley Leisure Village formally Aldersley Stadium in Aldersley, Wolverhampton, England...
.
He worked as a reporter for the Stockport Express
Stockport Express
Stockport Express is the local newspaper of Stockport, England. It has a paid-for circulation of 12,635 and is published every Wednesday.The sister free paper the Stockport Times, published every Thursday and distributed to all households in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, has a circulation...
, and during military service worked for the British Army Newspaper Unit. Part of his time in National Service was carried out in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
He joined Kemsley Newspapers after demobilisation and at twenty two became editor of the Cheshire County Express. He didn't attend the 1952 Olympic trials because of hamstring injuries. Instead he approached the BBC to see if they would like any help with athletics coverage. Although he did not have an audition, the BBC asked him to cover Roger Bannister at Bradford City Police
Bradford City Police
-History:Bradford Borough Charter was granted in 1847, Bradford Corporation acquired all the statutory powers off the old Municipal Corporation. 1848 was the year that the City of Bradford Police Force was almagated, with a Borough HQ No...
Sports. The following year he began freelance radio work in Manchester.
BBC
In 1954 Coleman moved to BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and joined the BBC as a news assistant and sports editor. His first television appearance was on Sportsview, coincidentally on the day that Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister
Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...
broke the four-minute mile
Four Minute Mile
Four Minute Mile is the first full-length album released by Kansas City, Missouri emo band The Get Up Kids.-Recording:The album was recorded in April 1997 on a budget of $4,000. It was produced by Shellac bassist Bob Weston in Chicago over the course of two and a half days. It was released by...
. In November 1955, he was appointed Sports Editor for the BBC's Midlands Region.
Grandstand
In October 1958, the BBC's Head of Sport Peter DimmockPeter Dimmock
Peter Harold Dimmock CBE, CVO is a pioneering former sports broadcaster of British television during its formative years in the 1950s. He was the first host of the BBC's long-running Grandstand and also the first host of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.-Early life and career:Dimmock...
recruited Coleman to be the presenter of the new Saturday afternoon sports programme Grandstand
Grandstand (BBC)
Grandstand was a British television sport programme. Broadcast between 1958 and 2007, it was one of the BBC's longest running sports shows, alongside BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Its first presenter was Peter Dimmock...
. He continued as the regular presenter until 1968. He also presented the BBC's Sports Review of the Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
from 1961, and Sportsnight with Coleman
Sportsnight
Sportsnight was a midweek BBC television sports programme that ran from 1968 until 1997.-Sportsview:Sportsnight was a successor to Sportsview which started on 8 April 1954. Sportsview was devised by Paul Fox, later Controller of BBC1 and Peter Dimmock was the original host for a decade...
(1968–1972) – which included an interview with the then Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
leader, Ted Heath, on his famous triumph in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race – as well as other special sporting events such as the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
. He even covered the return of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
from the United States and the 1959 General Election for the BBC from the Press Association
Press Association
The Press Association is the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying multimedia news content to almost all national and regional newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites with text, pictures, video and data content globally...
headquarters.
As well as a presenter, Coleman was also a sports commentator. He presented and/or commentated on 11 Olympic Games from Rome 1960
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
to Sydney 2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, as well as eight Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. He covered six World Cups as a commentator, including the finals of 1974 and 1978 and a seventh (1982) as a presenter.
Football
He was the BBC's senior football commentator for several years from 1971; he commentated on the World Cup Final in 1974 and 1978, the European Cup Final in 1973 and 1975 and the FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final from 1972 to 1976 inclusive, although he missed the 1977 game because he was in a legal dispute with the BBC, allowing John Motson
John Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
to make his FA Cup final debut. Coleman returned for the 1978 final before Motson took over the following year. Coleman's last live football commentary was the England v Scotland game in the 1979 Home International Championship, although he continued to work at football matches as a secondary commentator until October 1981, his last game being a midweek League Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
game between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Athletics
In 1968, at the Mexico Olympics1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
Coleman was recorded at 200 words per minute while commentating on David Hemery
David Hemery
David Peter Hemery, CBE, is a British former athlete, winner of the 400m hurdles at the 1968 Summer Olympics.He was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, but his father's work took the family to the United States, where he attended school and graduated from Boston University.Hemery's first...
's win in the 400 m Hurdles. After the finish he could only identify the first two and famously exclaimed: Who cares who's third? The bronze medal winner turned out to be another Briton, John Sherwood
John Sherwood (athlete)
John Sherwood is a British athlete, who won the bronze medal in the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968 for the 400 m hurdles. His time was 49.03 seconds, and he was third behind fellow British athlete David Hemery, who took gold, and German Gerhard Hennige...
. Out of respect for Sherwood, most subsequent showings of the race have dubbed the line out. He also had to commentate on a Greek athlete called Papagiorgiopoulos and a Madagascan athlete called Jean-Louis Ravelomanatsoa in adjacent lanes in the 100m.
Coleman's inability to 'read' a race remained entirely unsullied by experience to the end of his long commentating career. The phenomenon was clearly spotted by satirists of the '80s and '90s, who portrayed him as constantly surprised by mundane happenings at athletic events. Clive James
Clive James
Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
wrote that the difference between commentating and 'colemantating' is that a commentator says something you may wish to remember; a colemantator says something you try to forget.
In 1972, he broadcast for several hours during the siege
Munich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
at the Munich Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
as well as the memorial service days later.
Coleman concentrated on athletics commentary from 1984. He also hosted the sports quiz show A Question Of Sport
A Question of Sport
A Question of Sport is a long-running BBC quiz show which started on 2 December 1968 and continues to this day. It is currently recorded at The Studios, MediaCityUK...
for 18 years from 1979–1997, striking up a strong rapport with captains such as Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...
, Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
, Willie Carson
Willie Carson
William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing.-Life and career:Best known as "Miserable Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland. In 1957 he was apprenticed to Captain Gerald Armstrong at his stables at Tupgill, North Yorkshire...
and Bill Beaumont
Bill Beaumont
William "Bill" Blackledge Beaumont CBE was captain of the England rugby union team at a time when they struggled to win games. His greatest moment as captain was the unexpected 1980 Grand Slam. He played as a lock...
. Although he hosted the vast majority of the shows, he was occasionally absent and stand-in hosts were drafted in. The former host David Vine
David Vine
David Martin Vine was a British television sports presenter. He presented a wide variety of shows from the 1960s onwards.-Early life:...
returned to the show in 1989 when Coleman was ill, Bill Beaumont hosted two editions in 1996, while Will Carling
Will Carling
William David Charles Carling, OBE is a former Rugby union player for Harlequins, and a former captain of England from 1988 to 1996, winning 72 caps.-Early life:...
temporarily replaced Beaumont as team captain, and Sue Barker
Sue Barker
Susan Barker, MBE is an English television presenter and former professional tennis player. During her tennis career, she won the women's singles title at the French Open and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3...
hosted two editions later that year, which may well have led to her eventually taking over the host's role permanently.
Recognition
In the 1992 New Year's Honours List, he was awarded the OBEOrder 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...
for services to broadcasting. He was also given the Judges' Award For Sport in the 1996 Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Awards.
Retirement
Coleman retired from broadcasting after the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, the moment BBC Sport
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
became a separate division of the BBC. In December 2000, he was presented with the Olympic Order
Olympic Order
The Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement, created by the International Olympic Committee in May 1975 as a successor to the Olympic Certificate previously awarded. The Olympic Order originally had three grades , although the bronze grade was retired in 1984...
by then-IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
president Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch
Don Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquis of Samaranch, Grandee of Spain , known in Catalan as Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló , was a Catalan Spanish sports administrator who served as the seventh President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001...
in recognition of his services to the Olympic ideals.
He retired, requesting no fanfare or recognition by the BBC, despite working for the corporation for over 40 years.
The BBC later broadcast a programme entitled "The Quite Remarkable David Coleman" to celebrate his life, which was aired just after his 85th birthday in May 2011.
Folklore
He is affectionately known for his on-air gaffes. He is so adept at spouting clichéCliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s, mispronouncing names, and generally making senseless comments, that the satirical Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
magazine named its sports bloopers column 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...
– a word conceived by Coleman himself – in his honour. The gaffe that started it all off, a description of the Cuban 400m and 800m gold medalist, Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena
Alberto Juantorena Danger is a Cuban former track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles....
who "just opened his legs wide and showed us all his class"" was actually said not by Coleman but his colleague Ron Pickering
Ron Pickering
Ronald James Pickering , was an athletics coach and BBC sports commentator. Born in Barking, Essex, he coached several Olympic athletes, including Lynn Davies, a Welsh Olympic Games gold medallist long jumper. He was also the first host of the BBC1 children's sports programme We Are the...
.
Coleman was mentioned in the Trailer sketch of the 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...
episode Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
Today where the voice-over by Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
states at the end of the sketch showing Coleman with ... And for those of you who don't like television there's David Coleman. And of course there'll be sport. But now for something completely different – sport.
Personal life
He is married to Barbara and they have six children. His daughter Anne was a British Ladies Show Jumping champion.Quotes
- In the 1974 FA Cup Final1974 FA Cup FinalThe 1974 FA Cup Final was contested by Liverpool and Newcastle United at Wembley. In a one-sided match Liverpool won 3–0, with goals from Kevin Keegan and Steve Heighway...
, he said that Newcastle United's defence had been stripped naked by Liverpool and that "Toshack'sJohn ToshackJohn Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
leg was just not long enough". - "Linford ChristieLinford ChristieLinford Cicero Christie OBE is a former sprinter from the United Kingdom. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games...
has a habit of pulling it out when it matters the most". - "Dave WottleDave WottleDavid James Wottle is a former American athlete. He is the winner of the 800 meter run at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He is perhaps, however, best known for wearing a golf cap while running....
has completely misjudged this race..... And here comes Wottle!" - "And for those of you watching on black-and-white sets, Everton are wearing the blue shirts."
- "Britain's Olympic Gold medallist.....Daley CathlonDaley ThompsonFrancis Morgan Ayodélé "Daley" Thompson CBE , is a former decathlete from England. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four times....
." - "The Dutch manager told them in the dressing gown at half-time"
- During the Montreal Olympics 1976 "'The big Cuban opened his legs and showed his class!" of Alberto JuantorenaAlberto JuantorenaAlberto Juantorena Danger is a Cuban former track athlete. At the 1976 Summer Olympics, he became the first and so far only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles....
.