Former player, 'Match of the Day' presenter Jimmy Hill dies at 87

Jimmy Hill - a former player, manager, chairman, linesman, impresario, pundit, union leader, and "Match of the Day" presenter - died Saturday at the age of 87 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for a number of years.

In a statement, Jane Morgan, Hill's agent, said: "It is with great sadness that Bryony Hill and the children of Jimmy Hill have announced that Jimmy passed away peacefully today aged 87 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Bryony was beside him."

Saying Hill revolutionised football would be an understatement. As his resume suggests, arguably no player touched every corner of the beautiful game quite like the Londoner, whom newspapers called "the Beatnik with a Ball." He was, simply put, one of the sport's most influential figures.

Hill kicked off his playing career in 1949 at Brentford, where he made 86 appearances before joining Fulham three years later.

Hill made a name for himself at Fulham, scoring 52 goals throughout roughly 300 appearances for the Cottagers. He became chairman of the Professional Footballer's Association in 1957 and made an enormous impact off the pitch by successfully campaigning for the abolition of the £20-a-week maximum wage and introducing freedom of contract.

After hanging up his cleats at the age of 33 in 1961, Hill went on to manage Coventry City, where he changed the club's colour to sky blue, helped publish the first-ever colour match programme in English football, and led the team to the Division Three title in 1963-64 and the Division Two title in 1966-67.

Coventry was the only club Hill managed. Beginning in the late 1960s, he became the face of English football on the television screen and was, as Barney Ronay of the Guardian explains, "the first real pundit in the modern sense." He was ITV's head of sport from 1968-72 and headed the network's coverage of the 1970 World Cup.

Hill eventually put pen to paper on a contract with the BBC in 1973, becoming host of "Match of the Day" until 1989, when Des Lynam took over.

When Hill joined the BBC, the Radio Times announced the hiring by putting him on its cover under the headline "Catch of the Year." His reputation at ITV had the English population, then with only three television channels available, excited about his ability to modernise "Match of the Day." And he did just that, converting the programme into a national institution and becoming a cult figure as he made more than 600 appearances on the show.

"For generations of fans Jimmy Hill was an authoritative voice as both a presenter and analyst," Tony Hall, BBC director general, said. "He was committed to innovation in every aspect of the game, including broadcasting, and always believed supporters came first. His influence lives on in the programmes we enjoy today."

Among the first to express their condolences at the news of Hill's death was Gary Lineker, the current "Match of the Day" presenter. He captured the thoughts of the English constituency, saying, "Football is much the better for Jimmy Hill."

Hill will be cremated at a private ceremony and a service for his friends and colleagues will be held after New Year's Eve.