RIP David Coleman

[Wowbagger]

Just that. The anchorman for BBC sport for many years, the originator of some splendid pieces of commentary and some memorable for the wrong reasons.

My favourite, I think, was "There's Juantorena, powering down the back straight, opening his legs and showing his class."

[tiermat]

"Errrrr, remarkable"

RIP

[Illegal Combat Ant]

"Quite remarkable". There goes another bit of my growing up. RIP chap.

[Basil]

Wooly jumpers on "A Question of Sport"
 

[bobb]

I honestly thought he died about 10 years ago! 

"You're riiiiiigh-wrooooo-riiiiiigh-wroooo-riiiiiight-wrong!"
#FryAndLaurie

RIP

[Wowbagger]

I used to love his commentary on Liverpool's matches when they were unquestionably the best side in the country. Teaching pals and I would be sitting around a table, beers in hands. There would be a lull in the conversation. Then, randomly, someone would sing (and it was sing) "Toshack - one-nil!" The word "Toshack" was always a falling minor third and the "one-nil" a falling sixth (I think).

[Wowbagger]

I have just learned that the Juanterena quote, which many have attributed to Coleman, was in fact one of Ron Pickering's.

[mcshroom]

A collection of Colemanballs: -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/telegraphsportnews/10532492/David-Coleman-dies-Top-21-Colemanballs.html

[Wowbagger]

Thanks, McShroom. I particularly like "RIP David Coleman - Britain's greatest living sports commentator".

[Von Broad]

A collection of Colemanballs: -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/telegraphsportnews/10532492/David-Coleman-dies-Top-21-Colemanballs.html

Some of those are wonderful.

Firmly etched in childhood memory for me are the games from the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The grainy television pictures, the heat, oh boy was it hot, so hot that players were literally walking at times and the sound of Colemans, almost distant and distorted voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0khxAkh93UE

Different era.

RIP

edit: 1970 was Coleman's first major football commentary and I was wondering why I can't recall him commentating on later World Cups. Well he probably did, but not for games featuring England because we didn't qualify in both 1974 and 1978. England appear again in 82 and John Motson has been given the mircophone by then.

[Wowbagger]

Three of that team (Lebone, Moore and Ball) are dead.

[Basil]

Three of that team (Lebone, Moore and Ball) are dead.

Slackers

[Wowbagger]

Three of that team (Lebone, Moore and Ball) are dead.

Slackers

All of the commentators (Coleman, Mercer and Revy) have ceased to be. That's not much of a work rate.

[Bairn Again]

I too always think of David Coleman at the mike when Liverpool were a mile ahead of everybody.  "Goals pay the rent...." from the 1974 FA Cup Final was a favourite, I remember getting into a heated debate with a friend (a Liverpool fan) who hated it as he thought the line had been pre-prepared while I was convinced of its sponteneity.

Although I was just too young to remember the 1970 World Cup, one thing that is most remarkable ( ) about the commentary from England v. Brazil is that when Brazil score, Coleman actually says nothing at all for what is probably only a few seconds but seems an eternity in the context of the game.