John Walker Motson was an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he commentated on over 2000 football games on television and radio.
From the late 1970s to 2008, Motson was the dominant football commentary figure at the BBC, apart from a brief spell in the mid-1990s. He began wearing his trademark sheepskin coat in December 1990, when he “battled horizontal sleet showers ahead of Wycombe Wanderers’ FA Cup tie with Peterborough United”. He was born on July 10th, 1945 in Salford, Lancashire, and passed away today, 23rd July 2023.
John Motson’s parents
His father was known as William Motson, and he was a Methodist minister. However, details about his mother are not known to the public.
Motson announced his retirement from live television commentary in 2008. He continued to cover games for Match of the Day highlights and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live as well as commentating on CBeebies’ Footy Pups.
In September 2017, he announced his full retirement from BBC commentary, having commentated on 10 FIFA World Cups, 10 UEFA European Championships, and 29 FA Cup finals. In July 2018, he announced he was returning from retirement to work for Talksport.
His father was a Methodist minister and so he baptized John Motson in Boston, Lincolnshire, and he spent his childhood holidays there. As a child, John Motson was a follower of Boston United and recalled the club’s victory over Derby County in the FA Cup in 1955.
