Cliff Morgan, the Wales rugby international and broadcaster celebrated for his commentary on a 1973 try hailed as the greatest of all time, has died aged 83 after a long illness.
A former Wales fly-half with 29 caps for his country, Morgan became a respected commentator, writer and head of BBC outside broadcasts.
Morgan took his place in rugby's history books in 1973, with his celebrated commentary of Gareth Edwards's famous try in the Barbarians v All Blacks match.
"Brilliant by Quinnell. This is Gareth Edwards; a dramatic start. What a score!" said Morgan, adding after the try: "If the greatest writer of the written word had written that story, no one would have believed it."
Morgan later described the occasion as "one of the great privileges of my life". He told the Independent newspaper in 2003: "The commentary should have been done by Bill McClaren, the greatest, but he couldn't do it.
"The game had everything. It had all the qualities of an exhibition game, yet great toughness and both sides wanted to win. I was thrilled to be able to convey something of the atmosphere to a live audience in New Zealand, as well as Great Britain."
The former fly-half, born in Rhondda in April 1930, made his international debut for Wales in 1951 and was made captain five years later. In 1955, Morgan lined up for the British Lions, scoring a famous try against South Africa that helped his 14-man team beat the home side 23-22.
His acclaimed performances on the pitch were later matched in the television studios.
Following retirement from the game in 1958, he began a three-year television career at BBC Wales.
He was editor of Grandstand between 1963 and 1965, and was one of the original team captains on Question of Sport in the 1970s, lining up against the late English heavyweight boxer, Henry Cooper.
He came back from a stroke he suffered at the age of 41 before being appointed as the BBC's head of outside broadcasts in 1975 – a post he held for 12 years.
Morgan is also credited with mentoring talent inside the BBC, including the veteran presenter Des Lynam.
Speaking on Morgan's 80th birthday in 2010, Lynam said: "Cliff was a great guide and instructor. He didn't hang back in his criticism but you took it from Cliff because he had done it himself, he had one of the best broadcasting voices of all time."
Barbara Slater, Director BBC Sport, said: "Cliff Morgan was not only a superstar in rugby union, but also a pioneer in sports broadcasting and an inspiration to so many of the great voices of BBC Sport. He was a scholar and a wordsmith, who had a wonderful understanding of the use of language in broadcasting. His commentary of the 1973 Barbarians match against the All Blacks, and in particular Gareth Edwards's famous try, was sublime in its simplicity and will be remembered for many years to come.
"Off-air, he played a huge role in the success of BBC Sport in the 70s and 80s, across a number of senior positions, delivering coverage of huge events including World Cups, Commonwealth and Olympic Games. He will be sorely missed by all in the sports broadcasting community."
Morgan was married to Nuala Martin for 45 years before her sudden death in 1999 on the eve of the Rugby World Cup. He leaves two children and his second wife, Pat, who he married in 2001.
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