SFWA mourns passing of Hugh McIlvanney

THE Scottish Football Writers’ Association is saddened to learn of the passing of legendary sports writer Hugh McIlvanney.

Hugh, who was born and brought up in Kilmarnock, was one of greatest sports journalists of all time, who wrote on all of the major events of the post-war era with a wonderful style that still resonates across the profession.

He was chief sportswriter of he Sunday Times for 23 years until his retirement in 2016, after three decades as the chief sports correspondent of The Observer.

Beginning at his local paper, the Kilmarnock Standard, Hugh made his name with the Scotsman and the Daily Express and moved to Fleet Street in 1962.

He reported on many of the most significant sports events of the second half of the 20th century with a creative and engaging style that made him a giant of journalism.

Hugh wrote with equal authority on football, horse racing and boxing where he became a firm friend of The Greatest, Muhammed Ali.

Hugh, who was 84, was awarded the OBE in 1996, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 by The Scottish Press Awards and in 2005 became the first sports writer to be voted Journalist of the Year.

A former member of the SFWA, he was also inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2011.