Cliff Morgan

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For the English footballer, see Cliff Morgan (footballer).

Cliff Morgan
CVO, OBE
Birth nameClifford Isaac Morgan
Date of birth(1930-04-07)7 April 1930
Place of birthTrebanog, Rhondda, Wales
Date of death29 August 2013(2013-08-29) (aged 83)
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
SchoolTonyrefail Grammar School
UniversityCardiff University
Rugby union career
Position(s)
fly-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1949–1958
1955–1956
1950–1958		 Cardiff RFC
Bective Rangers
Barbarians		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1951–1958
1955		 Wales
British Lions[1]		 29
4		 (9)
(3)

Clifford Isaac Morgan,

OBE (7 April 1930 – 29 August 2013)[2] was a Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958. After his playing career ended, Morgan made a successful career in broadcasting, both as a commentator and presenter and also as a programme-maker and BBC
executive.

Rugby career

Morgan, born in Trebanog in the Rhondda valley, was from a mining family and joined Cardiff Rugby Club straight from Tonyrefail Grammar School in 1949, playing at fly-half. Blessed with natural balance and strength, together with an astute line-kicking ability and searing acceleration, he quickly made an impact. He also played club rugby in Ireland for Bective Rangers in the 1955–56 season, with the club being dubbed the "Morgan Rangers" as a result.

He won his first cap for Wales against

Arthur Smith in the centre, with Cecil Pedlow and Tony O'Reilly
on the wings. Morgan's try in the first Test at Ellis Park, in front of a then world-record crowd of 100,000, helped secure a sensational 23–22 victory at the end of a match that some still consider the most exciting ever played.

The Springboks levelled the series in the second Test. Then, with Lions skipper

East Africa.[4]

Broadcasting and television career

Following his retirement from the game in 1958 he found a new career in broadcasting. Although he will forever be remembered for his celebrated commentary on the 1973 Barbarians rugby match against the touring All Blacks at Cardiff (particularly the commentary of "

Henry Cooper) on the long-running TV quiz A Question of Sport
. In radio he found a natural outlet for his love of music, presenting for a time the BBC Radio 2 series These You Have Loved. He also presented 'Singing Together' a radio for schools programme.

Off-air, his enduring influence in the world of sport and beyond helped him rise to join the ranks of leading BBC executives. In 1974 he became Head of BBC Radio Sport and

wedding of Charles and Diana
in 1981.

After his retirement from his executive post in BBC Television in 1987 he returned to radio, where his warm, mellifluous voice, together with his natural conversational style and his wide range of contacts in sport and entertainment, greatly benefited BBC Radio 4 series such as Sport on Four (1987–1998), My Heroes (1987–90) and Down The River. In 1988 he was a subject of ITV's This Is Your Life. He contributed to numerous publications about rugby and lent his voice to many popular rugby videos. Among his books, he edited Rugby The Great Ones (1970), wrote perceptive short profiles to accompany John Ireland's illustrations for the anthology Rugby Characters (1990), and in 1996 produced his autobiography, Cliff Morgan: Beyond the Fields of Play (with Geoffrey Nicholson).

Morgan survived a life-threatening stroke in 1972 at the age of 42. He had been commentating on a Rugby match for

BFBS in Germany. He spent three weeks in RAF Hospital Wegberg and spoke very highly of his treatment there.[5] He made a full recovery. In retirement, he was afflicted with cancer of the vocal cords and the removal of his larynx, resulting in limited ability to speak. Morgan died at his home in Bembridge, Isle of Wight, on 29 August 2013 at the age of 83.[6]

Awards

When the

IRB Hall of Fame
, an honour Edwards had received two years earlier.

For his contributions to broadcasting, he was honoured with an

CVO
.

References

  1. ^ "Rugby Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Fixtures, Results, Tables – ESPN". ESPN.
  2. ^ Richard Williams (29 August 2013). "Cliff Morgan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Voices of Sport: Cliff Morgan – The BBC presenter who produced a magical piece of commentary for rugby's greatest ever try". uk.sports.yahoo.com. 23 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Profiles – Barbarian FC". barbarianfc.co.uk.
  5. ^ Cliff Morgan: The Autobiography – Beyond the Fields of Play
  6. ^ "Welsh rugby great Cliff Morgan dies at 83". walesonline.co.uk. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.

External links

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