DAVID VINESports presenter David Vine died on 12 January 2009. He was 73.He was best known for his BBC snooker and skiing coverage but also fronted a huge list of shows, including It's A Knockout, Miss World, the Eurovision Song Contest, Wimbledon, Match Of The Day, Grandstand, The Horse of the Year Show, Miss UK, and the Winter and Summer Olympic Games.He also hosted popular long-running shows A Question Of Sport and Ski Sunday. Other TV credits include The Superstars, Quiz Ball, Rugby Special and Starshot.He was brought up in Barnstaple, Devon, and aged 17 joined the North Devon Journal as a trainee reporter.After National Service he returned to Devon to work at the Western Morning News in Plymouth, eventually becoming the newspaper's sports editor.In 1961, he joined Westward TV before the BBC hired him in 1966 to present Sportscene on BBC2.Roger Mosey, director of BBC Sport, said: "David Vine was a wonderfully versatile presenter for BBC Sport - and it's a tribute to his abilities that he was associated with so many events."He was the face and voice of Ski Sunday, of course, but also brought among others snooker, show-jumping, A Question Of Sport, Superstars and Olympic sports to millions of viewers. They and we will remember him with great affection."Adding to the tributes, Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe said: "David Vine was one of sports broadcasting's great all-rounders, a familiar figure on our TV screens across four decades."As the face of the BBC's coverage of the snooker world championships from the Crucible and Ski Sunday, he helped popularise emerging and growing sports."But he could turn his hand to almost anything - the first presenter of A Question Of Sport, host of Superstars, commentator on It's A Knockout, a regular fixture at Wimbledon and the Olympics - and much more."We have lost a great enthusiast for sport and a considerable broadcasting talent."His publicist Paul Madeley described him as "a true and utter gentleman at all times."I don't know of anybody who is regarded as he was in terms of his professionalism and dedication, whether he was presenting or commentating."He was like a member of my family. He was that close."David retired in 2000 after 40 years presenting sport on television. His career highlights included being the first presenter to present Wimbledon in colour in 1967 and he continued to cover the highlights of the All Englandtennis championships until 1982.He had triple heart by-pass surgery several years ago.He had just celebrated his birthday on 3 January, and died from a heart attack at his home, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
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