EMLYN HUGHESEmlyn “Crazy Horse” Hughes was much loved in the red of Liverpool and as a team captain on A Question of Sport who died on 9 November, 2004 aged 57.His infectious smile was seen firstly by fans of Liverpool FC and then by the millions who tuned in to watch him on A Question of Sport.His career started at local club Barrow before he moved on to play for Blackpool as a trainee. Bill Shankly saw the potential and signed him for £65,000 aged just 19.He went onto carve out a successful career making 665 appearances for Liverpool winning no fewer than 11 trophies including 2 European Cups. He made his England debut in 1969 against Holland going onto win 62 caps in total.Emlyn Walter Hughes OBE was born on 28 August 1947 in Barrow in Furness, he was born into a sporting family his father was a Welsh Rugby League player.He earned the nickname Crazy Horse after Newcastle United midfielder Alan Bennett was the victim of a rugby tackle by Mr Hughes that was out of place on a football pitch, along with his no-nonsense combative role in the centre of midfield and later in his career at centre half.He moved from Blackpool to Liverpool in 1967 after just 29 appearances for the Tangerines; enough for the then Liverpool manager Bill Shankly to build his team around the potential of Emlyn Hughes.He then went onto to carve out a career that made him a legend on the Kop at Anfield. In 1973 he took over from Tommy Smith as Liverpool captain and just 4 short years later he was the first Liverpool captain to lift the European Cup in a 3-1 win over Borrussia Moenchengladbach.The following season he led Liverpool to the same Honour in a 1-0 win over Bruges at Wembley Stadium and then to the European Super Cup later in the same season.In 1979 he left Liverpool for £79,000 joining Wolverhampton Wanderers after 665 successful appearances for Liverpool. During his time with Wolves he captained them to success in the 1980 League Cup the only honour to elude him during his time at Liverpool.Later in 1980 he was awarded an OBE for services to football. In 1981 he tried his hand at management taking up the role of player manager at Rotherham United however he left the role just over a year later and returned to his playing role.His playing career came to an end in 1984 after a series of short stints at Hull City , Mansfield Town and Swansea City.Following his retirement he moved into television, his greatest achievement came as team Captain alongside Bill Beaumont on A Question of Sport from 1984-1987.His infectious smile was viewed by millions of viewers across the nation and he made the show famous around the globe when he put his arm around Princess Anne when she made an appearance as a guest on the show.He was diagnosed with cancer of the brain in the summer of 2003 and he battled the illness bravely for 15 months.Mr Hughes can best be summed up by Ray Clemence a former team mate for club and country when he said, “he just had this boundless energy and enthusiasm.”
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