TRIBUTES have poured in for iconic sports presenter Gerry Harrison, who has died aged 89.
The late Harrison, who presented Anglia TV’s ‘Match of the Week’, was a regular on screens from the ’70s all the way to the ’90s.
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The former journalist was a regular presenter of other sports shows aired on ITV.
Harrison worked with several other broadcasters after leaving ITV and helped IMG lay the foundations for their coverage of the Premier League.
His passing has reverberated throughout the football world and led to a slew of tributes.
Former colleague Stuart Jarrold said of the late Harrison: “He was the voice of East Anglian football for years and he was a consummate professional.
“A fantastic chap to work with and a thoroughly decent bloke.
“He got on well with everybody. I never, in nearly 10 years of working with him, ever had cross word.
“He was so diligent in his preparation that he made commentating sound easy.
“It isn’t, but he did all his research and he was a thoroughly lovely, lovely chap.”
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Former Sky Sports commentator Ian Darke wrote on X: “Very sad to hear of the death of Gerry Harrison, terrific ITV football commentator and later colleague working on shows like Premier League World.
“Always very affable and professional. Pleasure to work with and a big loss. RIP Gerry.”
Tony Jones, another former ITV News Anglia sports reporter, said of Harrison: “He gave me my first job in television back in 1982 with Anglia.
“And I don’t think I’m alone in saying he was an inspirational figure because I spoke to so many producers and directors and people within the TV business who said that they’ve learnt so much from him.
“He always set the highest possible standards.
“People will remember him in the Anglia region as a commentator and the presenter of About Anglia, as it was in those days, as a sports presenter.
He always set the highest possible standards.”
Tony Jones on Gerry Harrison
“But beyond that he had a great ability to write so well for TV.
“If you ever sat down and saw one of his scripts you would think ‘Who on earth is going to make sense of that?’
“But the way in which he wrote to pictures and the way in which he could deliver those scripts put him on a different level. “
“He was such a strong figure within the television industry.”
