Why voice of sport David Coleman adored the Wolves

But he also had a huge role in bringing Wolverhampton Wanderers back from the brink and making the city one of the power houses in the athletics world during the late 1970s and 80s.

David Coleman was an iconic figure as he helped to make British sports broadcasting among the best in the world.

He covered every World Cup from 1958 until his retirement in 2000, while his Olympic portfolio stretched back to 1960.

For many he was simply the face of Grandstand and Sportsnight. His excited, high-pitched commentaries made him a favourite among viewers but also a target for impersonators.

But he also gained our affections through his string of commentary bloomers.

One gaffe which haunted him was calling West Bromwich Albion's hole-in-the heart footballer Asa Hartford 'a whole-hearted player'.

Another was his comment: "Forest are having a bad run - they've lost six matches without winning."

But, away from the microphone Mr Coleman was an avid Wolves fan. He helped to organise fans' protests during the club's darkest days including its financial mismanagement by the Bhatti brothers, and the club's fall to the football pyramid's fourth tier by 1986, a mere six years after winning The League Cup and finishing sixth in Division One.

He was also the big name who served as president of Wolverhampton & Bilston Athletics Club during the 1980s, when it regularly won the National League and boasted some of the country's best stars.

Olympic golden girl Denise Lewis was a member of WBAC before she moved to Birchfield Harriers.

The gold medal-winning heptathlete from Pendeford wrote on Twitter: "All my childhood memories of athletics brought to life and made so vivid by one man, one voice. RIP David Coleman."

Former Wolves winger Alan Hinton also wrote that Coleman was 'topman' at the BBC for many years.

He added: "I met him many times, a great man and will be missed."

Mr Coleman joined the BBC in Birmingham in 1958. A year later he was asked to present the new Grandstand programme and become staff commentator for outside broadcasts, the only one then in television.

A county class athlete and keen footballer, Mr Coleman specialised in reporting both but saw himself as primarily an all-round sports journalist.

In the years that followed, he covered everything from Come Dancing to royal weddings.

Today, stalwarts from the Black Country athletics scene spoke of their pride at having met the man behind the famous voice.

Ken Evans, aged 84, who has spent 60 years as secretary of WBAC, which is now based at Aldersley Leisure Village, said he gave great service to the club.

He said: "David joined the club when we were top of the league. At that time we were looking for someone of note to be our president, and we approached him and we were absolutely delighted when he accepted.

"He travelled with us when we were in the Europe league, and came with us to Verona when we competed in the competition.

"We won the league eight times in the 80s and 90s and were very successful.

"Throughout his time as president he was always supported by his wife Barbara who would come along with him. He gave an awful lot of time to the club. He always came to the annual presentations and the annual Turkey Trot.

"He could always be found at the bar at the club. You knew when he was there because he was always talking to everyone, very outspoken and very sociable. I am very saddened to hear that he has died. He was such a popular man, and we were very proud to have him as our president."

David Guest, a semi-retired teacher at Stowlawn Primary School in Bilston, continues to coach at the club and was previously chairman, from the 1970s onwards.

Mr Guest, aged 64, said Mr Coleman performed his honorary as president diligently and was a nice man to be around.

He said: "He came to meetings when he could. My first memory of him at the club was after I had stopped what I would call my serious running and I was coaching.

"We had a National League fixture and we were short of entrants for the steeple chase. The 800 metres was my event and I couldn't do steeple chase but I stood in and I think I got lapped.

"He still came up and said well done. I think athletics was his first love."

Mr Guest added Mr Coleman's commentary would have been the synonymous with many people's favourite sporting moments.

He said: "My favourite was when David Hemery won the 400m gold in Mexico City in 1968.

"As he got more excited and saw Hemery go so far ahead he said something like, who cares who's third – it doesn't matter.

"The man in third was Britain's other runner John Sherwood."

Noel McKakly was an up-and-coming cross-county runner in the under-17s at the club when he received an award from Mr Coleman at a presentation night at the club's old Stafford Road case for being the team's outstanding performer.

Rivalry

The call centre worker and former Beatties worker, aged 47, said that when Mr Coleman was president there used to be a healthy rivalry between the club and Haringey, where his fellow BBC sports commentator Ron Pickering was coach and president.

He added: "There was always good banter and good sport between the two clubs. And I will always treasure that award."

Mr McKakly went on to officiate at the London 2012 Olympics on a day Britain won three golds. He had to judge if Jessica Ennis had run inside the line during her back strait of the 800m - which secured her heptathlon Gold.

Colin Thompson, a father-of-three and the current club chairman, who joined in 1999, said he knew Mr Coleman had been a regular runner in the annual Turkey Trot held at the club every December – a 5k race where finishers would be awarded a whole turkey each from a freezer van at the end.

He said: "I'm starstruck that someone like that had an involvement in the club. I know he sent a Christmas card every year to our secretary Ken.

"I will always remember the Grandstand theme tune and must have spoken over so many moments in people's lives."