Memories Of Peter Jones: Radio's Best Football Commentator

Published by Stephen Milward in Sport · Monday 06 Apr 2026 · 2 minutes
Tags: Peter, Jones, football, commentator, radio, memories, sports, broadcasting, commentary, football, history, iconic, voices, sports, journalism, broadcasting, legends

I grew up in the golden era of radio. TV was still a novelty and radio was the backbone of our family's entertainment, news and information. It was all there - discussions, music of every type, plays, latest news and more. One type of broadcast that radio excelled in was sports. The best commentator of football I have ever heard was Peter Jones (i).

Peter Jones used the widest range of the English language to describe scenes. Not just the action on the pitch, but the atmosphere, excitement and sense of occasion. His eloquence, pace, diction and knowledge of football made him the doyen of commentators. Instead of the inane repetition of statistics that so-called commentators read out today, Peter Jones did none of that. He talked to his audience and made them feel part of the occasion. You sat next to him, saw the same as he did and gave you a sense of 'being there'. It's perhaps poignant to me that both Peter Jones and I became teachers, using words with passion about our subject we loved.

Here's an example from the 1985 FA Cup Final (ii), with Norman Whiteside's winning goal.

Here is Peter on BBC TV for the 40th anniversary of 'Sports Report' (iii).

Perhaps his most powerful moment on radio was just after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 (iv). He captures the peace after the disaster with his reference to the sun shining. It's said that he never recovered from what he witnessed at Hillsborough.

Peter Jones's death in 1990 was announced by the BBC.

Peter Jones was simply the finest football commentator there has been. He gave me so many wonderful times, for which I thank him.

(i) Wikipedia: Peter Jones

(ii) Wikipedia: 1985 FA Cup Final

(iii) Wikipedia: Sports Report

(iv) Wikipedia: Hillsborough Disaster