He is the man with the microphone who ended up on the bench in a European Cup final.
He nearly died while interviewing Muhammad Ali, persuaded Sebastian Coe to run to a TV studio straight after winning Olympic gold and made Chris Eubank fall off a chaise longue.
He introduced Jimmy Greaves to a career in television, brought the post-match flash interviews to football and set Gary Neville on a course for punditry. Some might say Gary Newbon has a lot to answer for.
He also captured one of sport’s most enduring quotes when he shoved his mic under the nose of Sir Alex Ferguson in the euphoric afterglow of Manchester United’s Champions League triumph in Barcelona.