John Curtis, who covered football and cricket for the Press Association and others, passed away this week. He was a friend and former colleague for many of our members, and Adrian Bevington, former FA Director of Communications and MD of England teams pays tribute to JC.
John Curtis or JC as he was affectionately known in press boxes up and down the country passed away this week after battling with illness.
John was the much-loved Midlands-based Press Association reporter who passionately reported on cricket, covering his beloved Worcester CCC; snooker at The Crucible, and football, where he was a popular figure on Midlands beat and following the England men’s teams at numerous international tournaments, working closely with likes of Martin Lipton, Mark Bradley and Simon Stone.
He was equally as passionate about his music, an eclectic mix with big favourites being The Searchers and Fairport Convention.
John was also someone who cared very deeply for animals.
We first met when he covered the England Under 21 team when I joined the FA in November 1997.
John was an enormous help on so many levels. He covered the team with an incredible commitment, supporting press days and reporting on matches when it was hard to get coverage, often in many far-flung places that could challenge even the most experienced geography teacher to find on a map.
He often recalled a trip to Sundsvall in Sweden in September 1998 when only John and Bill Anderson of the Leicester Mercury from the English press corps headed north to cover our UEFA qualifier, while the senior team were preparing for a key Euro 2000 qualifier in Stockholm. His loyalty was rewarded with an invite to join the coaching staff for a few beers at the team hotel after the game.
Completely trustworthy, he developed a tremendous rapport with then coach Peter Taylor and the emerging stars of the team, the likes of Frank Lampard, Emile Heskey, Gareth Barry, Lee Hendrie, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. I’m sure John loved and cared for that group more than even the staff and players did themselves, he was so passionate about them.
We both progressed to the working with the England senior team where John became a hugely popular journalist on the circuit as the team travelled the world, developing great friendships, particularly with the senior radio correspondents Mike Ingham and John Anderson.
A king of the mixed zone, his enthusiasm knew no bounds to get quotes.
With an outstretched arm, dictaphone in hand, he would always be there to stop a player with his distinctive voice “a few words for the dailies” to whichever player had forgotten to put their headphones on, or not attach a mobile phone to their ear!
Even the nicest bloke in the world as he was, he still knew how to scuffle in the mixed zone battlegrounds in the bowels of stadiums all over the world.
John was a highly professional reporter, reliable for obtaining and sharing accurate quotes. He was tireless in his work and always available to take a call. A man without ego, he just wanted to report the facts and stories as they were.
He could laugh at himself and often did and there was always a lot of good-natured ribbing. He was also someone who could be the unwitting central character in a joke.
There are so many funnies, but none more so than the oft told story at the World Cup in Japan 2002.
The morning after England had beaten Argentina in Sapporo, the Argentine players were leaving the hotel (which they were sharing with the English media) to board their bus.
John strolled out, stepping on to the same bus as the unhappy South American superstars, allegedly nodding at Hernan Crespo proffering an “alright Hernan” to the bemused striker and his less than impressed team-mates.
In the bat of an eye John was hurried off the bus and on to the waiting English BAC travel bus parked immediately behind it, much to the raucous amusement of the watching English journalists.
John was a lovely man, a gentle soul who was loved by so many across sport. He will be greatly missed.
RIP JC my old mate
