Emlyn Hughes, OBE (August 28 1947, Barrow-in-Furness - November 9 2004, Sheffield) was an English footballer who captained the Liverpool F.C. side of the 1970s, having joined them from Blackpool in 1967.
He was the son of a rugby league player and came to prominence as a non-playing member of the 1970 England squad which went to Mexico for the World Cup.
He later attained the captaincy of Liverpool, with whom he won four League championships (72/73, 75/76, 76/77, 78/79), the FA Cup (73/74), two UEFA Cups (72/73, 75/76) and two European Cups (76/77, 77/78). He was a first choice defender for England, initially as a full back, then in his favoured position of central defence. His enthusiastic willingness to charge upfield, along with his habit of constantly berating referees, earned him the nickname of Crazy Horse.
Emlyn was allowed to leave Liverpool in 1979 after 650 games, though he maintained his place in the England squad for another year while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, with whom he won the League Cup in 1980 - the one trophy he failed to win with Liverpool. Also in 1980, he was awarded the OBE for his services to the game.
Emlyn spent time with lower division clubs before retiring as a player, then briefly became manager of Rotherham United and later a director of Hull City.
But he became most famous for his television career after he quit football; he was a team captain on the long-running BBC quiz A Question Of Sport and later defected to ITV to skipper a team on their unsuccessful Sporting Triangles .
Hughes died at his Sheffield home on November 9 2004 at the age of 57. He had been battling a brain tumour for fifteen months but the illness eventually took its toll. A minute's silence was held on Wednesday evening November 10 2004 at Anfield before the game against Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup and was impeccably observed.
Emlyn had been chief patron to the Sheffield based charity F.A.B.L.E. (For A Better Life with Epilepsy) since 1995.
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