# Sam Leitch

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{{Short description|British sports presenter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}

'''Samuel James Leitch''' (1927– 24 January 1980) was a Scottish journalist and television [sports presenter](/source/Sports_commentator). He worked at no less than eight newspapers as either a reporter, sports editor or columnist. Leitch was responsible for editing [BBC](/source/BBC) sports programmes such as ''[Match of the Day](/source/Match_of_the_Day)'' and ''[Sportsnight](/source/Sportsnight)'' before he was appointed head of sport on [BBC Television](/source/BBC_Television) in 1974. He was appointed controller of sport and outside broadcasts at [Thames Television](/source/Thames_Television) in 1978. 

== Career ==
Leitch was born in Glasgow,<ref name="WhosWhoES">{{cite news |date=13 January 1973 |title=Who's who behind the scenes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard-whos-who-behind-the-sc/196725965/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Evening Standard](/source/Evening_Standard) |page=4 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref> and received most of his training in [Greenock](/source/Greenock).<ref name="GreenlockObituary">{{cite news |date=25 January 1980 |title=Sam Leitch trained in Greenock |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/greenock-telegraph-obituary-for-sam-leit/196726317/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Greenock Telegraph](/source/Greenock_Telegraph) |page=1 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref> He moved to London in 1951, where he worked for the ''[Daily Mirror](/source/Daily_Mirror)'' newspaper.<ref name="WhosWhoES" /> In 1967, he was voted the recipient of the Sportswriter of the Year Award while working for the ''[Sunday Mirror](/source/Sunday_Mirror)''.<ref name="TimesObituary">{{cite news |date=25 January 1980 |title=Mr Sam Leitch |work=[The Times](/source/The_Times) |page=14 |issue=60533}}</ref><ref name="GuardianObituary">{{cite news |last=Hart |first=Alan |date=25 January 1980 |title=Always a headliner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian-always-a-headliner-the-gu/196725787/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |page=20 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com) |authorlink=Alan Hart (television executive)}}</ref> Leitch worked as a sports journalist, sports editor or columnist at a total of eight newspapers over the course of his career, such as the ''[Daily Express](/source/Daily_Express),''<ref name="WDPObituary">{{cite news |date=25 January 1980 |title=TV sport boss Sam Leitch dies, 52 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/western-daily-press-tv-sport-boss-sam-le/196726213/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Western Daily Press](/source/Western_Daily_Press) |page=10 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref><ref name="StageObit">{{cite news |date=7 February 1980 |title=Sam Leitch |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19800207/144/0020 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[The Stage](/source/The_Stage) |page=20 |via=[British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive)}}</ref> the ''[Manchester Evening News](/source/Manchester_Evening_News)'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 January 1980 |title=TV sports ace Sam Leitch dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/manchester-evening-news-tv-sports-ace-sa/196726614/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Manchester Evening News](/source/Manchester_Evening_News) |page=16}}</ref> the ''[Leicester Mercury](/source/Leicester_Mercury)'' and the ''[Greenock Telegraph](/source/Greenock_Telegraph),'' travelling across Europe principally as a [table tennis](/source/table_tennis) reporter.<ref name="GreenlockObituary" /> He joined the staff at the [BBC](/source/BBC) in 1968, having worked freelance for them since 1960.<ref name="WhosWhoES" /><ref name="GuardianObituary" /> Leitch was the editor of ''[Match of the Day](/source/Match_of_the_Day)'' and ''[Sportsnight](/source/Sportsnight)'' at the corporation for some years.<ref name="TimesObituary" /><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.vtoldboys.com/saturday.htm |title=Saturday Sport on BBC Television |first= |last=|work=BBC Engineering |accessdate=19 December 2014|date=September 1973}}</ref> For several years up to 1974 Leitch presented and wrote the script for the ''Football Preview'' slot on ''[Grandstand](/source/Grandstand_(TV_programme))'' on a Saturday, previewing the day's matches. This was later to evolve into ''[Football Focus](/source/Football_Focus)''.<ref name="GuardianObituary" /> 

He was appointed head of sport on [BBC Television](/source/BBC_Television) in March 1974,<ref name="TimesObituary" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 March 1974 |title=(Untitled) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-telegraph-sam-leitch-to-quit-bb/196725358/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Daily Mirror](/source/Daily_Mirror) |page=5 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref> replacing [Bryan Cowgill](/source/Bryan_Cowgill) and worked on the [1976 Summer Olympics](/source/1976_Summer_Olympics) in Montreal and the [1974 FIFA World Cup](/source/1974_FIFA_World_Cup).<ref name="StageObit" /> In May 1977, Leitch asked the BBC to release him from his contract two years early after he was approached by the American television network [NBC](/source/NBC) to work in Europe.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 May 1977 |title=Sam Leitch to quit B.B.C. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-telegraph-sam-leitch-to-quit-bb/196725358/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[The Sunday Telegraph](/source/The_Sunday_Telegraph) |page=3 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref> He additionally worked for West German television,<ref name="StageJanuary1978">{{cite news |date=26 January 1978 |title=Boost for London sport; Sam Leitch goes to Thames |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19780126/093/0013 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[The Stage](/source/The_Stage) |page=1 |via=[British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive)}}</ref> selling [Iron Curtain](/source/Iron_Curtain) television spots to the world for Lother Boch's agency.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 June 1977 |title=Sam's Spot |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sunday-people-sams-spot-sunday-pe/196727304/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Sunday People](/source/Sunday_People) |page=10 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref> In January 1978, he was appointed controller of sport and outside broadcasts at the London weekday television broadcaster [Thames Television](/source/Thames_Television) by managing director Cowgill and began work the following month.<ref name="TimesObituary" /><ref name="StageJanuary1978" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Atkinson |first=Peter |date=23 January 1978 |title=Ex-BBC sports chief to join Thames TV |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-standard-ex-bbc-sports-chief-to/196725181/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Evening Standard](/source/Evening_Standard) |page=5 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref> Leitch was the executive producer of [ITV](/source/ITV_(TV_network))'s coverage of the [1978 FIFA World Cup](/source/1978_FIFA_World_Cup) in Argentina.<ref name="TimesObituary" /> At the time of his death, he was set to be the executive producer of ITV's coverage of the [1980 Summer Olympics](/source/1980_Summer_Olympics) in Moscow,<ref name="WDPObituary" /> working with his Thames deputy Paul Lang and [London Weekend Television](/source/London_Weekend_Television)'s controller of sport John Bromley.<ref name="StageObit" />
== Personal life ==
Leitch was married to Shirley.<ref name="GuardianObituary" /> He died from a heart attack in [London](/source/London) on 24 January 1980 at the age of 52.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sport chief dies  |work=Reading Evening Post  |date=25 January 1980 |accessdate=6 October 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002471/19800125/159/0014| via = [British Newspaper Archive](/source/British_Newspaper_Archive)|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Leitch's funeral was held at [Golders Green Crematorium](/source/Golders_Green_Crematorium) on 4 February,<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 February 1980 |title=Funeral of Sam Leitch |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/western-daily-press-obituary-for-sam-lei/196723813/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[Western Daily Press](/source/Western_Daily_Press) |page=5 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref> and a memorial service for him took place at [St Bride's Church](/source/St_Bride's_Church), [Fleet Street](/source/Fleet_Street) on 4 March.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 March 1980 |title=Mr Sam Leitch |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-obituary-for-sam-lei/196723916/ |access-date=2 May 2026 |work=[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph) |page=14 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leitch, Sam}}
Category:British television personalities
Category:1927 births
Category:1980 deaths

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sam Leitch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Leitch) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Leitch?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.