Describing himself as a reporter rather than a writer, McIlvanney was blessed with the gift of “verbal musicality” and an ability to engage an audience. Incredibly versatile, during a break from sports writing he covered the clashes in Northern Ireland, work for which he received the journalist of the year award. His later work in sport saw him awarded sports journalist of the year a remarkable seven times. He was awarded the OBE in 1996 and his services to boxing were recognised when in 2009 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Fans of McIlvanney’s articles loved his attention to detail. McIlvanney believed in old-school values and accuracy was a compulsive trait of the Scot. Despite being personal friends to many of the people he interviewed or wrote about, he was never afraid to say it how it was. A classic example of this was when he described a sub-par Frank Bruno as being no more competitive than a sheep in an abattoir. It was quite a cutting comment but McIlvanney had a knack of creating phrases that perfectly matched performance and his words captured emotion in a way few could emulate.
McIlvanney will be particularly missed in the horse racing world, a sport he was very fond of. British racehorse trainer John Gosden spoke fondly of the writer, describing him as the best of his generation and said his huge impact on horse racing could be felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Sentiments shared by fellow trainer Nicky Henderson. Henderson praised McIlvanney whom he called a great friend and one of the nicest men you could ever meet. Calling him a great writer, Henderson recalled the Scot’s love of banter and said he had shared many fantastic times with him. He called McIlvanney a “raconteur” due to the skilful retelling of his many anecdotes in many sports. He said the writer “wrote about other sports but loved his racing.”
This love was put in print form when McIlvanney released his aptly titled ‘McIlvanney on Horseracing’ book. Featuring a foreword by ‘The voice of racing’ Sir Peter O’Sullevan, the book spans four decades of racing and takes the reader into an often hidden side of the sport. The introduction gives an insight into the man, who it was said was quiet and unassuming away from the cameras or in print. In his own words he questions if he has the authority or enough knowledge of the sport. A ridiculous suggestion but a measure of the humbleness of the man.
