Bob Lucas: Sad loss of Weymouth Football Club president
By Adam Summers

Friday 13th August 2010

FRIENDS and family have paid tribute to ‘a legend’ and ‘the nicest man in Football’ after Weymouth Football Club president Bob Lucas lost his battle against cancer.

Bob, 85, was with his wife Jean at home in Culliford Way, Weymouth, when he died yesterday morning.

Friends of the former physiotherapist have lamented the loss of the man who first joined the football club in 1949 and became known as ‘Mr Weymouth’.

Manager Ian Hutchinson said: “The club certainly won’t be the same without him and it’s the end of an era.

“He is the legend of Weymouth Football Club and I am so glad I had the pleasure of knowing him.

“I have nothing but respect for him. He was a loyal man and a complete gentleman.”

Club chairman George Rolls also saw Bob in the last two weeks.

He said: “I am just glad that the club got the opportunity to honour him when he was alive by naming the stadium after him.

“All our thoughts now go out to his wife Jean and the rest of the family and as a club we will naturally do all we can for them.”

During 1,948 games as Weymouth’s physio, Bob looked after many players who went on to play league football.

He and Jean received a goodwill message from former player Tony Agana two weeks ago.

Steve Claridge, who played for and managed the club, said he remembers the ‘good times’ and has ‘fantastic memories’ of Bob.

He added: “I still remember seeing Bob when I first went to Weymouth as a kid.

“He stood for and typified everything that the club was all about.”

Claridge added: “He’s a big part of the club’s history and it’s people like him that make clubs what they are.

“It’s almost a part of your life that’s gone so it’s very, very sad.”

Former charman Ian Ridley described Bob as ‘the nicest man in football’.

Mr Ridley said: “He was my rock when I was chairman, ever supportive and available through good and bad times, a constant reminder through his integrity and sportsmanship of the good things about the club that made it worth fighting for.”

He added: “It will never find another Bob Lucas, that’s for sure.”

Bob leaves behind Jean, their children Linda, Michael and Lesley and his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Jean said Bob would always say how lucky he was to live in Weymouth when he walked down the seafront.

She said: “We would like to thank everybody for their kind words.

“He was pleased and surprised to have the stadium named after him and had a lot of time for the supporters.”