Clifford Isaac Morgan, CVO OBE (7 April 1930 – 29 August 2013)[2] was a Welsh rugby union player who played for Cardiff RFC and earned 29 caps for Wales between 1951 and 1958.
Morgan, born in Trebanog in the Rhondda valley, was from a mining family and joined Cardiff Rugby Club straight from Tonyrefail Grammar School in 1949, playing at fly-half.
Blessed with natural balance and strength, together with an astute line-kicking ability and searing acceleration, he quickly made an impact.
During that tour, in which the Test series was drawn 2–2, Morgan distinguished himself for his marshalling of a talented Lions backline that included Jeff Butterfield and Arthur Smith in the centre, with Cecil Pedlow and Tony O'Reilly on the wings.
Morgan's try in the first Test at Ellis Park, in front of a then world-record crowd of 100,000, helped secure a sensational 23–22 victory at the end of a match that some still consider the most exciting ever played.
Then, with Lions skipper Robin Thompson injured ahead of the third Test in Pretoria, Morgan was made captain and duly inspired his team and controlled the game to ensure a 9–6 win that meant the series could not be lost.
The South African newspapers dubbed him "Morgan the Magnificent"[3] and the level to which his influence was thought key was reflected in the frenzy of coverage his injured ankle received as the fourth Test came around.
His exceptional ability as a programme-maker and story-teller briefly took him outside the familiar world of BBC Sport in the mid-1960s, when he spent two years as editor of ITV's current affairs programme This Week.
Off-air, his enduring influence in the world of sport and beyond helped him rise to join the ranks of leading BBC executives.
In 1974 he became Head of BBC Radio Sport and Outside Broadcasts, and from 1976 to 1987 he was Head of BBC Television Sport and Outside Broadcasts, supervising coverage of major events including football World Cups, Commonwealth and Olympic Games, Royal weddings and other national ceremonial occasions, notably the funeral of Mountbatten in 1979 and the wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981.
In retirement, he was afflicted with cancer of the vocal cords and the removal of his larynx, resulting in limited ability to speak.