Football great Terry Hill won a grand final and starred for NSW Blues and Australia before his shock death aged 52, so it is telling that he is remembered as much for what he did off the field as for what he did on it. .
The Manly legend recently died of a heart attack in the Philippines, leaving the rugby league world in shock at the loss of one of the game’s most colorful characters.
Hill played 246 games in a club career that saw him run for Souths, Easts, Wests, Manly and Wests Tigers, as well as playing 14 games for NSW and a further nine for his country.
He played a major role in leading the Sea Eagles to the premiership in 1996 and was known for his relentless style of play in State of Origin and international football, but fans love him equally for his fun-loving ways.
With a premiership, State of Origin stardom and national selection under his belt, Hill reached almost every pinnacle of rugby league, but was as loved for what he did off the field as on it .
His live crosses of Dapto greyhound racing on The Footy Show, including a classic interview with a nearly toothless punter (pictured), earned him a cult following.
Hill’s talent for comedy and love of entertaining were on display during his regular appearances on The Footy Show at the height of the show’s fame.
A noted greyhound racing fan and dog owner, he was best known for hosting live crossbreeds with licker races, especially at Dapto on the New South Wales south coast.
During one particularly memorable crossover that is still circulating on social media, he made the panel in the studio laugh while interviewing a nearly toothless greyhound fan named George Baggana.
Dressed in a shiny gold jacket and bow tie combo that was completely out of place in Dapto’s very casual atmosphere, he asked Baggana to “give the crowd a big smile,” prompting him to respond: “I don’t have nothing to do”. smile with!’
Hill played a major role in the show by having his own greyhound named ‘Nads’, so anyone who supported him in a race would shout ‘Go Nads!’ – and the dog became so famous that the soccer star even took him to movie premieres to interview famous actors.
Hill’s lisp became one of his trademarks and he exploited it for laughs on the show, as well as sending fans into hysterics with his often creative approach to the English language.
Hill was also known for his lisp, but instead of shying away from it, he loved playing with it and having the mickey taken away from him.
In another live Dapto crossover, Hill pretended to be stunned and insulted when he read the odds for a race, only to discover they had all been changed to ’66 to one’ to show his speech impediment.
His mistakes when reading Footy Show scripts became a trademark and showed that he loved to poke fun at himself by describing the atmosphere at Dapto as “electronic” rather than “electric”, and pronouncing “anticipation” as “am- patip-patipitation”.
‘Tezza’ also made Hollywood superstar Keanu Reeves laugh during a one-on-one interview on the show by ambushing him with a funny question about one of his biggest films.
“Rugby league has had a lot of problems with drugs lately, you know, with drugs in sport,” he began.
But obviously not for you. A couple of years ago you made a lot of money with speed.
Reeves laughed out loud, covering his eyes with his hand before replying, “Speed, yeah, speed is good!”
Keanu Reeves laughed when Hill asked him a cheeky question about drugs in sport during a memorable Footy Show segment.
No wonder former Footy Show boss Glenn Pallister described him as “the first player who really showed a personality and we thought, wow!” This guy is a talent!’
Pallister recalled that Hill, widely regarded as one of the sport’s best sledders, confronted a Queenslander who was also a regular on the show and put him off by shouting: “Mate, your segment on The Footy Show.” . **That house!’
The Newtown-born entertainer was also hilarious away from the television cameras.
Wests Tigers teammate Joel Caine said the club told players to buy new bikes for training during Hill’s spell with the team.
“He refused to buy the bike and was probably the highest-paid player at the club,” Caine recalled.
“He shows up with the oldest bike he could find, one with a basket and tassels, no gears or anything like that, and then [trainer] Tony Green likes it… and Terry said: “When was the last time you saw someone ride a bike to score a try?”
‘Tezza’ didn’t reserve all his jocular humor for the TV studio, as he demonstrated when he put on some of the most outlandish performances you’ll ever see when he pretended to have been knocked out during a Wests Tigers game against Parramatta (pictured). )
Former Footy Show boss Glenn Pallister said Hill (pictured from a more recent appearance on the show) was the first player with the personality needed to become a real TV star.
Hill also made all the fans at Leichhardt Oval laugh with an impressive play in a match against Parramatta.
With the Tigers leading 12-0 and defending their try line, he attempted to tackle Nathan Hindmarsh but was tackled and thrown headlong onto the turf.
Hill jumped again, went to the scoreboard, pointed at Hindmarsh as if to tell the referee he deserved a penalty… and then crashed to the ground as if he had been shot with a tranquilizer dart.
Looking at everyone as if he were in a deep sleep, Hill remained motionless with his eyes closed as the trainers rushed to treat him.
Suddenly, Hill opened his eyes, shook his head from side to side as if he had been awakened from a deep sleep by having a bucket of cold water thrown on him, and made a full recovery.
It was the kind of over-the-top performance one would expect from a parody of The Footy Show, and just the kind of hysterical display that brought Hill as much fame and adoration as any of the attempts he scored.