Eric Morecambe: Luton Town FC’s most famous fan

It all started when the funnyman moved to Harpenden and his son Gary said he wanted to support a football team.

So they tossed a coin to decide whether it would be Luton or Watford. Hatters or Hornets?

The rest, as they say, is history.

Such was his commitment to the club, Eric was asked to join the board of directors at Kenilworth Road.

Shortly after his appointment, he briefly grew a rather sparse moustache.

He explained to his fans: “It’s a football moustache, eleven a side!”

Eric often told the story how once, when Luton were 2-0 down at half time, supporters chanted, “What do you think of it so far?” to which he replied, “Rubbish”.

Eric also made a point of featuring his club on the Morecambe & Wise TV shows, once holding a ‘Luton FC’ sign in a sketch with Glenda Jackson.

Eric died in 1984, agedonly 58, but his memory lives on at Luton Town’s stadium with the Eric Morecambe Suite.

I’ve trawled through the archives to find a selection of pictures of the great man, all taken by Luton News photographers.

Enjoy the slideshow. You can’t see the join!