Heartfelt tributes paid to leading basketball historian from Biggleswade

Heartfelt tributes have been paid to a leading basketball historian from Biggleswade who has left a legacy for "generations to come".

Former teacher at St Andrew's School, John Atkinson, died aged 72 from a heart attack, leaving behind his brother and sister, niece, nephew, two great nieces and a great nephew.

The statistician - fondly known as 'Statkinson' - was well known for his work with Sky TV and Channel 4, and hailed for his extensive documentation of British basketball history.

His sister, Beverley, 61, told the Chronicle: "John truly was an unsung hero. His basketball archive at The University of Worcester will benefit generations to come.

"It’s a mark of his generosity and principles that, instead of selling some of his memorabilia for large sums of money, money that might have improved his quality of life immeasurably, he unselfishly chose to donate everything instead."

John was born on October 14, 1949, to Lilian and Bob Atkinson, who hailed from Biggleswade and Northumberland respectively.

The young historian grew up in Stratton Way, attending primary school in Rose Lane before passing his 11 plus and moving to Stratton Upper, then a grammar school.

Beverley said: "He was a bright pupil, excelling at maths and art and winning the history prize. However, his main interest was sport - and he was a good all rounder. He played rugby, cricket, and football for his school and even reached Junior Wimbledon.

"We don’t recall whether he played much basketball, but he definitely made up for it when he went to Teacher Training College in Walsall in the late 1960s.

"After he qualified as a teacher, his second post was at his old primary school, having been hired by his old Headmaster, Fred Lewis."

During his time at college, John was introduced to statistics thanks to Peter Shaw, Peter Ray and John Pitt.

He later became involved with the statistics for the "legendary" Sutton and Crystal Palace team, joining at the start of the 1973-74 season.

Thanks to the club's success - 15 British titles in nine years - John began to research the history of basketball. He later ensured the national team programmes had a documented history and was a statistician at the London 2012 Olympics.

Beverley said: "What did John enjoy about the game? Pretty much everything, from memory! He regularly took me to watch Sutton and Crystal Palace, who he worked for in his spare time.

"During the early 1970s, he evolved a system for collecting real-time statistics, which became invaluable for coaches and players alike."

John left Crystal Palace in 1982 to work with Cheerleader Productions and Channel 4 to cover the national league. He also worked for Sky Sports and ITV during his career.

The statistician moved to Spain in 2005, having retired from teaching due to ill health.

Paying tribute to her brother, Beverley said: "John was modest, loyal, kind, principled, supportive and generous."

His brother Ashley's favourite memory is attending the 1966 Football World Cup semi-finals with John, while Beverley recalls how supportive John was of her academic studies.

Among his other hobbies, John was a Luton Town FC fan, a cricket umpire, and had an extensive 60s/70s vinyl collection.