Sunderland have paid tribute to loyal supporter and BBC Radio Newcastle regular Davey Atkinson after his passing
Sunderland AFC have paid tribute to lifelong supporter and Total Sport regular Davey Atkinson following his sad passing earlier this week.
The Black Cats fan was a familiar voice on BBC Radio Newcastle’s Total Sport, where he joined Simon Pride, Nick Barnes, Marco Gabbiadini and John Anderson. Renowned for his unwavering positivity about his boyhood club, his trademark catchphrase – “let’s get carried away, man” – had recently become a favourite among Mackems.
After the sad news of Davey’s passing broke, the club shared a message on social media: “Rest in peace, Davey Atkinson. One of our own, always smiling and always lifting us up on the radio. ‘Let’s get carried away, man!’ lives on with us.”
Host Pride opened the programme with the news: “Now I'm going to start the show tonight with some extremely sad news regarding one of our regular callers, a man whose voice became familiar to everybody who listens regularly to the show. People are always asking me about him. Davey Atkinson, also known as Big Davey to many, came on regularly to talk about his beloved club.
“He was, in April, diagnosed with a brain tumour, and I'm very sorry to report that he passed away early yesterday morning. His son, Kevin, tells us that, of course, he battled till the end. Davey was such an upbeat character who became a much-loved part of this show, and it's hard to accept, frankly, that we won't be hearing again his familiar greeting. Hello, lads! Or, indeed, his catchphrase. Let's get carried away, man, this is fantastic, this!
“By the time the play-off final at Wembley came around in May, Davey's illness had progressed, but there was no way he was going to miss that game. He got down to Wembley and he saw it, he saw the club get promoted, and he was as upbeat as ever when he spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle before that game. He's been in the studio to see us since, most recently, just a few weeks ago, and we know that he listened to the show, as he always did, even last Friday when his condition had rapidly deteriorated. He was one of us, he was part of the Total Sport family, and our thoughts are with Kevin, the rest of Davey's family. Davey, you're going to be a massive miss, and we will not forget you.”
Former Sunderland striker Gabbiadini also paid tribute, saying: “I think we're all very proud of what we've achieved with Total Sport over the years but it's people like Davey and many others who are integral to that and play such a big part and their character, their resilience and their joy when things go right come over the airwaves and it's very sad.
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“We've all been through these family hardships, and we have to face these things. So to Kevin and all the family, we're with you, but he's definitely going to be a big miss on the show. And I think that was one of the things he had this catchphrase that we always associate with him, but I think he also was good at seeing the truth. Sometimes things weren't going good but he didn't do it in a bitter way.
“When he had said some things about the clubs or the club or things that were going on at the club or maybe we had a transfer window that didn't go too well, he understood that things weren't right, he wasn't particularly happy, but he was sort of a roll your sleeves up and get on with it sort of character. So for me, I'm just so happy that his last memories of the club are absolutely massive positive ones, that Wembley day was just incredible and then to follow it up with the games that we've had over the last few weeks, I hope he got to enjoy those a little bit, that's a great way for him to remember his beloved club.”
The Echo’s football team extends heartfelt condolences to Davey Atkinson’s son Kevin, his family and friends at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Davey Atkinson.
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