Peter Woodroofe, the man to whom Moseley Rugby Club owe an unpayable debt, has died after a long battle against cancer.
The 78-year-old will go down in club history, much of which he has written, as the man who kept Moseley in Birmingham for his part in the dramatic creditors meeting more than five years ago.
Woodroofe was then on the board of Moseley Ventures and held the casting vote as to whether Firoz Kassam's offer to take the club to Oxford would be accepted.
With just minutes to go before the deadline at the Grand Hotel Woodroofe opted to vote against the proposal and in doing so not only handed the club back to its members but also wrote off a six-figure sum owed to him.
Since then Moseley have gone from strength to strength. Although they were relegated at the end of the following season they have regained their First Division status and found a new home at Billesley Common.
Though he always sought to play down his role, none of it would have been possible without Woodroofe's selfless act.
Club President, Derek Nutt, said after the Northampton match last Saturday: "Peter dreamed of an occasion like this with several thousand people in the ground and Northampton being the visitors.
"With that one single act of generosity he kept our club together and without which we would not be here today. Hopefully the match and the occasion were fitting tributes to him." He is survived by his wife Ethel.
His funeral will be held at Hazelwell Church, Kings Heath, on Tuesday January 8, at 11am followed by a reception at the club at 12.30 after the burial. All members, supporters and friends are welcome.
