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Bob Wilson was born on Ashgate Road, in Chesterfield, where his father was the Borough Engineer and his mother was a magistrate. He was the youngest child of six and had much older brothers (and an elder sister); two of his brothers were killed in the Second World War, one as a Spitfire pilot and the other as a rear-gunner in a Lancaster.
He went to Loughborough College of Education where he studied History and Physical Education on a teacher training course. After playing reserve games for Wolves as an amateur and made his debut for Arsenal as an amateur, and was the first amateur to have a transfer fee paid (around £6,500).
He retired from playing in May 1974, at the age of 32 and became the goalkeeping coach for Arsenal for 28 years during the period Pat Jennings, John Lukic, and David Seaman were goalkeepers.
He retired at the end of the 2002–03 season, having helped Arsenal win two more doubles in 1997–98 and 2001–02, one of only two people to have been involved with all three (the other being Pat Rice).
Wilson married Megs on 25 July 1964 at Holy Trinity church, and they had three children: John (born 1965), Anna (1966–1998) and Robert (born 1968). In February
1994, his daughter Anna was diagnosed with malignant schwannoma, a
cancer of the nerve sheath. After a long fight, she died on 1 December
1998, six days before her 32nd birthday. The "Willow Foundation" was set
up in her memory. In 2007 Wilson received an Order of the British
Empire (OBE) for his charity work.
After his football career, he also became a football television presenter working firstly for the BBC from 1974 to 1994 as host of Football Focus and presenting Grandstand during the 1980s and early 1990s.
In the autumn of 1994, he moved to ITV, where he presented the station's UEFA Champions League, League Cup and FA Cup coverage. The 2002 World Cup, which was to be his last work for ITV.
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