LEGENDARY Sunday Game presenter Michael Lyster was in the chair for the last time in RTE studios yesterday after more than 30 years of finals.
The Galway man has hosted the programme since 1984 and will retire at the end of this year.
Tributes were paid by Pat Spillane, Joe Brolly and Colm O'Rourke as they showed a video showcasing his broadcasting career, with highlights including the Seoul Olympics in 1988, interviewing Stephen Roche at the Tour de France and his personal passion for rally driving.
"Glowing with enthusiasm" was how Micheal O Muircheartaigh described him - while O'Rourke thanked Lyster personally in the studio for his "courtesy, civility and professionalism".
"You never wanted to be the story, you were just fantastic," he said.
Meanwhile, Brolly quipped: "I hope you're not going to Sky".
Lyster, 64, will retire following this year’s GAA Championship to be replaced by former Dublin Ladies footballer Joanne Cantwell.
Three years ago, he broadcaster cheated death by surviving a heart attack. His wife Anne saved his life by performing CPR on him until an ambulance arrived after the presenter collapsed at his home.
Despite the scare, he said may consider taking up rallying again post retirement.
He has also said he has "absolutely no plans" to put his life down in book form, despite a number of people encouraging him to do so.
