Irish Football Association president Jim Boyce has paid tribute to the former Northern Ireland striker Derek Dougan, who passed away aged 69 yesterday.
'He was a bit of a legend in Northern Ireland football history,' Boyce said on Sky Sports News.
'It's a very sad day. Derek was over in Belfast two years ago when we celebrated our 125th anniversary dinner and he was in good spirits. He was known as a jovial character, who always kept people entertained.'
Dougan was born in Belfast in 1938 and began his footballing career with Lisburn Distillery. He was capped 43 times by Northern Ireland.
He had a steller career in England, mostly with Wolves with whom he scored 123 goals and won the League Cup in 1974.
After retirement, he had a short stint as a player in the United States before later going on to take up a position with the Professional Footballers' Association and, briefly, as chief executive at Wolves.
He was regarded as an outspoken figure, never more so than during his period as PFA chairman.
Boyce added: 'Derek was outspoken. Probably for that, he got some publicity that at times was a little bit unfair to him. He had his own strong views.
'If someone believes in something, it's better to be open and honest about it than saying at times what people might want to hear. He was a controversial character as well. But, as I say, he was well respected by Northern Ireland fans.
'In his time, he was an exceptionally good centre-forward. I would describe him in the old mould of centre-forwards. He was obviously very, very popular at Wolverhampton, where he spent most of his career.'
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor also paid tribute to Dougan. He told PA Sport: 'He was one of the game's most colourful characters and I was very proud to have served with him and worked under him.
'I had eight years under him as chairman and he led the PFA, along with my predecessor Cliff Lloyd, all through negotiations in establishing a constitution and a collective bargaining agreement, which have stood the test of time.
'At times, he was a very controversial character, never frightened of taking on authority, which got him into trouble in his playing career and, needless to say, off the field as well.'
Although the maximum wage had been abolished, clubs still possessed the power in the 1970s to withhold an out-of-contract player's registration, thus preventing him from moving elsewhere. Dougan helped make this illegal.
Taylor added: 'He led as chairman, and that brought in the player's right to move in 1978, which was the forerunner of Bosman.'
Former PFA deputy chief executive Brendon Batson, whose time at the PFA overlapped with that of Dougan, said: 'He was a great champion of players' rights and conditions and he was an integral part of current terms players enjoy now.
'For many years, players were treated like cattle. But he was very, very outspoken in saying that players had an important role to play and they deserved to be free and masters of their own fate.'
Dougan is believed to have died suddenly at his home in Wolverhampton.
