HE was a Saints legend of the 60s who captained the team to promotion to the top flight for the first time in 1966.
Tony Knapp, who was also the two-time manager of the Icelandic national side, has passed away at the age of 86.
In search of a new centre-half in the summer of 1961, manager Ted Bates persuaded the then Leicester City defender to drop down a division and signed Knapp for £27,500, a club record fee at the time.
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He soon replaced England's Terry Paine as captain and led the team to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1963.
Three years later he was still leading out the players as the top flight was reached for the first time in Saints history.
Tony, who made 260 appearances for Saints, scoring twice, accepted a move to newly-promoted Coventry City in the summer of 1967 and spent two seasons there.
After hanging up his boots, he turned his attention to coaching, in England, Iceland and Norway.
Saints led tributes to the former player, saying in a statement: "Southampton is saddened to learn of the passing of Tony Knapp, who made 260 appearances for the club between 1961 and 1967.
"Our thoughts are with Tony's family and loved ones."
Tony Knapp was born in Newstead in Nottinghamshire in 1936, playing youth football with Nottingham Forest.
Following his spell with the Sky Blues, he moved stateside to Los Angeles Wolves, before returning to the UK with Tranmere Rovers.
He ended his playing days at Poole Town, becoming their manager before a 1974 move abroad to coach KR Reykjavik then a three years spell in charge of the Icelandic national team.
From there he moved to Norway, where, aside from a brief spell back with Iceland in the mid-1980s, he would remain for the rest of his life, enjoying particular success with FK Brann who achieved a league and cup double in 1979.
Knapp served 11 Norwegian clubs, only retiring from the last one, Lillesand, in 2012, aged 76.
He spent the rest of his days living in Stavanger.
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