Alex Higgins

Alex Higgins
Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player and a two-time world champion who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the sport's history. Nicknamed "Hurricane Higgins" for his rapid play, and known as the "People's Champion" for his popularity and charisma, he is often credited as a key factor in snooker's success as a mainstream televised sport in the 1980s.
Higgins turned professional in 1971 and won the World Snooker Championship in 1972, defeating John Spencer 37–31 in the final to become the first qualifier to win the world title, a feat that only two other players—Terry Griffiths in 1979 and Shaun Murphy in 2005—have achieved since. Aged 22, he was then the sport's youngest world champion, a record he held until 21-year-old Stephen Hendry won the title in 1990. He was world championship runner-up to Ray Reardon in 1976 and Cliff Thorburn in 1980. At the 1982 event, Higgins came from 13–15 behind to defeat Jimmy White 16–15 in the semi-finals, producing a 69 clearance in the penultimate frame that is regarded as one of the greatest breaks in the sport's history. He defeated Reardon 18–15 in the final, winning his second world title ten years after his first. Images of a tearful Higgins holding his baby daughter after his 1982 victory are regarded as some of the most iconic in the history of British televised sport.
Higgins won Masters titles in 1978 and 1981 and won the UK Championship in 1983, where he recovered from 0–7 behind to defeat Steve Davis 16–15 in the final. As of 2023, he is one of 11 players to have completed a career Triple Crown. He won the World Doubles Championship with White in 1984 and played with Dennis Taylor and Eugene Hughes on the all-Ireland team that won the World Cup three consecutive times from 1985 to 1987. He won his last professional title at the 1989 Irish Masters, defeating Hendry 9–8 in the final.
Remembered for his turbulent lifestyle, Higgins was a lifelong heavy smoker, struggled with drinking and gambling, and admitted to using cocaine and marijuana. He had tempestuous relationships with women—both his marriages ended in divorce, and he had widely publicised altercations with other girlfriends, one of whom stabbed him three times during a domestic argument. Known as an unpredictable, difficult, and volatile character, he was often disciplined by the sport's governing body, most notably when he was fined £12,000 and banned for five tournaments in 1986 after head-butting an official, and banned again for the entire 1990–91 season after punching another official and threatening to have Taylor shot. Higgins retired from the professional tour in 1997. Diagnosed with throat cancer the following year, he died of multiple causes in his Belfast home on 24 July 2010, aged 61.
Life and career
Early life
Higgins was born in Belfast on 18 March 1949. The only son of Alexander and Elizabeth Higgins, he grew up with sisters Isobel, Ann, and Jean on Abingdon Street. The family lived near the Jam Pot, a snooker and billiards hall in the Sandy Row estate, where Higgins frequented from age 10, initially running bets for his father and doing odd jobs. He took up snooker in the following year, initially at the Jam Pot before he practised with more challenging opponents at the Shaftesbury and YMCA clubs in the city centre.
After leaving school in 1964 Higgins worked as a messenger for the Irish Linen Company, but it was short lived as it offered few prospects and the business was in decline. At around fifteen he spotted a newspaper advert for stable boys at Eddie Reavey's stables in Wantage, Berkshire and was taken on, with hopes of following his idol Lester Piggott and become a jockey. Higgins disliked the required menial work despite being fired six times, was taken back on board. He stayed for almost two years, during which he gained weight and became too heavy to ride competitively. He left the stables for London, where he settled in a Leytonstone flat and resumed playing snooker. He won several money matches and earned extra income at a paper mill near London Bridge, but homesickness led to his return to Belfast after a year. By the time he was 16, Higgins had compiled his first maximum break.
In 1967, Higgins joined the snooker league at the Mountpottinger YMCA where he faced tougher opponents. He practised as much as six hours a day, studied weaknesses in the other players, and devised new shots in his game. In January 1968, after six months, Higgins felt ready to compete in the Northern Ireland Amateur Snooker Championship and defeated Maurice Gill 4–1 in the final. In doing so he became the first player to win the tournament at his first appearance and, aged 18, was the youngest winner. One week later, he won the All-Ireland Amateur Championship, and briefly turned professional before he was reinstated as an amateur and appointed captain of the Mountpottinger YMCA team. The following year he lost his Northern Ireland Amateur crown, losing 0–4 to Dessie Anderson in the final. Around this time, Higgins defeated world champion John Spencer in several exhibition matches.
World titles
Higgins relocated to England as it presented more favourable opportunities for snooker. It was here where salesman Dennis Broderick and bingo tycoon John McLaughlin recognised his talents and became his agents, buying him a flat and new clothes. He turned professional full-time at age 22, and Higgins worked out his "battle plan" against the top professionals around this time; he noted they were percentage players and to beat them, chose to "attack with brute force and scare them to death". Higgins' sister Isobel offered to pay the £100 fee so he could enter the 1971 World Snooker Championship, but he declined as he did not feel ready.
Higgins won the World Championship at his first attempt in 1972, beating Spencer 37–31. The tournament began in March 1971 and concluded in February 1972. Higgins was the youngest-ever winner of the title, a record he held until Stephen Hendry's victory at the age of 21 in 1990. Higgins won £480 in prize money. Soon after Higgins defeated Jackie Rea in the final of the Irish Professional Championship, a title Rea had held since 1952. In the summer Higgins was the subject of the half-hour Thames TV documentary Hurricane Higgins. During an exhibition match in Bombay, an inebriated Higgins was unable to play due to the high temperatures and proceeded to play shirtless. He was fined £200. In 1973 Higgins made his debut appearance on Pot Black, but he lost his first game and stormed off the set. Ted Lowe convinced him to return and finish his other games, but friction between the two remained and Lowe forbid Higgins to appear on the show for five years. Higgins lost his world title with a 9–23 defeat to Eddie Charlton in the semi-finals of the 1973 tournament.
By the end of 1974, Higgins had started to alter his attacking style of play and add more tactical and safety elements. In April 1976, Higgins reached the final again and faced Ray Reardon. Higgins led 10–9 but faded over the stretch. In a match marred by erratic refereeing and a sub-standard table, Reardon nevertheless pulled away to win the title for the fifth time, with the score finishing at 27–16. Higgins was also the runner-up to Cliff Thorburn in 1980, losing 18–16, after being 9–5 up.
Higgins won the world title for a second time in 1982 after beating Reardon 18–15 (with a 135 total clearance in the final frame); it was an emotional as well as professional victory for him. Higgins would have been ranked No. 1 in the world rankings for the 1982/83 season had he not forfeited ranking points following disciplinary action. In the final of the 1983 UK Championship he trailed Steve Davis 0–7 before producing a comeback to win 16–15.
In 1986, Higgins split with his manager Del Simmons and signed with Framework, a management group run by Howard Kruger who also managed Jimmy White, Kirk Stevens, and Tony Knowles. Later that year the four released a cover of "The Wanderer" by Dion as a counter to "Snooker Loopy", a pop single featuring snooker players managed by Barry Hearn's Matchroom. In 1988, Higgins was dropped by Kruger and acquired a new manager, Robin Driscoll. In January 1989, Higgins fell out the window from his partner's first floor flat and broke 30 bones in his ankle. He arrived at several subsequent matches on crutches and played while hopping on one leg.
During his career, Higgins also won the Masters twice, in 1978 and in 1981, beating Cliff Thorburn (a man who, at one point, floored Higgins with one swift punch) and Terry Griffiths in the finals respectively. In 1987 he reached the Masters final for the fifth time; he lost in the deciding frame to Dennis Taylor.
His final professional triumph was in the 1989 Irish Masters at the age of 40 when he defeated a young Stephen Hendry. This was the last professional tournament he won, and is often referred to as "The Hurricane's Last Hurrah". At the 1990 British Open, Higgins lost 10–8 in the final against Canadian player Bob Chaperon, which was his last appearance in a major final. Higgins received a runner-up prize of £45,000, the highest of his career.
During his 15-month ban Higgins released a biography video, I'm No Angel, in 1991. He competed in pre-season qualifying matches against amateurs, including former women's champion Stacey Hillyard. After a return to form, Higgins reached the televised rounds of the 1994 World Snooker Championship. Facing fellow Irishman Ken Doherty in the first round, he lost 10–6.
Post-retirement
After his retirement from the professional game, Higgins spent time playing for small sums of money in and around Northern Ireland. He made appearances in the 2005 and 2006 Irish Professional Championship, these comebacks ending in first-round defeats by Garry Hardiman and Joe Delaney, respectively.
On 12 June 2007, it was reported that Higgins had assaulted a referee at a charity match in the north-east of England. Higgins returned to competitive action in September 2007 at the Irish Professional Championship in Dublin but was whitewashed 0–5 by former British Open champion Fergal O'Brien in the first round at the Spawell Club, Templeogue.
Higgins continued to play fairly regularly, and enjoyed "hustling" all comers for small-time stakes in clubs in Northern Ireland and beyond; in May 2009 he entered the Northern Ireland Amateur Championship, "to give it a crack", but failed to appear for his match.
On 8 April 2010, Higgins was part of the debut Snooker Legends Tour event in Sheffield, at the Crucible. Appearing alongside other retired or close-to-retiring professionals, including John Parrott, Jimmy White, John Virgo and Cliff Thorburn, he faced Thorburn in his match, but lost 2–0.
It is estimated that Higgins earned and spent £3–4 million in his career as a snooker player.
Playing style
Higgins's speed around the table, his ability to pot balls at a rapid rate and flamboyant style earned him the nickname "Hurricane Higgins" and made him a very high-profile player. His highly unusual cueing technique sometimes included a body swerve and movement, as well as a stance that was noticeably higher than that of most professionals.
Higgins compiled a break of 69 against Jimmy White in the penultimate frame of their World Professional Snooker Championship semi-final in 1982. Higgins was 0–59 down in that frame, but managed to compile an extremely challenging clearance during which he was rarely in position. The break is regarded as one of the best in snooker history.
Controversy and behaviour
At the 1986 UK Championship, Higgins head-butted tournament director Paul Hatherell after an argument. He was fined £12,000 and banned from five tournaments, while he was also convicted of assault and criminal damage arising from the incident, and was fined £250 by a court. Higgins was fined £500 for being abusive towards tournament director Kevin Norton at the 1987 Irish Masters. By 1988, Higgins had been fined a total of £17,200 in his professional career.
Another came at the 1990 World Championship; after losing his first-round match to Steve James, he punched tournament official Colin Randle in the abdomen before the start of a press conference at which he announced his retirement, and abused the media as he left. This followed another incident at the World Cup, where he repeatedly argued with fellow player and compatriot Dennis Taylor, insulting his late mother and threatened to have him shot if he returned to Northern Ireland. For his conduct, Higgins was banned for the rest of the season and all of the next.
During the World Trickshot Championship in 1991, Higgins referred to the black ball as "Muhammad Ali" in front of a live audience and TV cameras.
Outside snooker
At the time of his 1972 triumph at the World Championship, Higgins related that he did not have a permanent address, and had recently lived in a row of abandoned houses in Blackburn which were awaiting demolition. In one week he had moved into five different houses on the same street, moving down one every time his current dwelling was demolished.
Higgins married twice and had four children from three different relationships. In 1971, he met Joyce Fox and they had a son, Chris, in 1975. They separated six months later; in 2001, Fox told her son that Higgins was his father and they reconnected in 2003. In April 1975, Higgins married Australian-born Cara Hasler in Sydney. They had a daughter, Christel, and their divorce was finalised in 1979. In January 1980 Higgins married Lynn Avison in Wilmslow, Cheshire. They had a daughter, Lauren, in 1980 and son Jordan in 1983. They split in 1985 and divorced. In the same year, Higgins began a relationship with Siobhan Kidd, which ended in 1989 after he allegedly hit her with a hairdryer.
Higgins had a long and enduring friendship with Oliver Reed, who appeared on This Is Your Life when Higgins was the subject in 1981.
In 1983 Higgins helped a young boy from Manchester, a fan of his who had been in a coma for two months, after his parents wrote to him. He recorded messages on tape and sent them to the boy with his best wishes. He later visited the boy in hospital and played a snooker match that he promised to have with him when he recovered.
A videogame with his likeness was released in 1986, titled titled Alex Higgins' World Snooker'.
In 1996, Higgins was convicted of assaulting a 14-year-old boy, while in 1997 then-girlfriend Holly Haise stabbed him three times during a domestic argument. He published his autobiography, From the Eye of the Hurricane: My Story, in 2007. Higgins appeared in the Sporting Stars edition of the British television quiz The Weakest Link on 25 July 2009.
Illness and death
For many years, Higgins smoked heavily; he reportedly smoked 80 cigarettes a day. He had cancerous growths removed from his mouth in 1994 and 1996. In June 1998, he was found to have throat cancer; on 13 October of that year, he had major surgery. He could only talk in a whisper in his last years.
In early 2010 he suffered from pneumonia and breathing problems, and on 31 March he was admitted to hospital. In April 2010 Higgins' friends announced that they had set up a campaign to help raise the £20,000 he needed for teeth implants, to enable him to eat properly again and put on weight. Higgins had lost his teeth after intensive radiotherapy used to treat his throat cancer. It was reported that since losing them he had been living on liquid food, and had become increasingly depressed, even contemplating suicide. He was too ill and frail to have the implants fitted. Despite his illness, Higgins continued to smoke cigarettes and drink heavily until the end of his life. He was admitted to hospital again in May.
By the summer of 2010, Higgins' weight had fallen to . Despite having once been worth £4 million, he was bankrupt and survived on a £200-a-week disability allowance. He was found dead in bed in his flat on 24 July 2010. The cause of death was a combination of malnutrition, pneumonia, tooth decay and a bronchial condition, although his daughter Lauren stated that he was clear from throat cancer when he died. His children survived him.
Higgins' funeral service was held at St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, on 2 August 2010. He was buried in Carnmoney Cemetery in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. Among the snooker professionals in attendance were Jimmy White, Willie Thorne, Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty, Joe Swail, Shaun Murphy and John Virgo. Doherty and White were pall bearers.
Legacy
Alex Higgins was an inspiration to many subsequent professional snooker players, including Ken Doherty, Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan. In Clive Everton's TV documentary The Story of Snooker (2002), Steve Davis described Higgins as the "one true genius that snooker has produced", although contemporary leading professional Willie Thorne described Higgins as "not a great player". Higgins arguably fulfilled his potential only intermittently during his career peak in the 1970s and 80s; Everton puts this down to Davis and Ray Reardon generally being too consistent for him. O'Sullivan has called Higgins "the greatest snooker player I have ever seen" when he was playing at his best, while also acknowledging that Higgins's erratic lifestyle led to a lack of consistency on the table.
Regardless, Higgins' exciting style and explosive persona helped make snooker a growing sport in the 1970s and 1980s. Higgins made a 16-red clearance (in a challenge match in 1976); it was a break of 146 (with the brown as the first "red", and 16 colours: 1 green, 5 pinks and 10 blacks).
In 2011, Event 8 of the Players Tour Championship was renamed as the Alex Higgins International Trophy. In 2016, WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn announced that the trophy for the new Northern Ireland Open tournament would be named after Higgins.
Higgins' professional rivalry with Steve Davis was portrayed in a 2016 BBC feature film entitled The Rack Pack'', in which Higgins was played by Luke Treadaway.
Performance and rankings timeline
Career finals
Ranking finals: 6 (1 title)
Non-ranking finals: 51 (24 titles)
Pro-am finals: 4 (3 titles)
Team finals: 6 (5 titles)
Amateur finals: 3 (2 titles)
Notes
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links
Alex Higgins: The People's Champion BBC iPlayer. 1 September 2010.
Profile on Global Snooker
1949 births
2010 deaths
Anglicans from Northern Ireland
Sportspeople from Belfast
Snooker players from Northern Ireland
Masters (snooker) champions
UK champions (snooker)
People from Northern Ireland convicted of assault
Winners of the professional snooker world championship