Joe Johnson (snooker player)

Joe Johnson (born 29 July 1952) is an English former snooker player. He also did snooker commentary for Eurosport. He became the British under-19 champion in 1971. He was an amateur, defeating Tony Knowles in the final. He reached the final of both the English Amateur Championship and World Amateur Snooker Championship in 1978. He turned professional in 1979. He reached his first ranking final at the 1983 Professional Players Tournament (losing to Knowles), and reached the semi-finals of the 1985 Classic. 

Johnson began the 1986 World Snooker Championship as a 150–1 outsider. He was not likely to win the event. He had first-round losses in both of his previous attempts. He reached the final, and defeated Steve Davis in the final 1812. This was his only ranking win of his career. The following year, at the 1987 World Snooker Championship. In the final, he lost 14–18 to Davis.

He was professional until 2005, when he retired at age 53 after breaking his ankle. Johnson later competed on the World Seniors Tour, where he won the 2019 Seniors Masters.

Life
Johnson was the subject of This is Your Life. He was a guest on the celebrity sports quiz A Question of Sport in 1986. In 1987, BBC1 broadcast a show called An Ordinary Joe it was about the year since his world-championship victory. He appeared on snooker show Big Break between 1991 and 2001. Johnson was interviewed for an episode of the Radio 5 show Time of My Life in 1998. He was a guest on the TV quiz show  Celebrity Eggheads in 2012.
He sang in the band Made in Japan, who released a cover of "Everlasting Love" in October 1986. Johnson coached Shaun Murphy and was an early influence on Paul Hunter. He is a regular commentator for Eurosport. Johnson owned Cue Gardens snooker club, and ran a coaching academy with Richard Harrison. He is married to Terryl, and has seven children. By 2017, he had survived seven heart attacks.

References

Category:Snooker players