John Spencer (18 September 1935 – 11 July 2006) was an English professional snooker player and a three-time World Snooker Champion. Born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, he began playing snooker on a full-sized table at age 14, and made his first century break aged 15; he started National Service at age 18, and did not play snooker again until he was 29. After winning the English Amateur Championship in 1966, he turned professional in February 1967 and won the world title on his first attempt in 1969. This was the first time since 1957 that the World Snooker Championship had used a knock-out format, following a series of challenge matches from 1964 to 1968, making Spencer the first World Champion in the of snooker.
At the 1971 World Championship, held in Sydney, Australia, he became the first player to win the world title at a knockout event staged outside the United Kingdom. Finishing runner-up to Alex Higgins in 1972, he won his third and final world title in 1977, becoming the first player to win the World Championship at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre where it has taken place annually ever since. Spencer's other notable victories include the inaugural Masters in 1975, where he defeated Ray Reardon on a in the of the final; the inaugural Irish Masters in 1978; and three editions of the BBC's Pot Black series, in 1971, 1972, and 1976. Spencer was noted for his , which featured an unusually long backswing that provided immense , allowing him to develop long-distance shots with deep and maximum .
In 1979, Spencer became the first player to compile a maximum break in professional tournament play, although the break was not recorded as an official maximum because the on the table may not have met the required specifications. In 1985, he was diagnosed with the ocular version of myasthenia gravis, with symptoms including double vision that severely affected his later career. He made his last Crucible appearance as a competitor in the 1986 World Championship, and retired from the professional tour in 1992 because of ill health. Spencer was a regular snooker commentator for the BBC from 1978 to 1998, and he served as chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association from 1990 to 1996. He died in a hospice in Bolton, aged 70, from the effects of stomach cancer.
Career
Early years and amateur snooker career
John Spencer was born on 18 September 1935 at Bealey Maternity Home in Radcliffe, Lancashire, the youngest child of William Spencer, a night watchman and bookkeeper's runner, and his wife Annie, née Bleakley. He attended Stand Grammar School for Boys in Whitefield. He first played snooker on a makeshift table using tape for cushions and nails to mark out the pockets, before being introduced by his father to playing snooker on a full-sized table when aged 14. He compiled his first century break at the age of 15. After being conscripted to National Service at 18 years old, he did not play snooker for 11 years.
On taking up the sport again at the age of 29, Spencer's first tournament was the 1964 English Amateur Snooker Championship, in which he finished runner-up to Ray Reardon; the following year, he lost to Pat Houlihan in the final of the same event. He lifted the trophy at his third attempt, in 1966, after an 11–5 victory over Marcus Owen in the final.
1967–1971: Early professional career and first two world titles
Spencer took on professional status in February 1967, becoming the first UK player to do so since Rex Williams in 1951. Spencer was encouraged to turn professional because of the income he could expect to earn from performing regular exhibition matches for the National Spastics Society at £14 a time (), and at Pontins holiday camps during the summer season for a weekly fee of £20 (), to be increased to £50 a week () the following year. His amateur rivals, Gary Owen and Reardon, followed suit by turning professional in September and December 1967, respectively.