Alex Higgins

ALEX HIGGINS

 

Alexander Gordon Higgins (“Alex” Higgins), Northern Irish, He was a professional snooker player and is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the game.. He was nicknamed "Hurricane" for his fast play.

Honours: World Champion in 1972 Y 1982, and runner-up in 1976 Y 1980. He won the UK Championship in 1983 and the Masters in 1978 Y 1981, making him one of the ten players who have completed the Triple Crown in the snooker. He was also World Doubles Champion with Jimmy White in 1984, and won the World Cup three times with the All Ireland team. He also won the Irish Professional Championship five times..

Higgins became known as the “People's Champion” due to its popularity, he was the first media snooker player, and is often credited with bringing a broader audience to the snooker, contributing to its peak in popularity in the 1980. In the following video you can see what Alex Higgins meant for the snooker.

Alex Higgins started playing snooker with 11 years. To the 16 years he got his first 147. To the 19 year old he won the All-Ireland and the Northern Ireland Amateur Snooker Championship.

Higgins turned professional at the age of 22 years, winning the World Championship on his first attempt at 1972, contra John Spencer (37-32). Higgins was then the youngest title winner, a record he held until Stephen Hendry's victory in 1990, at the age of 21 years. In April 1976, Higgins reached the final again and faced Ray Reardon, against the one who lost (16-27).
Higgins won the world title for the second time in 1982 after beating Reardon for 18-15 (with a 135 in the final frame).

Throughout his career Higgins won other 20 Titles, one of the most notable is the UK Championship of 1983. In the final, he lost to Steve Davis 0-7, when the famous comeback came to win 16-15. He also won the Masters twice., in 1978 and in 1981, beating Cliff Thorburn and Terry Griffiths in the respective finals. Another notable victory was his Irish Masters triumph at the age of 40 years, in 1989, when he defeated a young Stephen Hendry.

Higgins' speed around the table, his ability to hit balls at a fast pace and in an unorthodox style earned him the nickname "Hurricane Higgins" and made him a very high-profile player. His technique with the cue, highly unusual, sometimes included a turn and body movements.
Higgins' unorthodox game is encapsulated in his break from 69, done under unusual pressure against Jimmy White in the penultimate frame of the Snooker World Championship semifinal, in 1982. Then we leave you the video of this magnificent break.

Alex Higgins was an inspiration to many later snooker players, among them Ken Doherty, Jimmy White y Ronnie O’Sullivan, who in an interview stated: “Alex was an inspiration to players like Jimmy White and thousands of snooker players across the country, including me. The way he played at his best is the way I think snooker should be played. Took him to the limit, keeping the crowd entertained and glued to the action.”

To finish we leave you with a tribute video of the one that was called “People's Champion”.