Terry Griffiths obituary: The humble snooker champion who shaped a generation
Updated 02/12/2024 at 08:40 GMT
Terry Griffiths, the 1979 world champion, was more than a snooker icon. Known for his kindness and wisdom, he mentored countless players, shaping the sport both on and off the table. From his historic Crucible triumph to his work as a coach, Griffiths leaves behind a legacy of greatness and humanity that will be cherished by the snooker world. Eurosport commentator Dave Hendon remembers a great.
Terry Griffiths at the Crucible
Image credit: Getty Images
After John Virgo became UK champion in 1979 he was engaged for an exhibition tour of Britain with the reigning world champion, Terry Griffiths, who invited him to stay at his Llanelli home for the Welsh leg.
Early one morning, Virgo opened the curtains to see his own car being washed by Griffiths. It was an act of simple decency typical of this gentle giant of snooker, who died yesterday at the age of 77.
Many others within the sport have similar stories. After Joe Johnson came from 12-9 down to beat him 13-12 in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Championship, Griffiths followed him into his dressing room and began giving advice about what to do should he win the title, how to handle the attention and media demands and to offer encouragement for the matches ahead.
Such chats went on with sundry players down the years. Win or lose, Griffiths liked to offer advice and there were few worth listening to more. His knowledge and support assisted many careers. His wisdom will be deeply missed.
Born in 1947, Griffiths was the youngest of three children. His father was employed at the local tin plate works. Griffiths, a bright boy, was accepted into grammar school but his friends all went to the nearby comprehensive and, missing them, he played truant to such a degree that he was expelled.
At 14, he became a regular at Hatcher’s, the local snooker club, and began to improve without any real thoughts of the game becoming a career.
He married Annette and settled into family life with their two sons, Wayne and Darren, taking various jobs including as a miner, bus conductor and postman. A postal strike in 1971 suddenly gave him proper time to practise his snooker and he made his first century and reached the final of the Welsh Championship.
Griffiths then became an insurance salesman and won three Welsh titles and the English amateur championship before taking the plunge by turning professional in 1978.
It did not start well. In the UK Championship, he led Rex Williams 8-2 but was beaten 9-8. It was hard to make a living. There were scarcely any other events until the World Championship in the spring of 1979, being staged for only the third time at the Crucible in Sheffield with more television hours than ever before.
Griffiths qualified and beat Perrie Mans before winning a thrilling battle with Alex Higgins, 13-12. On his debut appearance he was into the semi-finals, where another closely fought encounter ended with him beating Eddie Charlton 19-17 at 1:40am.
Faced with David Vine’s BBC microphone, Griffiths exclaimed: "I’m in the final now, you know," a mix of innocent joy, humility and disbelief. The TV audience warmed to his down-to-earth relatability and viewing figures grew.
In the final, he defeated Dennis Taylor 24-16. After a decade in which Ray Reardon or John Spencer had won all but one of the World Championships staged, snooker had a new king and his overnight emergence from obscurity to glory inspired a young generation of players who believed if Griffiths could break down the old order, they could also share in the spoils.
Among them was Steve Davis, a great friend of Griffiths who also became a major thorn in his side. In the 1981/82 season they contested five finals. At the Crucible over the years they met seven times, Davis winning on each occasion, including a second world final in 1988.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2024/12/02/image-c6b61f2e-9a75-4d77-959e-8970171395e6-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Snooker players Terry Griffiths, Steve Davis and Tony Meo on April 11, 1984.
Image credit: Getty Images
By then Griffiths had become one of snooker’s most famous names, a mainstay of the television boom years of the 1980s. He won the Masters in 1980 and UK Championship in 1982, but time and again Davis prevented him – and many others – from adding further major titles to his CV.
However, Griffiths still captured 20 professional titles during his career and spent 17 years as a member of the elite top 16.
A family man, he found the long periods away from home difficult to deal with. Celebrity didn’t come easily to him. That wasn’t his world.
Even so, he became a chart star when Snooker Loopy reached No. 6 in 1986, joining Davis, Taylor, Willie Thorne and Tony Meo on the Chas & Dave track.
In 1987, Griffiths opened his own snooker club in Llanelli, where many junior talents passed through. A whole generation of Welsh players will have fond memories of their time playing there, learning from the master.
In 1992, he reached the World Championship semi-finals at the age of 44 but after being relegated from the top 16 in 1996 chose to retire, entering the game’s blue riband event one last time a year later. He qualified and was beaten 10-9 on the last black by Mark Williams, a symbolic passing of the baton from one established Welsh great to a future one.
After retiring from playing, Griffiths soon became highly regarded as a coach, working with a string of top players who benefited from his wise counsel and personal experience of so many major occasions.
Stephen Hendry, Williams and Mark Allen were just three players he helped, but there were many others to whom he gave advice on an ad hoc basis, just trying to be of assistance.
Griffiths, who received an OBE in 2007, was also a television commentator and popular figure backstage at tournaments, always keen to chat about snooker and help those at any level with advice and insight.
In recent times, he was suffering from dementia. He died surrounded by his loving family.
So many people in the snooker world, including longstanding fans, will be sad today. ‘The Griff’ was a gentleman, a smart and funny man of integrity who always gave others his time and whose passion for the sport and those involved with it was unfailing.
For all the titles he won, that was what made Terry Griffiths special. He was a warm, humble and decent man who loved snooker and whose passing will be mourned by all those who shared his fascination with the game.
Related Topics
Thoughts?
Advertisement
Advertisement