Forty years after winning the world snooker championship as a 150-1 outsider, Joe Johnson recalls a 'strange dream' that transformed his life. The former gas board and factory worker, who had never previously won a match at the Crucible, stunned the sport by defeating Steve Davis in the 1986 final. 'I couldn't get my breath because I expected Steve to beat me,' the 73-year-old told the Guardian.
Johnson's victory came during Britain's 'snooker loopy' era, when players like Bill Werbeniuk drank staggering amounts of beer during matches. Johnson recalled Werbeniuk consuming 28 pints in their 1985 first-round encounter: 'He had six pints before we started and then a pint during every frame.' The following year, Johnson outplayed Davis to win £70,000, a huge sum at the time.
After his triumph, Johnson became lead singer for the obscure band Made In Japan, who had a hit record. He reached the final again in 1987 but lost to Davis and never won another ranking tournament. Hard times followed, forcing him to sell the large house he had bought with his winnings. Johnson also survived seven heart attacks, which gave his fading career a sobering perspective.
Reflecting on his mixed race heritage, Johnson discussed enduring racism while growing up in Bradford, but spoke without bitterness. He described a 'very dark time' in 1982 when he was signing on, doubting his ability after turning pro at 27. 'When I started, there were only two professional events – the worlds and UK championship. If you lost early there was nothing to feed a family.'
Johnson's breakthrough came in the 1986 quarter-finals against Terry Griffiths, whom he had never beaten. Trailing 12-9, he decided to attack and levelled at 12-12. In the final frame, he played a risky red that he calls 'one of the best shots that anybody's ever played'. He went on to win the title, changing his life forever.
