Shocks don’t come much bigger than a former gas engineer and aspiring pop star defeating snooker great Steve Davis to become world champion.
Joe Johnson was the man who had fans glued to their TVs back in 1986, as the jobbing dad-of-six – who had spent time working as a mechanic and for British Gas as a pipe layer – shocked then three-time world champ Steve Davis to lift the biggest prize in the sport. Johnson had started the tournament as a rank outsider – with bookies even offering odds of 150/1, and he’d never previously progressed past the first round stage at the tournament.
But after he got that first win, there was no stopping the Bradford man who – sporting multi-coloured shoes, battled through the pain barrier to cause one of the biggest shocks of the 80s. After finally ending his winless run at the Worlds with a 10-3 victory against Dave Martin, Johnson had been seeded to face reigning champ Dennis Taylor in the second round. But Taylor had been knocked out by Mike Hallett, and Johnson got the better of the giantkiller with a 13-6 success.
Next up was a clash with his bogey player Terry Griffiths, in what became a last eight epic. Playing attacking snooker from the off, Johnson led 9-7 after two sessions, but Griffiths responded strongly to move three ahead with a possible four to play. An ingrowing cyst on Johnson’s back caused him to almost quit while 7-5 in front, before gritting his teeth and carrying on. When the going got tough Joe really made his mark, as he won the final four frames – and clocked up two centuries along the way to take the tie 13-12. Suddenly anyone with money on the rank outsider was daring to dream.
Fourth seed Tony Knowles was comfortably dispatched in the semi-finals, with Johnson’s biggest challenge then coming in the shape of No.1 seed Steve Davis. The triple world champion had lifted the crown in 1981, 1983 and 1984 – and was the biggest name in the sport at the time, but Johnson wasn’t to be daunted. Again sporting his now trademark dazzling footwear he battled through to secure an 18-12 win – and with it, wrote his name into snooker folklore. Coverage at the time went mental as Johnson collected a cheque for £70,000 – as the man labelled Mr Nobody by one tabloid paper suddenly became known in households across the country.
What was Joe Johnson’s background?
Johnson was born on 29 July 1952, in Bradford, England as Joseph Malik before changing his surname to Johnson after his mum married Ken Johnson – who taught young Joe how to play snooker from the age of four. He became the national under-19 champion in 1971 and was three-times Yorkshire champion, and worked as an apprentice mechanic and gas board engineer prior to turning pro in 1979.
His early professional career was underwhelming, and he became known for struggling under the pressure of playing in front of the cameras – at a time where snooker was watched by audiences of more than 18 million across the UK. By the time he rocked up at Crucible in 1986, he was a dad of six and appeared to be more interested in his career as lead singer with Preston group Made in Japan than in his snooker.
Why did Joe Johnson wear colourful shoes?
Johnson’s popstar aims go some way to explaining his unique choice of footwear. The Yorkshireman became renowned for his striking red, pink and white leather shoes on his run to the final – which he wore to continue his showman image. It also earned him the nickname ‘The Shoe’ in the sport – which isn’t quite as rock and roll as Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Rocket moniker.
How many major titles did Joe Johnson win?
The 1986 World Championship would be Johnson’s only major title. Although did win a few other tournaments, most notably the 1987 Scottish Masters. But nothing to the scale of his world championship.
What happened to Joe Johnson?
The year after his world title, Johnson would again reach the World Championship final, – but this time lost out to Davis by an 18-14 scoreline. Alongside Ken Doherty, he remains to this day one of only two first-time champions to contest the title match the following season, with no player having come closer to defeating the ‘Crucible Curse’ by successfully defending their maiden crown.
He would go on to lift the 1987 Scottish Masters by defeating Terry Griffiths and also won the European Grand Prix title in 1989 but at the end of the season he dropped out of the top 16 and wouldn’t return. He stayed on the tour for a further 15 years before a broken foot brought his pro playing career to an end, although since then he has played in Seniors events.
After hanging up his cue, Johnson turned his hand to commentary – but wasn’t a favourite of John Higgins. The Wizard of Wishaw slated Johnson’s claims that Higgins had been “searching for something that is not there” and “looking for someone or something to blame” back in 2013, saying: “I heard before the tournament Joe Johnson was slating me. If that guy isn’t the worst commentator in the world, he’s in the top three. How he ever got to be world champion, and he can say some of the shots that he does say is beyond me.”
Johnson has since suffered health issues; seven heart attacks, a quadruple coronary bypass and failed laser eye surgery which has left him almost blind in his left eye. But the dad of seven still enjoys picking a cue when he can, telling Eurosport in 2023: “‘I play every day except Sundays. I love the practice. I invite people to come and play me for the afternoon. I’ve got half a dozen of them that come on a regular basis. Good amateurs who push me. I don’t play anybody who hasn’t made century breaks.”