Beijing time on July 20, just as the semi-finals between Rocket O'Sullivan and Trump at the 2024 Snooker Shanghai Masters were underway, the World Snooker wst official website released a message, the greatest in snooker history One of the players, Ray Reardon, the king of the 1970s and six-time snooker World Championship winner, passed away. Reardon is also Rocket O'Sullivan's mentor. I don't know if the Rockets during the game learned this news.
The following is a brief compilation of the official website tribute (the full text is longer).
Ray Reardon, widely regarded as one of the greatest snooker players of all time and a six-time World Championship winner, has died aged 91.
Reardon dominated the World Championships in the 1970s, and was the king of that era along with Steve Davy in the 1980s and Stephen Hendry in the 1990s.
Reardon, nicknamed "The Vampire" because of his unique hairstyle; he was one of the most popular and charismatic figures of his era, beloved by millions for his brilliance on stage and humor off it. Fan favorite.
Reardon has continued to play snooker in recent months, and last November, just weeks after his 91st birthday, he broke a century in practice.
Fellow Welsh player Mark Williams took the lead in paying tribute to him: "Reardon is one of the best sports players Wales has ever produced and the best snooker player. He was the first person many of us started playing snooker. One of the reasons why. Together with Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davey, everyone who plays snooker now has them to thank. They brought popularity to the sport of snooker. He was a real inspiration."
Born in Tredegar, Wales, in 1932, Reardon became a snooker expert by the age of 10. At the age of 14, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the miners at Tytrist Colliery. He often wore cotton gloves, for which he was ridiculed by some, but this protected his hands and allowed him to continue his billiards hobby.
In 1957, after Reardon moved his family to Stoke City, he was lucky enough to escape a mine collapse while working deep underground. Reardon was buried in the rubble for three hours, barely able to breathe. He later told the BBC: "I was buried in a pile of rubble and rocks. I couldn't move a finger, but the air was still able to pass through. It was incredible. You have to be very still, not struggling, So I played marbles with my brother thousands of times in my mind until someone came to save me."
Soon after, Reardon left the mine and became a policeman. During his seven years on patrol in Stoke, he was awarded two medals for bravery, once for climbing over a rooftop to capture a mugger, and again for approaching a man armed with a loaded shotgun in a crowded city center and firing a shotgun at him. His characteristic calmness persuaded him not to use the shotgun.
Meanwhile, Reardon's reputation on the table was growing as one of Britain's best amateur players. He won the Welsh Amateur every year from 1950 to 1955 and won the British Amateur for the first time in 1964, defeating John Spencer in the final. In 1967, at the age of 35, Reardon decided to quit police work and turn into professional snooker.
This decision came at the right time. In 1969, the British Broadcasting Corporation broadcast the first black ball challenge (pot black) and found snooker to be an ideal stage for color television. This was also a key moment in the history of snooker. In just ten years, snooker became extremely popular due to BBC broadcasts.Reardon became the inaugural Black Ball Challenge champion, defeating Spencer in the final, and won again in 1979.
In 1969, Reardon participated in the World Championship for the first time and lost in the decisive game to Fred Davis (the king of the 1950s) in the quarterfinals; but a year later, Reardon won the trophy for the first time. In the final that year, Reardon defeated John Pullman (the world champion in the 1960s) 37-33. This was the beginning of a reign that would see Reardon win world championships in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978.
The last of the six crowns can be said to be Reardon's greatest victory. At the age of 45, he became the oldest world championship champion. This record was not broken until 2022 by the 46-year-old Osage. Levin breaks. This is also the only championship won by Reardon since the World Championships moved to Crucible in 1977. He defeated Perry Manns (South Africa) in the final with a score of 25-18. In the modern snooker era, Reardon's record of six championships was only equaled by Steve Davis in 1989. In 1982, at the age of 49, Reardon reached the Crucible final again, losing to Hurricane Higgins with a score of 15-18.
Hurricanes Higgins and Spencer were Reardon's main rivals in his heyday, but there is no doubt that he was the most outstanding player of that era. In addition to the World Championship, Reardon won 16 other professional events, including the 1976 Masters. Reardon's highest career score was 146, achieved in a 1972 park drive. In 1975, when the world rankings were introduced, he became the first player to be ranked No. 1 in the world, a position he held until 1981; in the 1982-83 season, Reardon returned to No. 1 in the world.
At the age of 50, Reardon became the oldest ranking event winner, defeating Jimmy White in the 1982 Professional Players Championship final (a record that still stands today). A few months later, Reardon defeated White again to win the 1983 Yamaha International Masters, his final professional victory.
Reardon was ranked in the top 16 until 1987, the same year he last competed in the Crucible World Championships, losing to Steve Davy in the round of 16. Reardon announced his retirement in 1991 after losing in the first round of World Championship qualifying.
Although Reardon's peak years were before the 1980s, his fame grew throughout the decade as snooker became Britain's most popular sport. He frequently appears on television programs such as "A Question of Sport," "The Paul Daniels Magic Show" and "Big Break." Along with Davies, White, Higgins, Clive Thorburn and Dennis Taylor, he was called the core figure of the sport by Barry Hearn.
Reardon has always been known as an excellent tactician. In fact, Davis learned a lot from Reardon early in his career. In 2004, Reardon coached Rocket O'Sullivan and helped O'Sullivan improve his tactical skills based on his strong single-shot scoring ability. In the end, O'Sullivan won the world championship. O'Sullivan has always regarded Reardon as one of the people who had the greatest influence on him. Sean Murphy, who won the 2005 World Championship with one of Reardon's clubs, was coached by Reardon in 2007.
Reardon was awarded an MBE in 1985 and was inducted into the Snooker Hall of Fame in 2011. The Welsh Open championship trophy is also named after Ray Reardon. Reardon was loved and respected throughout the snooker family.
Reardon, a father of two, married his second wife, Carol, in 1987. After retiring, he continued to play snooker socially and also played golf.In 2019, he survived a pulmonary embolism and continues to approach life with full enthusiasm.
In his last interview in August 2023, Reardon told David Hendon: "I still like to play snooker. Sometimes, you will be immersed in your own little world, hitting whatever you want. It won't distract you. It's wonderful, it's amazing. "The passing of the king is so sad." I wish the old man a happy journey.
For relevant information about Reardon, you can refer to the relevant articles of the public account Cross Snooker: The "Vampire" Ray Reardon, the king of the ball in the 1970s, etc.
