Alex Higgins | Northern Irish snooker player | Britannica.com
Northern Irish snooker player
Originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year. Presented as archival content.
Alternative Titles: Alexander Gordon Higgins, Hurricane Higgins
Alex Higgins
Belfast , Northern Ireland
Alex Higgins (Alexander Gordon Higgins; “Hurricane”),  (born March 18, 1949, Belfast, N.Ire.—died July 24, 2010, Belfast), Northern Irish snooker player who raised the visibility and popularity of the billiards game of snooker with his quick, impulsive style of play and his entertaining flamboyance during televised matches. His brilliant playing career was marred, however, by erratic behaviour, gambling, frequent drunkenness (even during matches), and violent outbursts (he was known to attack the referee and on at least one occasion threatened to kill another player). Higgins briefly trained as an apprentice jockey, but a youthful interest in snooker—combined with a weight problem and a lack of discipline at the track—soon prevailed. By 1968 he had secured the Northern Irish and All-Ireland amateur snooker titles. He won the world championship in 1972, at age 22, in his first year as a professional. After having racked up several other titles, he returned to the limelight with his second world championship in 1982. Higgins, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with throat cancer in the late 1990s, but he continued to play professional snooker well into the 21st century.
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Date Published: December 28, 2010
URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alex-Higgins
Access Date: January 19, 2017
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