John Spencer (snooker player)

John Spencer was an English professional snooker player, born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, on 18 September 1935 and died on 11 July 2006. One of the dominant players of the 1970s, he won the World Snooker Championship three times, in 1969, 1971 and 1977, taking the first title of the modern knockout era as a debutant. After losing interest in the game for over ten years, he returned in 1964, won the English Amateur Championship in 1966 and turned professional in 1967. He later worked as a BBC snooker commentator from 1978 to 1998 and served for 25 years on the board of the WPBSA, chairing it from 1990 to 1996.