Terry Griffiths

Terence Martin Griffiths (16 October 1947 – 1 December 2024) was a Welsh professional snooker player, coach, and commentator. He won several amateur championships, including the Welsh Amateur Championship in 1975 and consecutive English Amateur Championship titles in 1977 and 1978, before turning professional in 1978 at the age of 30.

Griffiths won the 1979 World Snooker Championship as a qualifier, defeating Alex Higgins in the quarter-finals, Eddie Charlton in the semi-finals, and Dennis Taylor 24–16 in the final. He was only the second qualifier to win the World Championship, after Higgins in 1972; only Shaun Murphy (2005) and Zhao Xintong (2025) have repeated the feat. He reached a second World Championship final in 1988, losing 11–18 to Steve Davis after being level at 8–8.

Between 1984 and 1992, Griffiths reached at least the quarter-finals of the World Championship for nine consecutive years. He won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, completing snooker’s Triple Crown. He was also runner-up at the Masters three times and reached the final of the 1989 European Open, losing the deciding frame to John Parrott.

Later in his career, Griffiths focused on coaching and mentoring, serving as the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's director of coaching. He worked with several leading players, including Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, and Ding Junhui. Griffiths retired from professional competition in 1997 and died in December 2024, aged 77, following a prolonged illness related to dementia.